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W. P. Auld & Sons
| William Patrick Auld was born in Manchester, England, in 1840, the son of Patrick Auld, who would later become one of South Australia’s early winemaking pioneers. Two years after William’s birth, the Auld family migrated to South Australia, settling in Magill, where Patrick Auld established one of the colony’s earliest vineyards and wineries. In his twenties, William joined John McDouall Stuart’s expedition to explore the centre of Australia, becoming one of the first Europeans to cross the continent from south to north. His involvement in the expedition earned him a place among the notable explorers of the era. While William was away, his father continued to expand the family’s winemaking enterprise at Magill, producing fortified wines and brandies that gained a fine local reputation. After returning from his explorations, William Patrick Auld rejoined the family business, working alongside his father until the winery was sold in 1886. Following the sale, William established himself as a wine, beer, and spirit merchant in Gilbert Place, Adelaide, trading under the name W. P. Auld & Sons. The firm purchased bulk quantities of wine, beer, and spirits, bottling and distributing them to hotels, public houses, and private customers throughout South Australia. Under William’s management, W. P. Auld & Sons became a respected name in the Adelaide liquor trade, known for reliability and quality. After William’s death in September 1912, his son George Auld assumed control of the business. George continued the company’s operations until 1923, when it was sold to the Adelaide Wine & Spirit Company Limited, located in Hackney. This larger enterprise was controlled by the Walkerville Co-operative Brewing Company, one of the state’s dominant brewing firms at the time. Although the original business was absorbed into a growing corporate brewing and distilling network, the Auld family’s winemaking legacy endured. Today, descendants of the family continue to produce fine wines in the Barossa Valley, maintaining a connection to one of South Australia’s oldest and most storied wine families, a tradition that began over 180 years ago with Patrick and William Auld’s pioneering efforts in Magill. |
 William Patrick Auld c1888  South Australian Register, 26th January 1900  The Advertiser 19th January 1903  The Advertiser 19th January 1903 |