The Defiance
defiance. noun /dɪˈfaɪəns/ - open refusal to obey someone or something.
The Defiance. noun / ðiː dɪˈfaɪəns/ - that moment when, despite everyone saying "it can’t be done", someone stands up and says "yes, it can’”.
Most people have experienced being told "no, you can’t do that". The Defiance celebrates the stories of those who said "yes, I can" and backed themselves in their endeavour. Whether through intuition, skill, enterprise or sheer luck; the act of defiance can often forge new and successful ground. These moments of turning convention on its head or thinking outside the box, along with the stories that have changed the game and rewritten the narrative, should be toasted.
Meadowbank's own story of defiance started in 1976 with our founder, Gerald Ellis - an intuitive sheep farmer with a passion for wine, who decided to plant a vineyard in southern Tasmania. Conventional wisdom at the time said you couldn’t grow grapes in the Tasmanian wilderness. Far too wild, too unpredictable, too 'at the edge of the world'. They said "it can't be done" and sure, at the time they could have been right, except for the fact that Gerald did it. In an act of defiance, the hidden valley of Meadowbank flourished with life and one of Tasmania’s most iconic vineyards was born.
Now, thanks to people like Gerald and the vanguard that sprang up around him, Tasmania is regarded as one of the premier grape-growing regions in the world.
It is a thought worth pausing over, for this initial act of intuitive defiance is why Meadowbank is here today. This is our story, but on this island there are many others. Join us in raising a collective glass as we celebrate those who are rewriting the rules, challenging the status quo, and to you and your own moments of defiance.
Embrace The Defiance. Simply select your preferred wine club option (12 bottles or 6 bottles) and sign up via the links below. When you reach the sign-up page, select 'proceed as guest' to commence your Defiance membership.