The light, accessible version of our Australian Ark editions, delivers everything included in the special hardback editions but in the classic paperback format with a simple slipcase.
The Australian Ark is a landmark history of the Australian wine industry. Documenting the times of key people and events from the first days of white settlement to the present day, this three-volume work promises to become the reference of Australian wine history for decades to come. Easy to read, beautifully researched and substantial in scale, The Australian Ark reveals a far more ambitious and fascinating story than previously told. Many observers of the mid-19th Century believed that Australia would become the France of the Southern Hemisphere. Although it would never achieve the same level of wealth as wool, coal and iron ore, wine has always been near the centre of influence and power throughout Australia’s rich and storied past.
Author Andrew Caillard MW, one of the most authoritative wine experts in Australia, has been a central figure in shaping the nation’s fine wine agenda for over 40 years. A direct descendant of South Australia’s Reynell family and a co-founder of auction house Langton’s, Andrew Caillard has held a lifelong fascination for industry ambitions, Australia’s wine families and the country’s social, economic and political history.
The Australian Ark was launched in March 2024 and has already won unprecedented acclaim and a number of both local and international awards. These include:
Wine Communicator Awards 2024 – Best New Wine Book and Wine Communicator of the Year
IWSC Wine Communicator Trophy 2025
OIV Award and President’s Award – International Organisation of Vine and Wine
Perhaps the greatest wine book ever written – Dr Jamie Goode
It’s probably the finest book I’ll get to review in my lifetime – Tamlyn Currin, Jancisrobinson.com
Finalist: Best in the World – Wine Book – GOURMAND Awards 2024
One of the most important wine books published this year, or in fact any year
- Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
It is a triumph. It is remarkable, and it is beautiful – James Halliday AM
The greatest Australian winemaking story ever told. Its importance for Australia is obvious and can’t be overstated – Nick Ryan, The World of Fine Wine
The heft and luxurious feel of each individual volume recalls the grand art-publishing houses of Europe…..this is a book to savour, to dip into and treasure slowly – Steve Waterson, The Australian
Truly brilliant…..I don’t think anyone is ever going to better this book – Tim Atkin MW
A masterpiece – Brian Croser AO, founder of Tapanappa and Petaluma Wines
This is truly a treasure not only for the wine industry but for any wine lover with an interest in history – Huon Hooke, therealreview.com
No-one has dared to write the entire story of wine in Australia until now. The effort here is truly encyclopaedic
– Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
The book is gargantuan in its scope and depth, beautifully and lavishly illustrated. The first volume is as brilliant an encapsulation of the formative 18th and 19th century wine history of this country as anyone is likely to write.
– Max Allen, Financial Review
The Australian Ark will stand the test of time and distinguishes Andrew as one of the world’s top wine thinkers
– Rob Geddes MW
A genuinely majestic, indeed monumental, achievement unparalleled in Australian wine scholarship
– Kim Williams AM
Incredibly accessible – Nigel Sneyd MW
What an extraordinary achievement – Derek McDonell OAM, Hordern House