An era in Melbourne’s history of wine appreciation and purchasing came to a close recently with the death of the legendary Dan Murphy. Although his name is most closely associated with the Woolworths/Safeway-owned chain of wine stores that bears his name, Dan Murphy was very much more than a retailer who became the best friend to a legion of wine drinkers. His enthusiasm for wine and ability to communicate about it are two of the reasons why wine has become such an integral part of Melbourne’s fabric. Murphy first established The Cellar in the inner Melbourne suburb of Prahran in 1952 along the lines of a traditional European wine merchant’s business. Three years later he formed The Vintage Club, through which he selected the now-famous series of Bin wines for sale to its throng of loyal members, and prepared a regular wine newsletter, the quality of which was years ahead of its time. A pioneer in the wine media, throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s Murphy was the wine writer for the Epicure section of Melbourne’s The Age newspaper and in the late 1960s he produced two regularly reprinted books on Australian wine. A tenacious and committed workaholic who could never fully understand why others failed to share his insatiable enthusiasm for it, Dan Murphy lived many years longer than those who knew him expected, especially since he was first diagnosed with heart problems nearly thirty years ago. But despite the length of his days at work, he maintained several extensive academic and religious interests outside wine. Like many who amass large amounts of money over a long and often tumultuous working life, Murphy was never ostentatious, choosing instead to maintain a low public profile, although his name was often never far from the news. He hit the headlines when imprisoned for a short spell after being found guilty of a $2 million tax fraud in 1991, but was released on appeal and ultimately exonerated. Six years later he sold his business for $60 million. His highly publicised split with his wine-trading son Philip (founder of Philip Murphy Wines and Spirits) also kept the media and public guessing, although in my view there was ultimately more smoke that substance to that matter. On a personal note, Dan Murphy gave me my first job in the wine industry as a part-timer in the classic old Chapel Street store that used to bear his name. I found in him a huge source of inspiration and encouragement, and was deeply touched by the generous foreword he contributed to my first book. I remain indebted for what he has taught me over the years and humbled by the interest he always showed in my career. I was privileged to know Dan Murphy for nearly the last three decades of his 83 years, and will always remember him best for his stubbornness, the quickness of his mind and for the spontaneous way his face would light up and his eyes sparkle when he laughed. In every way, Dan Murphy was a unique and special man.
