The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 30: Vacation Manor House

Translator: 549690339 |

Hunter Steward’s intention was simple, after all, the red wine estate only cost about 100,000 pounds a year, which was nothing compared to Arthur’s fortune of hundreds of millions.

Even if the red wine produced by the winery in recent years could not occupy the European market, it could still barely maintain its existence in the Australian market.

Especially in the current chaotic situation in Europe, once wars break out among European countries, or any unexpected situations arise, leading to a decrease in the production of European wineries, it would be Arthur’s winery’s time to seize the market share.

At worst, it could occupy the markets in Australia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia by selling cheap red wine and make a profit.

After all, now Europe is the most dazzling pearl in the world, and the Western culture is very popular among people in other regions, not to mention the widely popular grape wine pursued by European nobility.

This is the normal psychology of comparison, thinking that foreign things are always better than domestic ones.

“Hmm.” Arthur nodded, agreeing with Hunter Steward’s view.

“Your Highness, our winery includes several areas such as the square, exhibition hall, winery, vineyard, storage, and underground cellar, with an estimated maximum production of over 4,4.00 tons per year. According to the capacity of barrel wine, our winery can produce a maximum of about 39,000 barrels of grape wine per year. If it is packed in bottles, it can produce more than 6 million bottles.” Hunter Steward explained to Arthur with a smile.

Barrel wine is a relatively common packaging for grape wine in the United Kingdom. In Britain, even cheaper grape wines can cost a barrel of several pounds, with slightly more expensive ones being over ten pounds.

Even if the red wine produced by Arthur’s winery sells for only five pounds a barrel, it could still maintain a balanced revenue and expenditure.

If sold in bottles, the profit would be even greater. Most bottled grape wines are marketed as high-end, so the prices are generally higher than the same amount of barrel wine.

Generally, a barrel of grape wine can sell for ten pounds, but if it is divided into hundreds of 750ml bottles, each bottle can be sold for at least three shillings — that is more than double the price for the same amount of grape wine.

At present, the winery’s maximum production capacity can fully meet Australia’s consumption. At least, until Australia’s per capita annual income sees a considerable increase, Arthur’s winery can stockpile a large amount of red wine every year.

“Uncle Hunter, when can we drink the grape wine?” Patricia asked eagerly.

Seeing the expectant looks of Patricia and Margaret, Hunter Steward smiled and said, “The grapes won’t be ripe until August, and combined with the winemaking time, you young highnesses will have to wait until late September to enjoy the red wine produced by our new winery.”

Hearing Hunter Steward’s words, Patricia and Margaret couldn’t help but be disappointed and felt dissatisfied with the waiting time.

“Well, don’t we still have a lot of red wine from the United Kingdom? That should be enough for you to last until October,” Duchess Louise said with an annoyed look at her two daughters and continued with a smile.

In reality, neither Patricia nor Margaret wanted to drink the new wine; they were just curious about it.

The red wine that Arthur had brought back from the United Kingdom was all high-end red wine produced by Duke Arthur’s winery, totaling about 1,000 bottles.

In addition to Arthur, the royal family has only Duchess Louise and her two sisters, so the consumption of grape wine is actually very small, and there are still over 900 bottles left after drinking for several months.

“Oh!” Seeing their mother start to teach them a lesson, Margaret and Patricia quickly hid behind Arthur, reluctantly replying.

“Let’s go and have a look at the winery.” Arthur timely saved his two sisters and said with a smile.

Hearing Arthur say that, Margaret and Patricia quickly went back to their mother’s side and began to tour the entire estate’s scenery.

It must be said that the overall geographical environment of the vineyard is excellent, with mountain and water views, and a small hill behind the vineyard has sufficient sunlight exposure, which is suitable for the growth of grape trees.

There is a clear river in front of the winery, running through the square in front of the vineyard. The river is crystal clear, and occasionally you can see groups of fish swimming past.

Such a superior geographical environment wouldn’t only be fitting for a vineyard, but even for building a vacation manor, it would be perfect.

Although it’s already summer, the cool breeze and the sound of the creek by the ear make Arthur feel a bit reluctant to leave.

“Your Highness, I have specially built a small manor inside the vineyard, close to our fruit plantation, with a creek just in front. Summer has arrived, and the administrative building is spacious but hot. In my opinion, Your Highness can temporarily stay in the manor, both to avoid the heat and to entertain the two younger Highnesses so that they won’t be so bored.” Hunter Steward suggested.

When selecting the location for the winery, Hunter Steward noticed this excellent geographical environment.

With a mountain backing the winery and water beside it, behind the vineyard is a small basin surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side, making it a perfect address for a vacation manor.

Therefore, Hunter Steward decided on his own initiative to allocate the best piece of land within the vineyard for Arthur and the royal family to build a small manor.

Although the manor’s area isn’t large, the location and natural environment are excellent, making it a great place to escape the heat in the summer.

Seeing that his two sisters were both intrigued, Arthur laughed and asked, “Has the manor been built already?”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Hunter Steward nodded and said, “The manor was built along with the winery, and it has now been completed. All it needs is the furniture moved in, and then you can move in.”

“Let’s go and have a look.” Arthur also became interested and said with a smile.

In Europe’s major monarchist countries, the royal family has their private estates. Some more powerful royal families even own multiple or even more than ten private estates.

These estates are for the royal family to temporarily live in, use for travel and rest when living in the palace isn’t comfortable.

Take the British Royal Family as an example, for instance, Queen Victoria has countless estates, including famous ones such as Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Herreli Palace, Clarence Palace, Kensington Palace, Saint James Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Sandringham Estate, and other luxurious estates, making her vacation choices difficult every year.

However, up to now, the Australian Royal Family only has the National Government Building as their residence, which seems rather shabby and left out, which is why Hunter, as the royal family steward, wanted to build a manor here.