Kym Francis Tolley's family tradition grew from a small acorn as wine merchants in Adelaide 1850. In 1888, they purchased The Phoenix Winemaking and Distilling Company to be later named Tolley Scott and Tolley (TST).
In 1892, Kym Tolley's great-great-grandfather built a winery and vineyard in the Adelaide district of Hope Valley, expanding in 1910 to Coonawarra grapes and later to the Barossa Valley, producing brandy, fortified wines and table wines.
His maternal family, the Tolmers, settled in Adelaide in 1840. Alexander Tolmer was the Police Commissioner of South Australia and cavalryman, an avid explorer and entrepreneur. He is credited with singlehandedly reversing the drain of gold currency from Victoria to South Australia during the Victorian gold rush. Another predecessor was John Primrose, a distiller and brewer, who was one of the first settlers in South Australia to open a brewery in James Place in 1841.
Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary arrived in 1844 and set up a vineyard and winery to complement Dr Christopher's medical practice at Magill. The winery was the foundation of the Penfold institution as we know it today and the producer of Australia's most famous red wine, Grange.
In 1929 Kym's maternal grandmother married Francis William [Bill] Penfold-Hyland, who managed the family company until he died.
Kym Francis Tolley was born in 1953, the son of Judith Anne Penfold Hyland and Reginald Lester Tolley. Kym's first vintage at Tolley Wines was in 1970, before training at Penfolds for 17 years.
1987 a new journey began: to create a wine and grape-growing business in Coonawarra.