Tizzana Winery

About Winery and Wines

So began, on June 27th, 1906 Dr Thomas Fiaschi’s lecture to the members of the Australian Trained Nurses Association. All of those present knew just how well qualified he was to make such remarks. Thomas Henry Fiaschi was born in Florence in 1853 and received his education at the Universities of Pisa and Florence. At the age of 22 he migrated to Australia and proceeded to build a reputation as an outstanding surgeon. He came to Windsor in 1876, where he commenced a medical practice in Thompsons Square and surgeon at Hawkesbury Hospital where he introduced Listerian Surgery into Australia. Fiaschi’s Windsor practice continued for about seven years until his appointment as Consulting Honorary Surgeon to Sydney Hospital and Examiner in Clinical Surgery at Sydney University. Always keenly interested in military matters, Fiaschi joined the NSW Army Medical Corps in 1891 and in 1896 went to Abyssinia with the Italian Army. From 1896 to 1900 he was in charge of the NSW No 1 Field Hospital in South Africa for which he received a D.S.O. He later served with distinction in the Great War with Australian and Italian forces in the ranks of Colonel and General. In addition to the vast amount of surgical work which he was able to get through, he was a leading authority on viticulture and planted vineyards on the Hawkesbury (1882) and Mudgee (1920). He was president of the NSW Wine Association and a member of the Royal Agricultural Society. It was during his early years at Windsor that Fiaschi first showed his interest in viticulture. In 1882 he purchased some 230 acres at Sackville Reach and soon after planted 5 acres of grapes as an experiment. This led to the establishment of a vineyard of 55 acres by 1889. To handle the vintage Dr Fiaschi built Tizzana Winery in 1887.