Treasure island
Once the butt of Australia’s jokes, Tasmania is now a sought-after destination that also makes some of our finest wines. The island state is getting the last laugh.
Tasmania is one of our most sought-after destinations, and its wines are on the rise.
It was going to be amazing.
The last weekend in May should have brought about 500 people to Tasmania’s Tamar Valley for an inaugural festival to celebrate the end of harvest. Buses were set to shuttle people between 22 of the region’s wineries over several days, where they would explore the stunning area, discover great wine and food, and enjoy a range of events. But then, the global pandemic got in the way.
Vintage Tamar is not the only event to be ruined by COVID-19, but after two years in the making, it was a blow. If ever there was a reason to celebrate the end of vintage, 2020 might have been it, particularly in this northern area where conditions had been challenging. Event organiser and Brook Eden co-owner Annette Ferrero says the festival was designed to take wine lovers behind the scenes, with winemakers and viticulturists ready to conduct workshops, tours, masterclasses and structured tastings, as well as being on hand for informal chats. Maybe next year.
The island state was quick to lock down its borders to mainland Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions in March and, at the time of print, remained closed to non-residents, with its government looking to reopen mid-July. But with demand for Tasmania’s cool-climate wines on an exponential rise, and the state continuing to top people’s travel wishlists – think MONA, drawcard bars and restaurants, bountiful produce, luxe hotels and outrageous natural beauty – the future is bright.
Despite the state’s wine industry dating back almost 60 years,
Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies says they are experiencing huge change, growth and excitement right now. “Every day is a bit different because we are progressing. It’s palpable,” she says. “There’s this great excitement and energy about the fact we’re just getting started. The producers are trialling different things in the vineyards and wineries, and they all have amazing stories. It’s not about what we can’t do – we’re giving things a go.”
These changes are obvious to Samantha Connew, who launched her Tasmanian label Stargazer in 2013. The winemaker, originally from New Zealand, was working in the Hunter Valley at the time, before moving down in 2016. “I remember when I first moved to Australia, people would joke about Tasmania being backward,” she says. “Since my time here, there have been so many changes and tourism has gone crazy. Wine tourism, in particular, has played a big part in that, which is really exciting.”
The quality of fruit was always the lure for Sam, who believes Tasmania is the only place in Australia that can produce worldclass pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay. “People from other regions might disagree, but you’d be hard-pressed to find all three at this quality,” she says. Sam also thinks Tasmania is the ultimate combination of Australia and New Zealand. “I feel so much more connected to the landscape down here. It feels like home.”
Sam is in the process of expanding her Coal River Valley vineyard, with plans to one day use all her own fruit for her Stargazer range, which feature labels as beautiful as the wines. Known for her stellar rieslings, the wines also include chardonnay, pinot noir, a blend of pinot gris, riesling and gewurztraminer, plus a pinot meunier and pinot noir blend, which joins a growing category of lighter red blends. “It’s not a rosé, but you can have it slightly chilled over summer. It has a little more ‘red wineness’ than a rosé – it’s savoury, but low in alcohol and doesn’t have a huge oak component. It isn’t tannic or extracted,” she says.
With Tasmania experiencing a later vintage than most Australian regions, harvest provided something of a distraction from the pandemic that unfolded at the same time. Pooley Wines, which has two sites in Coal River Valley, welcomed viticulturist Hannah McKay in February, who has moved over from Vasse Felix in Margaret River. Hannah’s experience in organic viticulture is a boon for the third-generation family business, which is transitioning to more organic and sustainable practices.
The team, headed by winemaker Anna Pooley, is particularly excited about the vintage just gone, reporting high acidity, lower alcohol levels and the wines showing energy and tension. They will also soon release their 2019 single vineyard pinot noir wines, as well as the extremely limited 2019 JRD Syrah ($110). Fruit from these same vines went into the 2011 Jimmy Watson Trophy winner, the 2010 Glaetzer-Dixon Mon Pere Shiraz, which put Tasmanian wine in the spotlight.
That celebrated wine – and rare combination of Tasmania and shiraz – was made by Nick Glaetzer, who has since opened a venue in a former ice factory in Hobart. It’s the city’s first urban winery, complete with a sleek tasting room for the Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers range. The venue is one of many recent arrivals that’s helped draw the crowds, along with the likes of Templo, Sonny, Willing Bros and Lucinda, as well as cocktail bars (don’t miss tiki bar Rude Boy – owner Rohan Massie came second in this year’s Angostura World Cocktail Challenge) and whisky dens, too. Distilleries are also flourishing.
In the northern Tamar Valley, many producers are relieved to see the back of the 2020 vintage, which brought extremely cool conditions and more rain than usual. “I can’t say it was the most enjoyable vintage we’ve ever had!” says Bec Duffy of Holm Oak. “But I’ve been looking at the wines and they’ve actually come up really well. You always learn something new each year in terms of picking, ripeness and acidity levels, and the wines look really fresh, vibrant and aromatic.”
For Bec, the focus now is on finetuning the range, which includes four distinct pinot noirs, but they still have some side projects on the go, including an arneis on skins. And despite the hits that have come with lockdown, Bec is seeing the positives. “We’ve been here on this rollercoaster for nearly 15 years and haven’t stopped,” she says. “We still have to concentrate on the wines and keep pruning, but it’s actually been nice to get a bit of a break.” Next to roll out for Holm Oak is their 2018 Wizard Pinot Noir ($65), which is a more structured reserve style.
Tasmania is clearly in hot demand, not just from wine lovers, but also mainland producers. In the face of climate change, the state’s cool
The stunning Devils Corner vineyard. conditions have drawn the likes of Victoria’s Brown Brothers, which now owns some special sites and the popular brands Tamar Ridge, Pirie and Devil’s Corner, which has since gained a striking cellar door. Handpicked Wines acquired its second Tasmanian vineyard last year, and Yalumba, already with star Tasmanian sparkling brand Jansz, has also taken on more sites. Meanwhile, Western Australia’s Fogarty Wines has made huge investments, acquiring Tasmanian Vintners (formerly Winemaking Tasmania), and also planting new sites with a solid commitment to the future.
Many other Australian wineries have also found success with Tasmanian wines, such as Shaw + Smith’s celebrated Tolpuddle Vineyard duo of a chardonnay and a pinot noir. Tasmanian fruit also shines in two wines in the company’s Other Wine Co. range – look out for the very drinkable Shiraz Pinot Noir ($26), which blends Adelaide Hills shiraz with Tasmanian pinot.
Happily, the increased demand hasn’t stopped smaller producers from thriving. Among these are acclaimed winemaker Jim Chatto with Chatto Wines, fellow Huon Valley standouts Sailor Seeks
Horse and Kate Hill Wines, plus Ouse River Wines, family-run Meadowbank and pinot specialists Dalrymple Vineyards, as well as the sought-after wines of Dr Edge (from Meadowbank’s Peter Dredge), Joe Holyman’s Stoney Rise, and Small Island Wines, to name a few. Diversity clearly reigns when you also consider some of the other much-loved labels here, including Freycinet, Stefano Lubiana, Domaine A, Josef Chromy, Home Hill and House of Arras. Tasmania may seem small, but its sites, climates and conditions vary wildly, resulting in an equally diverse array of wine varieties and styles of serious quality. It’s hard to believe that not so long ago, Tasmanian wines were hard to find on the mainland, let alone the fact people had a giggle at the expense of this enviable place.
DALRYMPLE VINEYARDS