DERWENT VALLEY
VIRIDIAN WINES
Lyn and Michael Rochford have 6000 vines on their tiny two-hectare property in Granton, about 20 kilometres north of Hobart, and, with the help of Alain Rousseau at Frogmore Creek Wines, produce limited quantities of premium singlevineyard riesling, pinot noir and chardonnay. For the Rochfords, winemaking has always been a hobby first and a commercial imperative second (Lyn’s a lawyer and Michael runs an IT business), which has given them the luxury of doing things the way they want to do them – they age their blanc de blancs on lees for a minimum 10 years, for example, and make chardonnay only when they don’t make sparkling. Tastings are by appointment only, and you’re unlikely to find their wines in bottle shops – particularly on the mainland. Their extremely limited quantities are quickly snapped up by local restaurants such as The Agrarian Kitchen (who discovered their wines at a previous Southern
Open Vineyards event), or those in the know who buy direct.
DOMAINE SIMHA
Born in Delhi, India, Nav Singh moved to Australia after he finished high school and fell into wine while working in hospitality. After a degree in winemaking from Adelaide University and vintages in France, he moved to Tasmania to make wine with his wife, Louise Radman.
What sets Domaine Simha (the Sanskrit word for lion) apart is Nav’s winemaking approach. As his goal is to get the wine from vine to bottle in as few moves as possible, his wines are left on lees until the last moment and then racked once before bottling. He uses 100 per cent whole bunches and all wines are fermented naturally in amphora or large-format barrels. He also follows the lunar calendar for harvesting, picking on either fruit or flower days. Nav and Louise own Institut Polaire, a wine and cocktail bar in Hobart’s CBD, which also acts as their cellar door. During Southern Open Vineyards, they plan to offer matched local food and Domaine Simha wine experiences at the bar. Otherwise, tastings are usually on daily from 4–6pm.
DERWENT ESTATE
Winemaker John Schuts loves to show off his patch of dirt.
Unlike other vineyards in Tasmania, which are largely planted on depleted Jurassic dolerite, Derwent Estate’s soils are calcareous thanks to the 200-million-year-old fossilised seabed which lies underneath. “If you look at the key regions around the world – Champagne, Burgundy, Margaret River, Coonawarra – they’re all planted on calcium-rich soil,” says John. Derwent Estate specialises in pinot noir and chardonnay (even selling some of the latter to Penfolds for its Yattarna) but also grows pinot gris, riesling and sauvignon blanc. Inspired by the caves of Burgundy, John built the Estate’s winery out of straw bales and lime render (“an above-ground cave”), but its major draw is the cellar door, housed in an 1820s-era limestone cottage overlooking the Derwent River, and the newly opened The Shed restaurant. During Southern Open Vineyards, John will show guests his soil over a wine at the Estate’s fossil quarry, but there’s plenty of reasons to visit outside this event, too.