Wizard off Oz
Australia is a big player in the wine world and Tasmania is home to some of its best and most innovative producers.
Can you imagine what it was like to be transported to Australia in the 1830s? Convicted of doing no more than forming a friendly society to protest about the lowering of their wages, six men from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were sentenced to transportation to the other side of the world.
Of the six, five landed on mainland Australia and were sent to work on various farms in New South Wales, but one, George Loveless, was delayed by sickness and so a few weeks after his co-conspirators had left, he was sent to the island then known as Van Diemen’s Land – now Tasmania.
Named by Abel Tasman after the governor general of the Dutch East Indies, Van Diemen’s Land was a tough penal colony which eventually received over 70,000 convicts from England. George was set to work on a farm in Glen Ayr, Richmond, around 12 miles north of Hobart, which is where he eventually heard that he had been pardoned and he started his journey back to England. But George Loveless has left his mark on that part of the world. On a long gentle slope, part of the original Glen Ayr farm, there is a 20-hectare vineyard called Tolpuddle. Planted in 1988 with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, this land catches the clear Tasmanian sunshine, but blowing in from the sea is a distinctly chilly breeze. This plot of land produces some of Tasmania’s most outstanding wines.
Tasmania is bigger than most people think. It looks like a tiny blip off the south coast of Victoria, but is actually six times the size of Yorkshire. Roughly heartshaped, it covers about 200 miles north to south and around the same east to west. It is this island which is being seen as the source of some of Australia’s best coolclimate wines. Plantings are increasing rapidly, not just in the Coal River Valley where Tolpuddle is located, but also in the north of the island, on slopes close to the Tamar Valley. In terms of volume of wine produced in Tasmania, compared with the rather larger island to the north, it is totally insignificant. Australia accidentally spills more wine than Tasmania produces each year. But in terms of quality it is hugely significant. Those cool breezes keep flavours fresh and lively, and Tasmania can sometimes provide the top notes in some important Australian wines, where the odd 10 per cent of Tassie wine can lift aromas and acidity. If you are buying grapes, Tasmania’s carry a significant price premium.
The Tolpuddle vineyard is owned by Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith, proprietors of Shaw and Smith winery in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. At present there is no winery at Tolpuddle and so grapes are shipped to their winery in refrigerated trucks. Eventually the aim is to make wine further down the valley, but when I was taken around by Bill Casimaty, who looks after this beautiful piece of land and its vines, he suggested that there were plans to expand the vineyard before they even thought of building a winery.
At present. Tolpuddle wines are available at the Wine Society. The 2016 Chardonnay (£42) is crisp and flinty, almost Chablislike in style with green apple notes and a minerally finish. The Pinot Noir 2017 (£52), made with 50 per cent whole bunch grapes, has a bright fresh perfume with intense depth of fruit, balanced by clean zip of freshness and a long finish. Both wines are expensive, perfectly made and will age well. They are the kind of wines to pour for knowledgeable wine friends to show how the world of wine is changing.
Not all Tasmanian wines hit such high price points and a pair of wines now at Sainsbury’s sourced from wine producer Josef Chromy demonstrate that good quality from Tasmania doesn’t have to cost the earth.
The winery known as Josef Chromy is in the north of the island in the Tamar Valley. It is the winery closest to Launceston airport, which makes it a good place to
stop for lunch when visiting Tasmania. Czech-born Josef arrived on the island in the 1950s and since then he has built up several successful businesses while influencing and developing many of the leading wineries in Tasmania. With Jeremy Dineen at the winemaking helm, I toured the property on my last visit.
“The great point about Tasmania is the natural acidity that grapes can develop here. Temperatures are cool and yields generally are low, which means that ripening is slow and gentle. With adequate rainfall, good sunshine and a variety of locations from valley sides to tops of hills, we have the ability to grow a range of grape varieties and make distinctive wines,” said Jeremy.
Sparkling wines are a particular speciality at Josef Chromy, and account for 30 per cent of total production. Aged for at least three and a half years on lees, Josef Chromy Vintage Sparkling Wine has toasty, nutty flavours with the weight and persistence of a quality wine. This is available in the UK, but sadly, not yet in Yorkshire. At around £25 a bottle, it might be difficult for Tasmanian sparkling wine to carve out a market, but the quality is high and if you see a bottle, snap it up.
Alternatively, Latitude Wines in Leeds has a small stock of a fairly individual sparkling Josef Chromy Pepik Riesling Sekt (£24.99) with floral notes and a crisp finish. Also worth a taste is Delikat SGR 2016 (£18.99), which has a light, aromatic style with just a hint of sweetness. But the most exciting development is the Sainsbury’s pair of wines, Roaring Beach, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These have been developed specifically for Sainsbury’s and show the depth of flavour that Tasmania can produce.
The Chardonnay 2018 (£14.50, Sainsbury’s online) has fresh, clear fruit with crisp juicy peach flavours and a linear freshness that makes it perfect to match alongside scallops. The Pinot Noir (also £14.50, Sainsbury’s online) is packed with cherry fruit, topped with herbal notes and just a touch of cinnamon. Ready and very enjoyable now, it is bound to develop with another year in bottle.