Tasmania
"Without question, Tasmanian wines have been one of the greatest discoveries for us over the past few years. Some of the greatest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir we’ve ever tasted come from this tiny island."
Positioned just over 400 km from mainland Australia’s south east coast, Tasmania has rapidly gained a reputation for being a premium, cool climate wine region, not just for sparkling wines but also for top quality still wines such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. With vineyard sites positioned on the north and south east side of the island taking full advantage of the cool, maritime influences and coastal breezes that help to preserve the crisp acidity and freshness that is so important in producing wines of this Calibre. Wine makers in Tasmania utilise the whole region often blending parcels from vineyards across the different sub-regions that each lend its own specific identity to the wines.
Tamar Valley on the north coast is one of the warmer sub-regions with a higher level of rainfall producing fruit with a riper character. Here we discovered Grey Sands, who offer a stunning collection of wines and produce one of our favourite Pinot Gris’ to come out of the New World. The Grey Sands site delivers plenty of tannin, colour and structure. Just to the east of this is Pipers River, one of Tasmania’s coolest regions with a terroir dominated by red, ferrosol soils.
Just to the east of this is Pipers River, one of Tasmania’s coolest regions with a terroir dominated by red, ferrosol soils. As we travel south we come to the East Coast region followed by Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley and Huon Valley. Based in the Huon Valley is Glaetzer-Dixon, responsible for producing some incredible wines and one of our favourite Pinot Noirs. Dr Edge is a producer that focuses on the unique expression of each terroir creating three individual, single vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays each from a different sub-region.
Based in the Huon Valley is Sailor Seeks Horse who brought a derelict, 6.5 hectare vineyard back to life from which they now produce exquisite Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Hughes & Hughes can be found in a tiny hamlet called Flowerpot, who as well as Pinot and Chardonnay, produce Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc from grapes sourced from growers across the island. We’ve also added Ghost Rock to our increasing portfolio. They are one of Tasmania’s pioneering grower-producers. Over 20 years the Arnold family have almost single-handedly created the Cradle Coast wine region of Northern Tasmania. Their estate now spans 27 hectares of high density, hand-tended vineyards, mostly comprised of Pinot Noir, with significant plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris in behind. Ghost Rock’s wines are driven by depth, sophistication and intensity. They produce a terrific duo of sparklings; Catherine and Zoe..
