Regional profile: Tasmania plus 40 top wines to seek out

Australia’s island state of Tasmania has long been earmarked as a wine region of great potential, largely for the distinctive quality of its pristine cool-climate fruit. Now there is proof on the table of potential realised.

Popping open the House of Arras’ 2001 Blanc de Blancs, you can only marvel at the freshness and vitality of a 20-year-old wine just entering maturity. Extraordinary grapes have been caressed and framed masterfully in the winery in a way not seen on the Australian mainland, nor rarely elsewhere in the world.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for a selection of the best wines from Tasmania

Tasmania at a glance

Producers 184

Area planted 2,000ha

Proportion Represents 1% of Australia’s total harvest volume but 4.2% of national sales by value

Wine regions Seven in total: North West (near Davenport), Tamar Valley and Pipers River hugging the north coast; East Coast (from St Helens to Freycinet); in the south, Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley and Huon/d’Entrecasteaux Channel

Climate Temperate maritime, cooled by westerly winds off the Southern Ocean; daily mean average is 9°C-12°C

Key varieties Pinot Noir (48%), Chardonnay (25%), Pinot Gris (9%), Riesling (6%). Note that 76% of Chardonnay and 45% of Pinot Noir is allocated to sparkling wine production

Source: Wine Tasmania

Learning process

It has been a slow journey to reach this point. From the 1980s, boutique growers began planting the right grape varieties in the right sites, with a particular focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But early efforts were often clumsy, as winemakers struggled to properly harness the intensity of unusually persistent acidity in the grapes and the island’s maddeningly fluctuating vintage conditions.

It’s a tricky landscape for growers to read. The temperature is seriously cold here – a daily average of 9°C in some parts – and the next landfall beyond Australia’s southernmost point is Antarctica.

But Tasmania is also dry, with the eastern span of vineyards lying in the rain shadow of a range of mountains that splits the isle. All this promotes slow flavour development in the fruit and an extraordinary acid line that ensures complexity while retaining freshness.

House of Arras winemaker Ed Carr was among the early true believers to stake his winemaking reputation on the potential of Tasmanian fruit. When his bosses at Hardys Wines (now part of Accolade Wines) gave Carr free rein in the late 1980s to source whatever fruit would bring wine show trophies and prestige to the company, he chose only Tasmanian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Since its launch in 1995, the success of Arras as a sparkling wine brand of global significance has inspired confidence to accelerate growth and double its 240,000-bottle annual production. This will lead to a significant expansion of Tasmanian vineyards, a prospect that delights Carr.

‘We don’t see Tasmania as a single vineyard,’ says Carr. ‘It’s the complexity of the components from different areas that I’m most excited about, because that brings the elegance and nuance to the wines. It’s a unique resource.’

The very best

Carr’s colleagues at Hardys took notice – most notably senior winemakers Peter Dawson and Tim James, who have both now retired from positions in large wine corporations to create their own boutique label. While they live in McLaren Vale in South Australia, the duo source only Tasmanian fruit for their Dawson James wine brand.

‘We wholeheartedly believe Tasmania can produce the very best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Australia,’ enthuses Dawson, ‘and that’s why it’s the only place we source fruit from.’

Dawson and James are primarily excited by the personality of a specific site: a portion of the Meadowbank vineyard in Coal River Valley, which they lease from growers Gerald and Sue Ellis.

The duo demand particular management of their leased vines and, as a result, their wines are significantly different to the Meadowbank wines made by Peter Dredge (another former Hardys/Accolade winemaker who has now settled in Tasmania), along with his own Dr Edge wines. ‘The very varied wine personalities that can come off this one site means this can be like Burgundy,’ says Dawson.

Tolpuddle Vineyard, also in Coal River Valley, is arguably Tasmania’s most valued and important site. Established in 1988, it was purchased by cousins Michael Hill Smith MW (one of Decanter’s four DWWA Co-Chairs) and Martin Shaw in 2011. The pair transfer the grapes by refrigerated transport to their Shaw & Smith winery in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills.

It’s a big investment that Hill Smith says is entirely justified. ‘The vineyard has focus. It shows place,’ he says. ‘It’s uplifting to be making wines from such a recognisable site.’

When the first vintage of Tolpuddle Vineyard was issued in 2012, Shaw and Hill Smith chose a Tasmanian identity for the label rather than brand it as part of their existing Shaw & Smith portfolio. Hill Smith says that this was vital to respect the integrity of the site, and to elevate an elite Tasmanian entity.

‘People around the world are so curious about this frontier island, and they find the notion of Tasmania’s remoteness hugely interesting,’ Hill Smith says. ‘The story ties in with the fruit quality to drive respect for a distinctive Tasmanian identity – and there’s great value attached to that.’

The big challenge now facing Tasmania is consistent and reliable output. Wild vintage variations due to harsh weather patterns result in variable annual yields, along with unpredictable flavours from fruit of younger vines. Despite such obstacles, many winemakers from Australia’s mainland have embraced the challenges and now live in Tasmania.

Realising potential

New Zealand-born Sam Connew came to Tasmania in 2016 following stints in Oregon, a decade at Wirra Wirra Vineyards in McLaren Vale and two years at Tower Estate in the Hunter Valley. She chose island life because she wanted to make the best possible Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – today the focus of her Stargazer label, which she established in 2012. ‘Tasmania is the only place I know that excels in all three varieties,’ Connew says, ‘and I understand instinctively just how great this region can be. To me it instantly felt like home – like a perfect combination of Australia and New Zealand.’

Having taken the plunge to buy a vineyard in Coal River Valley in 2016 and plant more vines, Connew has now built a winery in partnership with Greg Melick of Pressing Matters, for whom she also makes wines. ‘We believe in the potential of this place,’ she emphasises. ‘The story of excellent-quality Tasmanian wines is just beginning.’

Another with long-term belief in Tasmanian wine is Robert Hill-Smith, former CEO and now chairman of historic Barossa Valley estate Yalumba. His curiosity in the island’s potential was piqued in the mid-1980s, when Tony Jordan of Domaine Chandon Australia planted grapes for sparkling wine production there, and then Champagne Louis Roederer followed, partnering with Heemskerk Wines to create the Jansz sparkling wine label. ‘That European insight into the possibility of Tasmania signalled something of importance to me,’ says Hill-Smith.

When the opportunity emerged to buy Jansz in 1998, he pounced. ‘I felt a sense of adventure by being among the first to recognise the potential of Tasmania and embarking on improvement and specialisation,’ he explains, having just opened a new winery at the Pontos Hills Vineyard estate in Coal River Valley for the Jansz sparklings. ‘Now, we can see that our belief in consistently making wines of great quality has been entirely justified.’

Tasmania: eight producers to know

Altaness

Having sold their Cascabel Winery in South Australia’s McLaren Vale to pursue cool-climate winemaking, Susana Fernandez and Duncan Ferguson are now making notable Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and pétillant naturel wines from deep in the Huon Valley.

Bellebonne

Former Jansz winemaker Natalie Fryar has launched her own boutique sparkling wine venture, with the first vintages of her Bellebonne Blanc de Blancs and Rosé cuvées showing great finesse and structure. This small, dedicated sparkling wine brand is destined to build a big reputation.

Derwent Estate

A long-time provider of elite grapes to Penfolds, Derwent Estate now retains most of its fruit for estate wines. A lithe, textural Riesling stands out as an exemplar of the style in Tasmania, but winemaker John Schuts is equally fixated on the top-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers

Barossa-born winemaker Nick Glaetzer caused a stir when his 2010 Mon Père Shiraz won the Jimmy Watson Trophy for best one-year-old red wine at the 2011 Royal Melbourne Wine Show – a first for a Tasmanian wine. It has drawn eager crowds to his funky tasting shed in Hobart, and his enterprise has been augmented by a recently planted vineyard in Coal River Valley.

Holm Oak

Best known as a white wine specialist, winemaker Bec Duffy is reading her Tamar Valley vineyard cleverly to produce serious barrel-fermented Chardonnay. The brand also has notable Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, along with the best example of Arneis grown on the island. There’s also a smart range of Pinot Noir expressions.

Pooley Wines

Significant among Tasmania’s pioneer grape-growers, the Pooley family’s shift from primarily farming to a serious wine business has propelled them on a quest for the highest quality. Winemaker Anna Pooley is now focused on specialising in single vineyards within the large Pooley range.

Tolpuddle Vineyard

This estate sets a lofty new benchmark for vineyard management and winemaking finesse in Tasmania, with exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay coming from an elite single site in Coal River Valley. It has benefited greatly from a decade of investment and vineyard improvement undertaken by its owners, cousins Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw.

Two Tonne Tasmania

The attention to detail of winemaker Ricky Evans, with his small parcels of Tamar Valley fruit, has resulted in a small portfolio of very interesting, particular wines. He explores a raft of different ideas, from use of whole bunches in his Dog & Wolf Pinot Noir to the Ziggurat range, which is his playground for experimentation.

Key Tasmanian vintages to seek out

2021 Signs are good for wines across the most recent vintage release, with pristine Chardonnay, bright and lively Pinot Noir and a diverse array of Riesling styles showing great texture and balance between ripe fruit and persistent acidity. Broach from 2022, drink to 2033.

2020 The best examples of Pinot Noir yet seen from Tasmania. The benefits of a long, even growing season have been coupled with more finesse and an assured touch by winemakers to produce Pinots of heightened delicacy and complex structure. Broach from 2023, drink to 2033.

2018 A superior Chardonnay vintage, showing luscious fruit character and sharp minerality, built around a firm spine of acidity that will ensure long-lasting freshness and vitality. Drink 2022-2035.

2011 Unfairly tarnished with criticism due to a prolonged wet ripening season across mainland Australia, the 2011 vintage in Tasmania offers many exceptional wines showing the true benefits of the island’s renowned acidity. Key examples are Dawson James’ Chardonnay, showing remarkable freshness a decade on, and Glaetzer-Dixon’s Mon Père Shiraz. Drink 2022-2030.

See tasting notes and scores for 40 great wines from Tasmania

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