With Tasmania's embryonic wine industry now going from strength to strength, it's become clear that one of the biggest problems it still faces is its lack of a critical mass. The State's 200 or so vineyards are not just small, they account for less than one percent of Australia's total vineyard area.
When Judy and Ian Robinson first began planting vines in the red gravelly soils of their Lower Barrington property behind Devonport, their prime motivation was to share a winemaking hobby with some friends. The plan seemed like a good idea at the time.
When Hardys winemaker Tom Newton was first given responsibility for handcrafting a flagship white for its domestic and international portfolios, he could not have predicted he'd end up relying on Tasmania for a substantial proportion of his wine's vineyard resources.
There was a time when all you needed to know about buying red wine in Australia was whether you liked to drink 'claret' or 'burgundy.' These days, most of our table wines are labelled according to grape variety. And just three red grapes rule the roost, according to the Winemakers Federation of Australia.
The young naval surgeon woke to the sounds of water lapping gently against the sides of the boat. It had been a peaceful evening for the tiny vessel's eight-man crew. First light suggested its gruelling passage along the southwest coast of Van Diemen's Land had reached a critical turning point.
When Gerald Ellis finally launched Meadowbank Estate's brand new wine centre in the Coal River Valley, industry insiders knew it was going to be a very smart operation. It was July 2000. Time for the 26-year-old farm-based wine venture to move on.
Clover Hill. The name sounds so ideally suited to dairying it's hard to believe its rolling slopes on the outskirts of Pipers River in northern Tasmania could have ever given up their cattle and become State's first purpose-built single site sparkling wine vineyard.
There's a long-standing joke among industry analysts that says you can make a small fortune out of growing grapes and making wine. All you need is to start with a large fortune.
What is it about growing grapes and making wine that inspires some people to swap ordinary lives for extraordinary challenges posed by cool-climate viticulture? If you've ever pondered such a question – or you'd like to broaden your Tasmanian wine repertoire – then the Northern Vineyards Open Weekend is just the thing for you.
Spend a few days on Tasmania's East Coast and you could be excused for thinking wine grapes have only a tenuous foothold on its dramatic landscapes. Apart from the Bull family's award-winning Freycinet Vineyard, the Gunns-owned Coombend Estate, and Spring Vale outside Swansea, most of the 17 vineyards scattered there have little public persona.
