A new family history
There'd be few wine lovers who've never dreamt of planting vines in their own patch of dirt. The lure of watching the sun go down with a glass of your own vino is hard to resist. But it wasn't anticipation of producing world-class sparkling that brought Susan Denny and Harry Rigney back from Queensland 13 years ago.
It was the prospect of living under the spell of picturesque Mount Arthur, northeast of Launceston.
"I grew up under the mountain, and rode horses all around the mountain," Denny says, with a glint in her eyes.
"I'm a mountain girl."
Nowadays an accomplished viticulturist as well as a painter, Denny is co-owner of The Ridge North Lilydale. She and Rigney planted their 2ha of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in 2013-2014.
Growing stuff is part of her genetic make-up, Denny adds.
Her grandparents Keith and Nellie Denny emigrated from England in 1923 to pioneer lavender growing on Tasmania's renowned Bridestowe Estate. Almost a century later, The Ridge's north-facing slopes overlook a broad expanse of river flats. These were once home to the Denny family's original lavender plantations.
Denny's father Tim moved the business to its present-day Nabowla site – 20km northwest of Scottsdale – on returning home from military service in World War Two.
Denny and Rigney believe The Ridge is the State's highest vineyard. It's close to 360 metres above sea-level. On a clear day, the steep site offers dramatic vistas of northeast Tasmania's native forests, with unpredictable Bass Strait further beyond.
Also within view – more than 100 kilometres inland – lie the pristine peaks and periodically snow-capped tiers of Cradle Mountain.
"We bought the property while we were living and working in Queensland," Rigney explains.
"Sue grew up in the family home on Browns Road, which was only 400 metres away from today's location of our home and vineyard cellar door. Back when Sue was young, this place used to be the site of a small dairy. She remembers coming here, getting the milk.
"We were very fortunate to be able to buy the property. It was never actually advertised for sale. We just happened to make a few enquiries and eventually found ourselves with 20ha of land and a whole lot thoughts about what to do with it.
"We'd been searching for quite a while, trying to find a little bit of Tasmania to call our own.
"Sue's always been good at growing things and we considered starting all sorts of ventures on the site. Eventually we settled on the idea of planting a small vineyard to produce sparkling wine grapes.
"Northeast Tasmania has a world-class reputation for sparkling wines produced using traditional methods.
"This site's unique elevation provides our vines with the long, cool growing season that's needed to produce Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for vintage and non-vintage sparkling wines."
The couple spent three years preparing their vineyard slopes for planting. It was time well spent.
In 2016 – barely two years and two months after their vines had been established – The Ridge produced its first harvest. Rigney says the resulting Pinot Noir table wine was brought to life after a little coaxing from contract winemaker, Fran Austin.
"We weren't expecting to be able to produce a wine – let alone a table wine – so we've always referred to it as our unexpected baby," he explains.
"We were very happy to have it, but we didn't see it coming."
Success breeds success.
In 2017, the couple's meticulous management of their challenging site earned them the mantle of Best Small Vineyard in the annual Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year awards, conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania.
The vineyard's 2018 harvest yielded a wonderfully aromatic Pinot Noir that won a gold medal at 2020 Royal Hobart Wine Show. Then came an additional gold at January's 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show.
Cool-climate viticulture has its challenges, Rigney admits, adding it has given the taxation lawyer, and part-time songwriter and musician a new lease of life.
"One of the jobs I had many years ago was on a tomato farm up in Toowoomba," he recalls.
"I just loved it. There was something about training plants and growing them under an elaborate system of management that I really enjoyed.
"This vineyard has a lot in common. It's not only brought us back home again. In many ways, it's allowed life here to turn full circle – for both of us."
First published: The Examiner, 4 April 2021