Australia's only vice-regal vines
With the day's planting completed, Tara Edmondson stepped back to assess her team's handiwork. "This is a beautiful spot for a vineyard," the estate manager mused. "Close to the mountain; close to the river, with hedges and large trees around the perimeter. It'll need to some wind protection."
Edmondson has clear memories of that spring day. It's hardly surprising. Nine years on, this 15ha Hobart property above the River Derwent hosts Australia's only vice-regal vineyard.
Welcome to Government House Tasmania.
Often described as one of the country's best examples of 19th century English landscaping, the Queen's Domain site dates back to 1856. Oaks from the 1840s have pride of place.
Various historic documents note that the government garden located there was an important source of vine cuttings in the 19th century.
In 1865, some 45 different varieties were available for propagation, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
When Edmondson first began working on the Government House Estate in 2004, the driving range and putting green previously frequented by golfing governors Sir Phillip Bennett and William Cox had fallen from favour. Re-development beckoned.
"It was Governor Peter Underwood's decision to establish a vineyard," Edmondson explains.
"Kate Warner brought it to fruition in 2014 after the former Chief Justice sadly died while in office."
Planting followed site preparations in August 2015. Three varietal selections totalling 1500 vines (0.5ha) were chosen by former head gardener, Steve Percival.
"There's slightly more Riesling (44%) than anything else," Edmondson continues.
"Next comes Cabernet Sauvignon (38%), with Merlot (18%) being closest to the river. Tasmanian Vintners at Cambridge produced a very nice Cabernet Merlot from our first harvest in 2018. Estate wines are poured at Government House functions and events, with additional sales to the public."
Tasmania's landscapes are dominated by Jurrasic dolerite due to its marked resistance to erosion.
The estate's heavy loam/clay soil is chock-full of small-to-medium-sized ironstone rocks, with occasional sandstone outcrops. Moderately fertile but shallow in places, the soil drains readily and responds quickly to the warmth of summer and autumn sun.
Some amendments were required to remedy magnesium and boron deficiencies. The latter can result in seedless berries and reduced bunch weights, issues often commonplace with Tasmania's acidic soils.
The growing desire to achieve industry best practice has seen a move towards softer, more organic solutions to nutrition and the biological control of pests and diseases. On-site composting and cover cropping have increased populations of beneficial insects and micro-organisms.
Grapevine Management Services sourced vines for the project. Owner/operator Bruce McCormack brought 19 years of industry experience to the task.
"There's no way of guaranteeing cuttings or rootlings prepared in Tassie are true to type, so I turned to South Australian Vine Improvement Association and Yalumba Nursery for help," he says.
SAVIA's extensive clone and rootstock trials impressed the former Kreglinger Wine Estates viticulturist. Riesling D2V2 (aka GM 198), Cabernet Sauvignon (ISV-FV6) and Merlot (Q45-14) established quickly on their own roots. Two cordons per vine are caned-pruned to 16 buds by a small team of trained estate staff.
The solitary white variety is particularly expressive. Moderate yields produce very high quality wine. Hand-picking takes place in late March/early April. Intense floral/citrus aromas and fine natural acidity reflect the grape's German heritage.
Two Bordeaux red varieties that together comprise little more than one percent of Tasmania's annual crush might seem odd bedfellows in a State dominated by Pinot Noir. But four Government House vintage releases from late April harvests have all been well received.
Selections ISV-FV6 and Q45-14 have strong industry following in other cool climate regions. Leconfield Wines (Coonawarra) and Voyager Estate (Margaret River) figure among players to have abandoned D3V14 and achieved excellent results from their plantings of the Tuscan Merlot.
Vines on the Hobart Domain navigate a safe passage from flowering to fruit-set but require careful canopy manipulation and leaf removal to redress minor shading caused by adjacent cedars and conifers.
Rows set 2.7m apart otherwise enjoy a bright, sunlit, slightly north-easterly aspect. Plant spacings are 1.5m, somewhat wider than the 1.2m typical for much of Tasmania's cool maritime industry. BoM's mean January temperature maximum recorded close to the site is 21.8°C.
Data kept since 1841 by the neighbouring Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (elevation 27m) show annual average rainfall of 570.9mm, proof that Hobart is indeed Australia's second driest capital city.
Drip irrigation continues to undergo fine-tuning as vines develop extensive root systems. Increasing soil water-holding capacity rather than losing it through run-off or evaporation is an imperative in the face of advancing climate change.
"Ours is a very targeted approach, one that operates quite independently of estate needs elsewhere," Edmondson adds.
"Annual crop rotations provide flowers for decoration; fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables and herbs for the kitchen.
"The site has produced foodstuff since the 1850s. We're proud to support the School Food Matters Program with fresh produce from the community garden, an initiative of Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC. The program enables fresh local produce to be donated to over 30 schools across Tasmania.
"Our production spaces are visited regularly by students and the public. We also enjoy close involvement with TasTAFE and industry training. The Governor is very keen to increase access to support education through her community engagement role."
First published August 2024: Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker, Issue 727
Last page update: 26 May 2026