Bell & Gong
As a young bloke raised by a couple of academics within sight of a major shipping harbour, Simon Stewart planned to break the mould and spend his life sailing the seas as a master mariner. When he and Frances Gatenby first crossed paths on a pub night out in Tasmania, planting grapes and managing a cool-climate vineyard were furthest from his mind.
But that was almost 35 years ago. A lot of water has gone under his bridge since then.
Life set the Stewarts on a different course when the couple eventually decided to drop anchor for a while so they could start a young family. That brought Simon outdoor work on a vineyard in the Hunter Valley. A passion for wines and vines was born as well.
In 2005, the Stewarts bought the historic Longford property of Valleyfield. It was once part of an original Land Grant to Henry Clayton, aged just 16 at the time. A successful flour miller, Clayton also built the beautiful homestead of 'Wickford' that today occupies land across the road from Valleyfield.
Clayton was among 31 passengers on board the ill-fated Creole that left the Tamar Heads in August 1863. It mysteriously foundered off Waterhouse Island in Bass Strait some days later. There were no survivors.
The Gatenby family have lived in northern Tasmania since the 1820s. Free settler Andrew Gatenby famously built the Pennyroyal Water Mill in 1825.
The Stewarts' return to Tasmania brought the master mariner back to an old stomping ground. He'd attended Launceston's Australian Maritime College in the 1990s.
In 2013, the couple's Valleyfield became the home of Bell & Gong wines with the planting of six clones of Pinot Noir spanning 0.5ha. Consultant advice sought previously told the Stewarts their site had great vineyard potential if they could abate its frost risk.
Frost protection in the form of overhead sprays has been a key feature of their Valleyfield site management since day one.
Nowadays, total plantings account for 3ha, with Chardonnay and Pinot Gris having been introduced to the site since those initial plantings. Small volumes of Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot are sourced from a block in the Tamar Valley to give the Bell & Gong wine portfolio broader consumer appeal.
Bell & Gong's first release of wines in 2017 was accompanied by the opening of a cellar located within the family's beautifully restored colonial (1827) homestead.
The name Bell & Gang is a nod to Simon Stewart's nautical background. It references the special signals issued by ships anchoring in fog.
Valleyfield vines are planted in heavy clay subsoils that harden and crack in summer. Their free‑draining topsoils, however, are well-suited to highly intensive, low‑vigour viticulture.
Initial harvests were handpicked but the introduction of machine harvesting since 2019 has not only brought efficiencies and cost-savings, the resulting crop consists of whole berries, thus negating the need for de-stemming in the winery.
There can be no quibbles about wine quality.
Bell & Gong's Australian Cool Climate Wine Show gold medal for its second vintage of Pinot Noir – the 2017 – was accompanied by a top gold performance by the same wine at the National Cool Climate Wine Show. It marked the start of a long and consistent track record on the show circuit that continues to the present day.
A further gold medal for the 2017 Pinot Noir at the Asia International Wine Show in Hong Kong illustrates the universal appeal of these small volume, handcrafted wines.
Recent releases from Bell & Gong include the addition of a lighter, sleeker expression of Pinot Noir. It carries the Flying Mile label. The wine commemorates the glory days of Grand Prix motor racing around the streets and roads that formed a racetrack of international stature at Longford from 1953 to 1968. Its most famous stretch of tarmac was called 'The Flying Mile.'
Renowned for its astonishing top speeds and the derring-do of legendary drivers – including Jack Brabham, Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart – the 7.2km circuit held the record as Australia's fastest (average lap speed) for almost 20 years after its final race.
Life in these parts is a little less frenetic today. Northern Midlands farming has taken a fresh tack.
Key details:
- Simon Stewart: owner/operator
- Frances Stewart: owner/operator
- Alain Rousseau: contract winemaker, Frogmore Creek Wines
Vineyard/cellar door address:
873 Illawarra Road, Longford, TAS 7301
Telephone:
+61 (0) 417 423 889
Email:
info@bellandgong.com
Website:
www.bellandgong.com
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites within 20km of Valleyfield highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions in the State's north. Consider: Entally Estate, Hadspen (MJT 17.2°C; 958 GDD) and Josef Chromy Wines, Relbia (MJT 18.3°C; 1187 GDD).
Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.
South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) in Victoria are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective states.
Climate data* for Illawarra Road, Tasmania, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 642mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 311mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 139mm
- Mean January temperature: 18.2°C
- Growing degree-days: 1146 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 31
*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.
Last page update: January 2026