Birdhill Vineyards
It's an adage that's as old as the hill. If you want something done right, do it yourself. That explains almost the entire history of the passion project Brad Kelly and Elaine Clarke brought to life back in 2020.
Birdhill Vineyards on Rosewood Lane sprang into being after the Tea Tree couple planted 2000 rootlings of Pinot Noir. From cuttings they'd collected and propagated themselves.
They spent three years laying the groundwork. First, the purchase of their 10ha property in 2017. Then two years' hard labour preparing their greenfield site for planting. And all the while keeping watch over those pesky little Pinots.
Birdhill's neighbours on Rosewood Lane are Stargazer and Petrichor Wines. All three share similar soils and vineyard aspects but are significantly warmer, drier and rockier than nearby Charles Reuben Estate, Glaetzer-Dixon and Pressing Matters.
Birds of a feather, it seems.
Brown dermosols predominate in a district renowned for its ancient Jurassic dolerite.
Around 600 Chardonnay (clones 75 and 96) occupy a later planting at Birdhill. Their east-west rows peter out at the top of the site, where soils become way too thin and bony for even the most footloose and fancy-free viticulturist.
The entire vineyard spans just 1.2ha. There's potential for 2ha but those myriad rocks reduce root and water-holding capacity to unsustainable levels.
That noted, astute site selection saw the couple's first crop (2023) sidestep many of the weather events that dogged vintage in other parts of the State. August and October 2022 were very wet in a generally cool spring. That delayed budburst and prolonged flowering and fruit set. Lower yields than predicted were compensated by superb fruit quality. Birdhill's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir harvests came at the end of a significantly warmer and drier than average late summer and early autumn.
Subsequent vintages have seen Clarke and Kelly focusing on refining pruning and minimal intervention winemaking techniques. The couple say that with time, it will allow Birdhill wines to more faithfully reflect their careful vineyard management and distinctive terroir.
In vintage 2025, the couple added a textured dry Rosé to complement their pigeon pair of single varietal wines.
That's five years gone. Plenty more to come.
Mind you, Kelly and Clarke are quiet, patient types.
Brad Kelly has been a key member of Frogmore Creek's winery team for the past 12 years, working closely alongside winemakers Alain Rousseau and John Bown. All three combined their creative talents to produce the winner of the 2025 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge – the 2024 42°S Tasmania Pinot Noir.
Elaine Clarke was born and raised in Ireland, and has a B.Sc in food technology. Somehow, she's worked her way from Dublin's Guinness Brewery to medical science in a Hobart hospital. The journey included vintage stints in northern Tasmania, Marlborough (New Zealand) and the Murray Darling (northern Victoria).
The couple shared a vintage together in Champagne. Nowadays, they share two young kids.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Key details:
- Brad Kelly: owner/vigneron
- Elaine Clarke: owner/vigneron
Vineyard/cellar door address:
12 Rosewood Lane, Tea Tree TAS 7017
No cellar door tastings or sales.
Telephone:
+61 (0) 487 578 206
Email:
N/A
Website:
No website. Refer to @birdhillvineyards on social media for advice on tastings and sales
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the Coal River Valley highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Six Friends (MJT 15.9°C; 786 GDD); Pooley Cooinda Vale (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD); SISU (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD) figure among the coolest sites.
Richmond Park Estate and Strelley Farm Estate (both MJT 18.0°C; 1189 GDD) are considered to be among the warmest, along with Coal Valley Vineyard and Cross Rivulet Winery (both MJT 17.9°C; 1185 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 Rosewood Lane, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 519mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 287mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 108mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.5°C
- Growing degree-days: 1074 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 1
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 19
*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: February 2026