bubb + pooley

Anna Pooley experienced her first wine grape harvest when she was just eight years old. Her grandparents Denis and Margaret Pooley had planted a hobby vineyard in the Coal River Valley during retirement. By the time she was able to help out with picking at Cooinda Vale, the vineyard spanned just 17 rows of Riesling and Pinot Noir. 

Small scale. Big dreams.

Sometime in grade 6, Pooley wrote in her school journal that she wanted to become a winemaker. Formative years spent with Gran Pooley among her vines were followed by degree studies at Adelaide University, full-time work at Tatachilla and a plum winemaking role at Wolf Blass in the Barossa Valley. Later came sparkling wine and white wine specialisation with Yellowglen and Rosemount. Then she landed an even bigger plum role (or perhaps it was a pomegranate) at Heemskerk Wines.

By 2006, Heemskerk had become an iconic name in the Tasmanian industry. First established as a single vineyard entity in the 1960s by renowned Tamar Valley wine pioneer Graham Wiltshire, Heemskerk gained shareholder ownership in the 1980s. That that led to large-scale developments in the Pipers Brook district. Those spawned the embryonic Heemskerk Jansz sparkling wine brand.

Pooley's chief winemaker position at Foster's-owned Heemskerk was perfectly timed. The Tasmanian wine industry was just beginning to see significant expansion. The talented maker's role included responsibility for regional grower liaison, covering all of the Tasmanian vineyards then growing cool-climate fruit for the South Australian giant.

Pooley had the rare opportunity of seeing new sites develop from the ground up. Along with the subsequent fruits (and wines) of their labours. Thoughts of block-to-label allocation were seldom far from her mind. Pooley gained familiarity with key industry players and their vineyards that was practically second-to-none.

Besides, Pooley was a Tassie girl and that came with enormous kudos and industry respect.

Five years at Heemskerk (2006-2011) were punctuated with three successive vintages of Northern Hemisphere winemaking. Having worked at Salomon Undhof in Austria in 2003, Pooley then set her sights on Tuscany for 2008. Castello di Gabbiano.

The former defensive fortress was also owned by Foster's. The Tuscan operation had been producing wine in its own cellars since 1124. When the Bardi family sold to the Aussie company in 2000, young winemaker Justin Bubb had been sent there to set the place right again. Bubb spent nine years developing its wine quality and production base. Several more years were also devoted to Northern Hemisphere winemaking, with Anna Pooley at his side.

Bubb made good use of his network of Italian connections. He set about establishing a toe-hold for himself at a small winemaking facility in Empoli. Behold, BABO wines. Bubb's own portfolio of great-value Italian wines.

After vintage 2012 – and a wedding along the way – Bubb and Pooley returned to Tasmania. By then, the Pooley family had a good many more vines than 17 rows. A second vineyard had been added – Butcher's Hill. There were moves afoot to extend Pooley Wines' production from grape to bottle. A large shed was purchased at Cambridge and the deal was sealed.

The work space became something of a winemaking hub, with a handful of other smaller producers sharing critical winemaking operations while the Pooley family quietly went about their business there. Pooley wine quality went from strength to strength in the following years.

In 2021, the couple finally took the plunge and established their eponymous bubb + pooley brand. Initially created as something of a 'side-hustle,' the wine quality on offer – combined with the enormous reputations and talents of their makers – captured consumer imaginations.

What began with small parcels of fruit from friends and connections in the industry – like Brinktop, Pressing Matters and Milton – quickly snowballed into an operation requiring greater volumes. The solution was found on Pooley's home turf, in the Coal River Valley.

In late 2022, the couple purchased an established vineyard at Campania on White Kangaroo Road. The 22ha property was planted to 3ha of vines back in 2000. They comprise Chardonnay (20 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (20 percent) and Pinot Noir (60 percent). Its single vineyard wines appear as bubb + pooley WKR.

Viticulture and winemaking are underpinned by sustainability and authenticity, with the resulting bubb + pooley wines being 'raw, expressive and speak of place.'

'The use of concrete vessels is no experiment either. It's a style of vessel that has been traditionally used for centuries in the Old World. We have chosen each shape specifically to enhance the texture of the varietal within them and these beautiful, hand crafted vessels will last lifetimes.'

Bubb and Pooley continue to play key roles for their winemaking clients. 

Indeed, Bremley's remarkable win in the prestigious 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge suggests the couple are right at the top of their game.

Key details:

• Justin Bubb: owner/vigneron
• Anna Pooley: owner/vigneron

Vineyard/cellar door address:

1092 Cambridge Rd, Cambridge, TAS, 7170

No cellar door tastings or sales. Refer to the website for online sales 

Telephone:

+61 (0) 407 798 596

Email:

info@bubbandpooley.com.au

Website:

www.bubbandpooley.com.au

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 White Kangaroo Road, Campania, 1995-2024:

• Total annual average rainfall: 485mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 276mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 105mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.9°C
• Growing degree-days: 1169 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: 12

*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