Clemens Hill
Clemens Hill was once part of the historic Craigow estate, established in 1822 by Scottish physician James Murdoch. Craigow grew to become a valley showpiece, spanning 1800 acres. By the time Hobart couple Kevin and Jacqui Wagner purchased their 22ha Clemens Hill in 1990, its connection to Craigow and the Murdochs had been consigned to history.
Vines entered the landscape in 1994 when the Wagners began with almost a hectare of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Plantings were set out on sunlit, north-east facing slopes below an expansive, Tuscan-inspired family home. The vineyard's brown/black cracking clay on dolerite had been given the thumbs up the couple's viticulturist son, Ben Wagner.
The first wines from Clemens Hill were made by Andrew Hood in 1998.
When former Margaret River wine producer John Shepherd returned to the State with his wife Joan in 2001, it was to mark the start of two decades of Clemens Hill ownership by the medical practitioners. The Shepherds stayed 12 years before passing the baton to Dr Rob Ware and his partner Aurelia D'Ettorre in 2013.
Between them, these medicos refined Clemens Hill viticulture, adding Pinot Gris, Riesling, Semillon and new clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Production of traditional method sparkling also commenced.
Total plantings now span 5.5ha.
Shepherd began the vineyard's wine show honour roll when Clemens Hill won three trophies at the 2007 Royal Hobart International Wine Show. (Riesling from present-day Craigow also won a trophy.)
More recent developments undertaken at Mount Rumney – Tashinga Vineyard – saw Ware and D'Ettorre win gold medals at the 2022 Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show for 2021 Pinot Noir entries from both their properties.
Tashinga lies in a secluded valley below the crown of Mount Rumney. Its elevated location – around 210m above the sea – sees it benefit from cooler nights and milder sunny days than the original Clemens Hill site on Richmond Road. It has an enviable reputation of supplying fruit under contract to some of Australia's most leading traditional method sparkling wines.
Single vineyard Tashinga Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines form part of the Clemens Hill top-tier Aurelia range.
The Real Review named Clemens Hill among its Top Wineries in Australia in 2024 and 2025.
Key details:
- Dr Robert Ware: owner/director
- Aurelia D'Ettorre: owner/director
- Penny Jones: contract winemaker, Handpicked Wines
Vineyard/cellar door address:
686 Richmond Road, Cambridge TAS 7170
Visits by appointment only
Telephone:
+61 (3) 6169 9530
Email:
info@clemenshill.com.au
Website:
www.clemenshill.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 Richmond Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 594mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 341mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 130mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.4°C
- Growing degree-days: 1075 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: 13
*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