Coal Valley Vineyard

It's been 35 years since Drs Margaret and Gradon Johnstone stepped back to survey their new plantings and ponder the likely success of growing grapes in their young vineyard. Aeons of wind, water and weathering had already worked their magic. The setting was picture perfect for the Coal River Valley's first vineyard food and wine centre. 

The project on Richmond Road began with 3,000 vines, planted in 1991. It was enough to give the couple clear insights of the wine potential of their greenfield property, outside Cambridge. Gradon Johnstone – a 1987 Churchill Fellowship Award winner – was regarded as one of Australia's leading plant scientists. He'd done his viticultural research with typical thoroughness.

Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir were his chosen selections. The vineyard's first harvest in 1994 duly passed muster. The 1995 vintage produced small volumes of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was made into wine just down the road, by contract winemaker Andrew Hood. Two varietal whites appeared in vintage 1996.

In 1997, the Johnstones opened Treehouse Vineyard Wine Centre. It offered simple but tasty light meals, prepared by the owners themselves. Well-priced, high quality wine and food – along with panoramic views – attracted plenty of visitors.

Hobart teacher Gill Christian and her Canadian husband Todd Goebel liked the place so much they bought it at the end of 1999. The couple promptly changed the business name to Coal Valley Vineyard. The couple soon set in place extensive plans to renovate and expand both the wine centre and their vineyard plantings. They were to be carried out against a backdrop of regular overseas work assignments in the petrochemical industry.

The new owners' chickens came home to roost when the 2000 Coal Valley Vineyard Cabernet Merlot won a gold medal and the Trophy for Best Blend at the 2002 Tasmanian Wine Show. The timing was perfect. The following year saw Christian and Goebel open their vineyard restaurant and tasting bar, and began trading seven days a week.

By 2017, the couple had expanded their site to 5.0ha, introducing Tempranillo along the way. Somehow, the petrochemical engineer also found time to add winemaking to his list of skills. His focus was small volumes of estate-grown Pinot Noir and Tempranillo.

A whirlwind of unexpected negotiations saw the couple finish 2017 as successful buyers and sellers. Their purchase was a century-old mixed farming property called Killara, soon to become Brinktop Vineyard. (See separate entry.)

The Dashang Group became the new owners of Coal Valley Vineyard. The company trades on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and is the largest retailer in northeast China. Its sales network includes 400 stores in 150 cities.

Dashang interests in Australia are primarily in the agribusiness sector, through its Pinnacle Fine Food investments. Founded in 2015 – with its HQ in Sydney – its portfolio of premium farm-to-plate producers includes Tasmanian-based Tasfruits.

Tasfruits operates Calthorpe Orchard and Miller's Orchard, both located in the Tamar Valley. 

Coal Valley Vineyard continues to operate seven days a week at its Richmond Road vineyard cellar door. Weddings and other special occasions can be celebrated on the site, with indoor and outdoor spaces available.

Vintage traditional method sparkling, vintage Rosé and single varietal table wines are available for tastings and sales. Bottle-aged examples span vintages 2018 to 2022.

Key details:

John Dobbin: cellar door manager

Vineyard/cellar door address:

257 Richmond Rd, Cambridge TAS 7170

Telephone:

+61 (3) 6248 5367

Email:

admin@coalvalley.com.au

Website:

www.coalvalley.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: 475mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 272mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 105mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.9°C
• Growing degree-days: 1185 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: 9

*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