Drew Wines
Robert Drew's home isn't exactly a shrine to taxidermy, though you might think it when you set eyes on the multitude of mounted stags' heads he has lying about the place. Drew just happens to be a crack shot and a very skilful hunter.
More than that, the trophy antlers are reminders of much earlier years, when the young bloke from Tea Tree earned a profitable and comfortable living from roughing it, out in the bush.
Drew had plenty of tough jobs back in the day. But it was the money from shooting hares, possums and wallabies – for the fur trade – that provided the wherewithal to buy his first home at Tea Tree.
A fair number of wild deer also found their way to good restaurants. It was Prospect House owner and kitchen maestro Graeme Phillips that introduced Drew to wine in the early 1980s.
Bitten by the same bug that got Phillips, Drew soon sold up and bought a 26ha property, also at Tea Tree. It had great bones for cool climate viticulture – and more damn rocks than you could poke a stick at. Around 2500 tonnes of them were removed just clearing its first hectare of ground.
Drew brought in a giant rock-breaker to put in rows of post holes.
In 1992, he planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, followed by Riesling in the site's first expansion a couple of years later.
Fast forwarding almost 35 years sees the Tea Tree site looking resplendent in 6ha of cool climate varieties. Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz seem at home here. The vineyard overlooks Strathallan Rivulet and is underpinned by Jurassic dolerite with predominantly brown dermosol and brown chromosol soils.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir typically break bud in the first week of September. Both are usually ready for harvest in late February or early March.
Drew's bold moves struck pay-dirt almost straight away. He managed to negotiate a 10-year wine grape supply contract with Victorian wine company, Taltarni Vineyards. It was then owner of the embryonic Clover Hill Vineyard, located at Lebrina in northern Tasmania.
Close friend and trophy winemaker Alain Rousseau – Moorilla Estate's incumbent – made the first vintages of Drew Wines. Today's wines are made on the Tea Tree site by Drew himself. He's helped by his son George, a self-taught winemaker.
Drew junior produces his own wines under the Third Child label.
Father and son also have contract winemaking arrangements in place. The Palmers at Roslyn 1823 in particular have drawn on Drew's local knowledge and his winery wizardry since the earliest days of their permaculture project.
Now at an age when many of his peers are slowing down, Robert Drew seems more intent on maintaining course in his wine journey.
It's been an interesting one. Drew was a kid from the country who left school at 13.
He's a true road scholar, from the university of life.
Key details:
- Robert Drew: owner/vigneron
- Debra Drew: owner/operator
- George Drew: vineyard manager and assistant winemaker
Vineyard/cellar door address:
23 Merriworth Road, Tea Tree TAS 7017
Telephone:
Robert Drew: +61 (0) 447 681 528
Email:
drew.wine.01@outlook.com
Website:
www.drewwines.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 Merriworth Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 491mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 278mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 106mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.8°C
- Growing degree-days: 1131 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: 16
*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