Grape escape

There are 65 wine regions in Australia but few of them produce true cool climate wines. You can put that down to having growing seasons just long enough and mild enough to allow wine grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to develop true expressions of their variety.

That's the major stumbling block to vineyard success.

But there are other tripping hazards on the journey to chic Chardonnay and perfect Pinot Noir. 

Growers need to navigate a veritable maze of viticultural challenges in order to plan, plant and successfully manage a cool climate vineyard. Soil type, vineyard aspect, clonal material, vine training and canopy management all need consideration.

The list goes on and on, according to Caledon Estate's James and Karen Stewart.

Words flow freely as the couple recount all that led to their recent cellar door opening. 

They've only just come up for air after weeks of tying up loose ends and preparing for visitors on the Richmond site, 20km from Hobart. Their wine journey to date has taken them six years.

"I think it took me about two weeks of being here to realise that having a commercial vineyard is not something I can just do on weekends," James says.

"We've both been on a steep learning curve. Had we known what it was gonna be like at the outset, perhaps we wouldn't have done it. But we've got 11 hectares now. As each challenge comes along, we just crack on and find a solution."

Born and bred in Tasmania, the Stewarts worked 15 years on the mainland before returning home in 2016. James had turned 40. Time to escape the rat-race and find a more relaxed way of life.

Growing grapes and making wine seemed idyllic prospects for the merger and acquisitions lawyer and classroom teacher.

"We don't have farming backgrounds or anything like that," James notes.

"This place has taken us along an entirely different career path. I've been friends with Tim Lyne at Spring Vale since the early '90s, so it was only natural that Karen and I would work our way through this project with encouragement and support from the Lyne family.

"What they've done on the East Coast is inspirational. We've really appreciated the mentoring role they've played in helping us plan and manage our vineyard. 

"We've also got Spring Vale's Matt Wood on board as our winemaker. He's really pleased with what we're doing."

The 90ha property - once part of Logie Farm - provided a home to grazing sheep until 2018. Its present name has Celtic origins. 

Caledon means 'rocky' or 'rugged terrain.' The word appears on early colonial maps of the Coal River Valley.

"I've spent a lot of time here just picking up rocks," Stewart muses.

That's not entirely bad news.

"The first thing we did was to build a big shed to house our equipment and stuff. On preparing its foundations, we discovered heaps of beautiful sandstone that were just ideal for building use. We ended up incorporating it into the design and construction of our house and our cellar door. 

"By the time our stone masons finished, they'd been working here for four years."

As if that wasn't long and costly enough, the Stewarts also found themselves hamstrung by the COVID-19 pandemic and periodic lock-downs. Labour and building materials were hard to come by for a while, and the project's tight budget neared stratospheric levels.

In 2019, six wine grape varieties were planted on the property's elevated slopes. Pinot Noir accounts for the lion's share. Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc come next in pecking order, with 0.23ha being devoted to a trial block of Cabernet Sauvignon.

They contribute to a total of nine estate-grown wines.

"There's nine blocks as well," Stewart explains.

"We've tried to match each variety or wine style with the vineyard 'terroir' that best suits it. Our premium Pinot Noir clones are planted on north-facing slopes that have the valley's typical black cracking clay soils of volcanic origin. We've also got premium Chardonnay on those slopes. 

"The more westerly-facing slopes include sandy/alluvial soils, so we've got our table whites and our sparkling wine varieties there. Then we've got a little block of Pinot Gris on a very gravelly site just in front of our cellar door."

Spring frosts are seldom an issue on the property. But with average annual rainfall registering barely 491mm - including 286mm during the growing season - water security is a matter concern. That's currently being addressed by access to Stage 3 of the South-East Irrigation Scheme. 

A storage dam on the site holds close to 8ML of water.

With three vintages of wine in the cellar - and a healthy crop set for this year's harvest - the Stewarts are starting to get ahead of their learning curve.

While it's too early to predict long-term success, available climate data - along with the superb wine quality of neighbouring vineyards - suggest the couple will soon having winning wines to match the property's winning views.

The celebrated sites of Pooley's Butchers Hill, Tolpuddle Vineyard, Domaine A and Pressing Matters are all less than 10km from Caledon Estate.

Growing degree-days (GDD) since 2000 span a range of just under 1000 (vintage 2001)  to more than 1400 (vintage 2015). Textbook figures for sparkling wine production through to small volumes of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon.

Right now, the only figures on the Stewarts' minds are ones that relate to cellar door trade. They look promising on paper. 

Data published by Tourism Tasmania show visitors to the State reached near-record numbers last year.  During the 12 months ending December 2024, more than 1.3 million arrived in Tasmania, with 355,000 of them visiting the township of Richmond.

"We're really keen to become a destination for tourists and locals, including people from Hobart looking for day trips," Karen explains.

"We're situated in quite a unique site on the village fringe. When you visit the Coal River Valley, you're mostly in the valley, with hills around you. We're on a hill. Our panoramic cellar door views take in kunanyi/Mount Wellington; the Meehan Ranges and Grasstree Hill; Campania and places beyond.  Nowhere else has all those valley views."

Caledon Estate's new cellar door was designed by award-winning architecture and design company Cumulus Studio. Cumulus work elsewhere includes two sharp, cutting edge cellar doors in the Tamar Valley (Stoney Rise) and on the East Coast (Devils Corner).

The Richmond facility provides a welcome addition to the Coal River Valley's existing selection of tourism offerings. The design is fresh, modern and angular, and finished in a variety of materials – natural timber, painted Colorbond sheeting and expansive, triple-glazed windows. The pedestrian approach to the facility sees guests passing by an impressive sandstone wall that's five metres in height.

It's no surprise the structure already appears to be easing into its vineyard setting. Stewardship of the land and its rich traditions are at the top of the couple's list of management priorities. Vineyard blocks have been established between large stands of native eucalypts - a laborious process  indeed - but one that required the removal of just one mature tree during planting.

Native grasses and other indigenous flora have been left to re-claim the landscape wherever possible.

The cellar door interior is a relaxed, cosy affair, more like a casual wine bar than a conventional tasting room. An open fireplace and upholstered bench seating heighten the comfortable and inclusive atmosphere.

Small plates and platters are available for purchase. The menu celebrates local Tasmanian produce while also complementing a very tidy range of cool climate wines.

"We wanted to make sure the place was especially welcoming for people who may feel they're not on familiar territory when they visit a vineyard," Karen says.

"It's not just for tastings and take away bottles. It's a place to come and stay. To have a drink by the glass or buy a bottle; to bring a picnic rug and just lounge around outside."

It's a grape escape.

Last page update: 26 May 2026