Hurly Burly

Di Aldous is the driving force behind Hurly Burly Wines, a small-batch, handcrafted label launched in 2016. It's centred on cool-climate table wines, produced from select parcels of fruit grown on the East Coast. The name 'Hurly Burly' was inspired by the rowdy behaviour of guinea fowl that roam the family's Topeka property at Little Swanport.

Aldous did not come to wine through family connections or a more traditional agricultural background. Before becoming a Tasmanian winemaker, she trained in pharmacy and contributed to pharmaceutical research during her employment at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Formal studies and subsequent work experiences gave her a strong grounding in chemistry, microbiology and analytical thinking — skills that later translated naturally into fermentation and wine processing.

Winemaking played to Aldous's desire to explore her creative talents. Where pharmacy research was precise and laboratory-based, making cool-climate wine offered connections to nature, landscape and food, all of which changed with seasonality.

Tasmania's rapidly rising reputation for Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir during the early 2000s coincided with her increasing passion to drink and share wine styles based on elegance rather than power. Postgraduate study in winemaking at the University of Melbourne became a matter of 'when' rather than 'how' and 'why'.

Aldous's Hurly Burly project appears to have been as much a lifestyle decision as a commercial one. Ownership of her Topeka property at Little Swanport property gave her a toehold in the expanding East Coast wine scene as well as opportunity to create something agricultural and distinctly Tasmanian.

Vineyards along the East Coast are underpinned by geology that is both complex and diverse. Granite and dolerite igneous rocks predominate. Ironstone figures along the central and northern parts of the coast but other sedimentary rocks are seldom far away. All contribute in some way to well-drained soils. Add in a sunny, temperate maritime climate and the coast offers generally very favourable growing conditions.

Rather than relying entirely on purchased fruit, Aldous and her family have also established a small vineyard in the upper Derwent Valley. In addition to complementing existing ready access to East Coast harvests, growing vines of her own allows Aldous greater influence over fruit quality and the sustainability of vineyard practices that drive supply.

Hurly Burly operates around a core of varieties that include Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon makes periodic appearance – along with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Shiraz – when growing seasons favour the fully-ripened fruit required for a classic dry red varietal or blended wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon also shows its versatility in Tasmania as a source of attractive dry Rosé wines.

All Hurly Burly Wines are crafted with three pillars supporting them. Purity, freshness and regional character.

Key details:

Di Aldous: owner/operator

Vineyard/cellar door address:

Topeka, 9900 Tasman Highway Little Swanport, TAS 7190

Refer to social media – @hurlyburlywines – for details of opening times.

Telephone:

+61 (0) 408 228 450

Email:

info@hurlyburlywines.com.au

Website:

www.hurlyburly.wine

Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.

Climate data* for sites on the East Coast highlight the wide range of growing conditions here. Consider: Saltwater River Wines (MJT 16.0°C; 859 GDD) and Sterling Heights (MJT 18.3°C; 1267 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 Tasman Highway, Little Swanport, 1995-2024:

• Total annual average rainfall: 568mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 352mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 125mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.6°C
• Growing degree-days: 1093 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: 17

*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