Iron Pot Bay Vineyard

Setting up a new vineyard can be an exhilarating experience when you're living the dream of making your own wine. It can also provide its fair share of anxiety – like what to plant and where. There are few safe options in cool climate Tasmania. The Mani family entered the wine industry by buying an established vineyard.

Roderick Cuthbert and Kyra Hinman first planted Rowella Vineyard – nowadays Iron Pot Bay – back in 1988. The couple knew little about growing grapes and making wine. Cuthbert was an engineer by profession. Hinman was a keen home gardener from a family well-grounded in science.

Their search for a suitable site had begun in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. When that drew a blank, they returned home to Tasmania and purchased a former apple orchard on West Bay Road above the Tamar. Its sandy loams and ancient sediments combined with outcrops of volcanic rock and gravelly ironstone clays to create a patchwork quilt that appeared well-suited to aromatic white grape varieties.

The vineyard newbies found help close at hand. Their next door neighbours were Family Court of Australia judge Edward Butler and his son Nicholas, who established their Holm Oak Vineyard in 1983.

Fred Peacock – then State Viticultural Officer with the Department of Primary Industry – encouraged Cuthbert and Hinman to adopt the relatively unknown 'modified lyre' trellis system as a means of training their new vines.

The site's first 2.0ha comprised Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Further developments in 1992-1993 included Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. Around the same time, Chenin Blanc was removed, having shown itself to be unsuited to the vineyard's growing conditions.

Later changes included the introduction of 0.4ha of Riesling – grafted to Pinot Noir in 2012 – and the addition of Pinot Meunier.

Cuthbert and Hinman found a ready market for their inaugural release of Iron Pot Bay wines. The following year, the 1992 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend – made by contract winemaker Andrew Hood – was awarded the Trophy for Best Tasmanian White Wine at the 1992 Royal Hobart Wine Show.

Named in honour of the descriptor given to West Bay by early seafarers, the Iron Pot Bay brand developed a strong local following for its fresh, vibrant, fruit-forward wines. Indeed, Cuthbert and Hinman soon made a name for themselves nationally by promoting the virtues of Tasmanian Chardonnay made without oak.

Judges at the 1994 Royal Hobart Wine Show added their voice, awarding the Trophy for Best Tasmanian White Wine to the 1994 Iron Pot Bay Unwooded Chardonnay.

The vineyard became a small contracted grower for industry giant BRL Hardy, then committed to establishing a cutting edge Tasmanian sparkling wine program. Sadly, Kyra Hinman did not live to taste the lauded Arras sparkling wine blends that included her Rowella Chardonnay. 

Her death in 1995 was marked a year later with the creation of Iron Pot Bay's first sparkling wine, the 1996 Kyra Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Gris.

Refinement of the style over subsequent vintages brought Cuthbert and partner Mary Dufour welcome rewards in 2011 when the 2006 Iron Pot Bay Kyra Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir won gold at the Australian Sparkling Wine Show. Trophies came at the 2011 National Cool Climate Wine Show and 2011 Royal Hobart Wine Show – and were soon followed by thoughts of retirement.

Purchase of the property by the Mani family in June 2013 brought a new generation of ownership to the 5.25ha vineyard.

A century-old cottage on an adjacent piece of land was promptly acquired and became the focus of a sensitive re-development and restoration program that took three years to complete. Known as the 'honeymoon cottage,' the structure was built in 1907 and gifted to the son and daughter-in-law of renowned local architect and entrepreneur, Alexander North. 

Subsequently re-purposed by the Manis as a charming cellar door sales and tasting facility, its peaceful garden setting features a significant number of large ornamental trees and shrubs.

Viticulture and wine quality remained true to the aspirations set by the vineyard's founders. Indeed, Ashli Rose Mani's elevation to viticulturist and winemaker in 2023 introduced a complementary range of award-winning wines to the family's extensive portfolio. 

She struck pay-dirt with her first releases. The 2023 Ashli Rose Riesling won gold at the 2024 Tasmanian Wine Show.

The 2026 Tasmanian Wine Show saw the 2025 Ashli Rose Riesling figure among the three wines awarded a gold medal in the variety's current vintage class. Meanwhile, the 2017 Iron Pot Bay Vineyard Sparkling 'Homeward Bound' won gold in its class.

It seems the 28-year-old Mani has taken to Bay winemaking like a duck to water. Skilled vineyard management is underpinned by a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology degree from New Zealand's prestigious Lincoln University.

In January 2026, Ashli Rose Mani was named a Top 10 Semi-Finalist in the 2026 Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards, in the Spirit of Tasmania Tourism & Hospitality Award category.

Watch this space.

Key details:

• Julieanne Mani: owner/operator
• Ashli Rose Mani: viticulturist and winemaker; founder, Ashli Rose Wines

Vineyard/cellar door address:

7 West Bay Road, Rowella TAS 7270

Telephone:

+61 (0) 407 724 511

Email:

info@ironpotbayvineyard.com.au

ashli@ironpotbayvineyard.com.au

Website:

• www.ironpotbayvineyard.com.au
• www.instagram.com/ashlirosewines

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

Growing conditions in the Tamar Valley fall under the moderating influence of the river itself. Consider: Eversley Vines (MJT 17.7°C; 1065 GDD) and Evenfall (MJT 18.4°C; 1230 GDD). Coolest vs warmest sites.

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 West Bay Road, Rowella, 1995-2024:

• Total annual average rainfall: 812mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 372mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 187mm
• Mean January temperature: 18.2°C
• Growing degree-days: 1239 GDD
• Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
• 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