Merriworth Wines

First impressions are often the best. And Mark McNamara was right. Much of the hard work had already been done when he and Kirralee Hatch first saw their 2ha Tea Tree vineyard back in late 2016. The property had been owned by vendors Marcia and John Skinner since July 1999.

The site comprises both river flats – featuring deep, dark cracking clays – and steeper, eroded slopes of shallow, lighter dermosols over Jurassic dolerite.

Irrigation water came to this part of the valley in 1997. The Skinner family's 0.5ha of Riesling (three clones) and 1.5ha of Pinot Noir (nine clones) were added in the spring of 2001. Their mature vines produced excellent wines over the years.

A tiny fragment of Shiraz on the site offered McNamara and Hatch a glimpse of what might be.

Two decades had taken their toll on John Skinner's Third Child. Besides, there was no Chardonnay for consumers who'd either never fallen in love with Riesling, or had fallen out of love. McNamara and Hatch started a new phase in development in 2020 by transplanting 25-year-old Chardonnay vines from a site located nearby.

Riesling and Pinot Noir remain the site's celebrated core varieties.

Skinner's Ella Mae Riesling from 2011 and 2015 garnered 96/100 and 95/100 from renowned critic James Halliday in its Third Child guise. The 2014 caught the attention of the UK's Sarah Ahmed and received 96/100 in Decanter, the English-speaking world's most authoritative wine publication.

Third Child Pinot Noir – made nearby with the help of industry veteran Robert Drew – had also proven itself to be particularly age-worthy.

McNamara and Hatch had spent several years of studying viticulture and winemaking on the Australian mainland. The couple were especially keen to continue their wine journey in cool-climate southern Tasmania. They took ownership of the 15-year-old vineyard in February 2017.

Skinner, meanwhile, retained his Third Child brand, before subsequently transferring its ownership to fellow Tea Tree winemaker George Drew.

The clean water, rich soils and mild climate of McNamara and Hatch's renamed vineyard – now Merriworth – offered some exciting prospects for producing wines of depth and complexity.

The couple soon discovered that Tea Tree had its own little bit of industry kudos. Peer winemakers often remarked that this tiny hamlet and its so-called east-facing 'golden slope' produced wines that were quite different from neighbouring sites. Skinner had been the first Tea Tree winemaker to note that on his labels

With young son Felix providing a welcome family addition for the industry newbies, McNamara and Hatch have continued to partly fund their developments through existing careers in IT/strategic management and radiology. Periodic sales to high-profile players short on fruit have also been beneficial.

The ambitious couple have hastened slowly, with that recently added Chardonnay taking the vineyard's total planted area to almost 3ha.

Early Merriworth wines were made by the talented Anna Pooley and Justin Bubb at their family's winery, 25km away at Cambridge.

The above average crop yields of 2025 provided McNamara with a rare opportunity of flexing his own winemaking muscles by conducting small batch trials to increase wine complexity and indeed his own understanding of the site. 

Merriworth 'Sans Souci' Pinot Noir has only emerged in recent vintages, but is already evolving into a very attractive, early-drinking style, enjoying good consumer exposure. Other Merriworth labels include Estate Riesling, Pinot Noir Rosé, Estate Pinot Noir and Traditions Pinot Noir.

All are carefully planned and skilfully created. Serious wines. More Merriworth than merriment.

Key details:

• Mark McNamara: owner/vigneron
• Kirralee Hatch: owner/vigneron

Vineyard/cellar door address:

63 Merriworth Road, Tea Tree TAS 7017

Telephone:

+61 (0) 406 657 774

Email:

contact@merriworth.com.au

Website:

www.merriworth.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: 542mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 301mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 115mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.2°C
• Growing degree-days: 1020 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: 20

*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