On brink of success
Pinot Noir needs little introduction to today's wine consumers, yet 50 years ago it was on the verge of disappearing from Australia's vineyards. Wine industry statistics compiled during the early 1970s showed less than 50ha of Pinot Noir was planted here, most of it in hot climate wine regions.
Few clonal selections could be identified with any certainty. Virus infections often compromised grape quality, and many producers had little idea how to grow it successfully or manage it through the winery.
These days, Pinot Noir has a home in all our cool climate wine regions. It's the most widely planted wine grape in Tasmania. The red variety also plays a significant role in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley.
But what will the next generation of Tasmanian vineyards look like if predictions for climate change prove correct and the industry must look beyond its good and faithful servant?
Coal River Valley wine producers Todd Goebel and Gill Christian don't have a definitive answer right now. But if the new vineyard they've been working on since 2017 provides them with the quality of fruit they're expecting, they will have gathered valuable evidence on several likely suspects.
Their hunch is that Shiraz and Tempranillo will figure among Tasmania's key reds in future decades.
As owners and operators of Brinktop Vineyard - located between Richmond and Sorell - Goebel and Christian are no wine industry newbies. They have been growing grapes in the Coal River Valley since 1999. That was the year they bought the Johnstone family's Treehouse Vineyard at Cambridge and renamed it Coal Valley Vineyard.
"What began with the purchase of a house and land with one hectare of vines led to a permanent change in our lives," says Goebel, a former petrochemical engineer turned vigneron.
Within a year, the couple began expanding their patch of Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Next came a substantial cellar door facility on the site, overlooking nearby Pitt Water.
By vintage 2017, the pair were operating a popular vineyard restaurant and managing close to 4.5ha of vines, including 0.4ha of Tempranillo established in 2008-2009.
"We loved that site and Todd had really enjoyed making some of our wines," Christian explains.
"But there was no more land available to expand, and Todd was working a tiny space at the rear of our cellar door."
A whirlwind of negotiations mid-year saw Goebel and Christian finish 2017 as successful buyers and sellers. Their purchase was a century-old mixed farming property called Killara. It's at Penna, not far from substantial vineyard developments owned by Jansz Tasmania's Hill-Smith family.
Killara's location on Brinktop Road provided a moniker for the budding new venture and a brand name for Brinktop Vineyard's flagship wines.
The couple relished the prospect of starting a new vineyard from scratch. Extensive soil testing indicated the old farm was well suited to viticulture. A long, gently sloping ridge there would provide vines with an east-north-easterly aspect and welcome relief from harsh afternoon sunlight.
Further analysis revealed free draining dolerite soils, rich in organic matter.
Access to Orielton Rivulet, a 20ML on-farm dam and connection to Tasmanian Irrigation's South East Irrigation Stage 3 added much needed water security.
The couple's decision to plant most of their 8ha vineyard to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2018 was a low-risk option. The trusty white and red grapes are proven performers in the Coal River Valley.
"We were really keen to plant Tempranillo after our previous experiences with it," Christian says.
"We both love Spanish wines, especially those made Tempranillo. We figured it would be really good if we could offer a red variety at cellar door that was a little bit different."
"We've never had Shiraz before, so this is something new," Goebel continues.
"To some extent, we went with our emotions in deciding on Tempranillo. Shiraz is now becoming a popular planting choice among Tasmanian wine producers, especially where climate adaptation is being taken into consideration. Significant show awards and media acclaim are also providing proof it can be grown successfully here on our warmer sites.
"Killara is a bit more exposed to the wind and sea breezes – and might be slightly cooler than our previous site – so we planted only a hectare each of Shiraz and Tempranillo, just to see how they perform."
The challenging 2019-2020 growing season yielded Brinktop Vineyard's first vintage from its Killara plantings. It provided welcome validation of the project's meticulous planning and viticulture. The 2020 Shiraz and Tempranillo wines now in barrel have impressive colours and strong varietal characters.
"The Shiraz is an exciting outcome," Goebel says enthusiastically.
"This is something of an experiment – a new variety on a new site. But it was such a great performer in the vineyard this year in terms of quality and yield. If we could do that every vintage, we'd be happy.
"Very happy."
First published 28 November 2020: tasmaniantimes.com