Pinots steal show

When you consider the thought and care that goes into growing and making quality wines from Pinot Noir, there must be plenty of times when your average Tasmanian producer simply feels like throwing their arms in the air and crying, "Enough!"

Many – quite understandably – must ask whether the variety is really worth the effort.

In Launceston recently as chairman of judges at the sixth annual Tasmanian Regional Wine Show, the authoritative James Halliday delivered heartening news to local vignerons. 

"Tasmania is very well suited to Pinot Noir," he said on tasting more than 170 of the State's wines with fellow judges Tim Knappstein and Huon Hooke.

"Although I think it's taken a long time for a theoretical suitability to be translated into reality, it's certainly happened with a vengeance over the past few years."

Commenting on the quality of the show's 50 Pinot Noir entries – ranging in age from one year to 10 years, and drawn from all established wine regions across State – Halliday gave high praise for the breadth and depth of standard achieved with the variety.

"Throughout the show, the Pinots were the star performers. In the open section, the '94 vintage in particular performed extremely well.

"Last year, we came and were hugely impressed – and indeed slightly puzzled – by the extraordinary power of the '94 class. We weren't sure how they were going to evolve.

"I'm happy to say that they've evolved magnificently. This year, the '94 vintage class, as a single class, was undoubtedly the highlight of the show. In fact, we'd never seen so many Pinots in a single class before anywhere in Australia.

"The majority of the '94s are continuing to show plenty of sweet fruit to go along with other winemaking characteristics. There was just this whole series of wonderful wines."

A glorious selection of mature wines in the museum section of the show also caught the mainlanders' attention. With 12 of the 15 Pinot Noir entries in the section gaining medals, there was plenty for the judges to talk about.

"The class of mixed wines that gave us the greatest pleasure and the greatest surprise was the museum section. 

"To see this string of old Pinots going back to '86 was marvellous stuff. Absolutely wonderful. I think those producers, by and large, had every cause to be proud of them."

Tasmania's wines – its Pinot Noirs in particular – have appeal on national and international markets. What the industry must do now, says Halliday, is to be become more responsive to the needs of the marketplace.

"Increasingly, Tasmania has to come into the real wine world," he said.

"It can't be a doll's house industry, nor an inward-looking industry with most of its wine consumed within Tasmania either by Tasmanians or by tourists.

"People from other countries look upon Tasmania and its wine industry with an extraordinary degree of interest and fascination.

"You've got a fantastic marketing opportunity there. Set against the background of an aggressively expanding Australian industry, this is a tremendous advantage.

"Like it or not, Tasmania will have to become a part of the wider world of wine."

First published: The Advocate, 7 March 1996