Pooley Wines
When Denis and Margaret Pooley planted 17 rows of vines at Cooinda Vale in the Coal River Valley in 1985, their plan was to make a little home-grown wine in retirement. The couple could never have guessed their tiny hobby vineyard would mark the start of Tasmania's first three-generation family wine company.
These were pioneering efforts. The cool-climate wine industry was still in its infancy. In 1986, for example, there were just 47ha of productive vines across the whole State.
Early releases from the Campania property were generous and long-lived. Just like the family matriarch, who helped manage the vineyard after her husband Denis passed away in 1994.
Providing their corks did their jobs properly and lasted the distance, some wines could be exceedingly long-lived. No-one was more surprised than James Halliday – Pinot Noir aficiando and Coldstream Hills winemaker – when a Cooinda Vale Pinot Noir won gold and the Trophy for Best Museum Wine under his chairmanship at the 2007 Tasmanian Wine Show.
When the winning wine was unmasked, its label indicated it was made in 1991 by Andrew Hood. Yes, at 16 years of age, this Pinot Noir was still in fine fettle, determined to keep on keeping on.
Inspired by his mother's Scottish grit and vineyard custodianship (until she was well into her nineties), John Pooley and his wife Libby purchased the historic Richmond property of Belmont in 2003. It became the site of a second Pooley family vineyard. Barely 20km from Hobart.
Growing up around vines and wines at Cooinda Vale had a profound effect on Margaret Pooley's young grandchildren, Matthew and Anna. The former took on key vineyard management roles after his grandfather's death. His commitment to the tasks saw additional plantings taking place, together with the fine-tuning of critical viticulture.
In 2012, Pooley Wines was named Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year by the Royal Agricultural Show Society of Tasmania.
As the 2013 Wine Australia Nuffield Scholar, Matthew Pooley spent a year examining sustainability programs in Australia, the US and New Zealand, laying the groundwork for significant developments across the industry as well as across the family company.
After completing her winemaking degree at the University of Adelaide in 2002, Anna Pooley embarked upon a career that took her to vineyards and wineries in mainland Australia, Austria and Italy before she finally returned to her roots in 2013.
Along the way, she was celebrated as Dux of the AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment Course (2008); The Wine Society's Australian Young Winemaker of the Year 2010; Len Evans Tutorial Scholar (2012).
Pooley Wines now spans 20ha across the two sites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling plantings produce flagship table wines, with smaller blocks of Pinot Gris and Shiraz fleshing out an impressive portfolio, largely driven by vineyard terroir.
Butcher's Hill's steep north-facing slopes benefit from long sunlight hours. Shallow doleritic soils with iron-rich gravels and rocky/clayey loams makes the site well-suited to concentrated savoury reds and barrel-fermented whites. Meanwhile, Cooinda Vale's cooler growing conditions and alluvial, duplex sandy loams on sedimentary sandstone terraces result in more delicate and finessed table wines and traditional method sparkling.
Company achievements continue to come thick and fast. In 2021 and 2024, Pooley Wines was named a finalist in the Young Gun of Wine Vineyard of the Year Awards.
In 2023, the company celebrated being Wine Tasmania's VinØ Program Champion, yet another measure of the family's long-term commitment to vineyard sustainability. Months before, Pooley Wines figured as an award winner in the authoritative Halliday Wine Companion. It was announced 2023 Winery of the Year, earning it a place among Australia's most respected cool-climate wine producers.
In December 2025, Pooley Wines was named 2025 Vineyard of the Year for a second time by the Royal Agricultural Show Society of Tasmania. That same month, Pooley Wines was awarded the Pinot Noir of Provenance Trophy – together with the Trophy for Best Shiraz – at the Royal Hobart Wine Show.
June 2026 provided another Shiraz coup. The 2024 Pooley Syrah won top gold at the National Wine Show of Australia. The event is an invitation-only one. To be eligible for judging, each entry in the competition must have already won a gold or a silver medal at a significant capital city or regional wine show.
Some hobby.
Key details:
John Pooley: owner/director
Libby Pooley: owner/director
Tristan Jones: general manager
Matthew Pooley: Tasmanian wholesale and brand manager
Steve Ferguson: vineyard manager
Anna Pooley: winemaker
Vineyard/cellar door address:
1431 Richmond Rd, Richmond TAS 7025
Telephone:
General enquiries: +61 (0) 3 6260 2895
Email:
- General enquiries: info@pooleywines.com.au
- Cellar door enquiries: bookings@pooleywines.com.au
- Wine club: wineclub@pooleywines.com.au
- Tasmanian distribution: wholesaletas@pooleywines.com.au
Website:
www.pooleywines.com.au
Vineyard climate data
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 Cooinda Vale, Barton Vale Road, Campania 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 547mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 312mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 118mm
- Mean January temperature: 16.8°C
- Growing degree-days: 929 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: 27
Climate data* for Butcher's Hill, Richmond Road, Richmond 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 491mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 286mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 106mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.9°C
- Growing degree-days: 1178 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: 10
*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