Russell & Suitor
When Alex Russell and his wife Lara Suitor bought the former Bluestone Vineyard at Lower Turners Marsh in 2016, it marked a new phase in their personal and working lives. For the winemaking Russell, it provided the chance to specialise in estate-grown and made cool climate wines.
A fresh start for the small family company he'd established in hot climate Renmark just three years before.
For Suitor, it represented a homecoming. A return to her roots in northern Tasmania and an opportunity to give time and energy to growing a family as well as a business. The couple had crossed paths after Suitor had completed her BSc at the University of Tasmania and re-located to Mildura to work at the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre.
Russell was brought up in Melbourne. He turned his teenage tinkering with a Coopers home-brewing kit into a hobby that led to formal studies in viticulture (La Trobe University), wine science (Charles Sturt University) and wine business (University of Adelaide).
Winemaking stints in the Riverland (Zilzie and Angove Family Winemakers) were punctuated with overseas vintage experience in Germany's Rheinhessen.
After spending time with the Riverland Vine Improvement Committee, Russell launched his crowd-funded alternative-variety Alejandro label in 2013. It was time to take the bull by the horns and begin working on a project of his own.
Other labels quickly followed suit – Son of a Bull, Cazadora and Franca's Vineyard.
Russell's ambitious approach in developing a significant level of independence in the industry saw him taking fruit from vineyards as far afield as the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Mildura, Swan Hill and the Riverina.
The couple's move to Lower Turners Marsh in 2016 put them smack-bang in the middle of a vibrant and innovative cool-climate wine industry.
Pipers River is less than 15km to the north of the couple's 21ha property. Hillwood in the Tamar Valley is around the same distance, heading west. Lebrina is closer than both those if the proverbial crow flies east.
The district sits on Tertiary volcanic basalt, extruded along ancient fault lines. The fine-grained igneous rock here weathers into the region's signature soils – deep, reddish, iron-rich krasnozems, which are highly prized for their water retention and free-draining character.
Having subsequently expanded their vineyard's plantings to 15ha, Russell works with estate and regional fruit to produce single varietal Tasmanian Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Pinot Noir, along with traditional-method Tasmanian sparkling wines under the Baila Con Toro label.
Bright, early-drinking Son of a Bull wines in the large, multi-tiered Tasmanian portfolio progress to more refined Cazadora, Ladora and Isabella offerings.
Wines produced from mainland sites bring the total number of Russell & Suitor wines close to an astounding 30 products. Little wonder then that the couple's large on-site winery is about to be joined by a new vineyard cellar facility. Its likely completion date is sometime in the first half of 2026.
That should bring with it a welcome period of consolidation. The couple's wines have enjoyed considerable success to date.
Russell & Suitor was a finalist in the Winestate Magazine 2022 Wine of the Year Awards.
In July 2025, their 2024 Son of a Bull Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer blend won two trophies at the International Cool Climate Wine Show, judged on the Mornington Peninsula. The wine was named Best Alternate Variety White (Domestic or International) and was also awarded the Chairman's Choice Trophy.
From little things big things grow.
Key details:
- Alex Russell: owner/operator
- Lara Suitor: owner/operator
Vineyard/cellar door address:
1866 Pipers River Road, Lower Turners Marsh TAS 7267
No cellar door tastings. A new facility is due for launch in 2026.
Telephone:
Lara Suitor: +61 (0) 400 960 471
Email:
lara@russellandsuitor.com.au
Website:
www.russellandsuitor.com.au
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the North East highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Consider: Apogee (MJT 17.2°C; 975 GDD) and Handpicked Baxters Road (MJT 18.3°C; 1247 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 Pipers River Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 912mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 412mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 206mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.9°C
- Growing degree-days: 1143 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: 16
*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