Sailor Seeks Horse
It's been 15 years since US author and film maker Bernie Harberts visited Tasmania. Altogether inauspicious, his journey included one seemingly ordinary but critical moment. The inveterate traveller left a handwritten note at Cygnet's Red Velvet Lounge: Sailor Seeks Horse. I would like to visit Tasmania – by horse (or pony)!
Sadly, it seems horses and ponies were in short supply. Harberts had to make do with an old bike.
It was that curious mix of optimism and madness that resonated with Gilli and Paul Lispcombe. They were local vignerons looking for a distinctive name for their challenging Huon Valley escapade.
Sailor Seeks Horse is a small, dry-grown vineyard at Cradoc, 50km south of Hobart. Established on a northeast-facing slope, the site had been first planted in 2005 and later left abandoned by the owners.
The Lipscombes purchased the run-down property in 2011. They immediately set to work on its 6.5ha of eclectic vine selections: Sauvignon Blanc, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese.
Farmed without synthetic inputs from day one of Lipscombe ownership, the vineyard is home to 8ha of Chardonnay (Dijon clones 277, 76, 95 and 96) and Pinot Noir (114, 115, MV6, 777, 2051 aka D5V12 and 8048 aka D2V6).
It sits in a sheltered bend of the Huon River. Rooted in ancient dolerite and sandstone-derived soils – with gravelly topsoils over clay providing good drainage – vines here hang on to just enough moisture through summer and autumn for the vineyard to remain dry-grown.
Ultra-cool growing conditions favour slow, even ripening, with naturally high acidity preserved at harvest.
The couple managed to produce their first micro-batch of wine in 2013. Subsequent commercial vintages have received raved reviews. Except for the one missed due to the valley's infamous smoke-tainted season of 2018-2019.
With just three small harvests under their belts, the Lipscombes suddenly found themselves in the limelight in 2016 by securing nomination and finalist selection in the Young Gun of Wine awards. (They did it again in 2020.)
In 2018, the couple went one better. Their industry peers helped them secure the Young Gun of Wine Winemaker's Choice award.
That same year, the Lipscombes created the first of their celebrated Huldofolk wines. The rarified moniker highlights any tiny volume of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir that warrants special attention and its own separate bottling.
Life hasn't been all 'beer n skittles' in the Huon.
In 2022, the Lispcombes added Small Wonder Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines to their Sailor Seeks Horse portfolio. The fruit is purchased from a well-managed organic vineyard located in the Tamar Valley. It's an admission that it makes good sense not to have all your winemaking eggs in the one small geographical basket.
A tempering of that curious mix of optimism and madness, perhaps - but one that allows a small superstar label like Sailor Seeks Horse remain commercially viable.
Key details:
- Gilli Lipscombe: vigneron
- Paul Lipscombe: vigneron
Vineyard/cellar door address:
102 Armstrongs Rd, Cradoc TAS 7109
Wine tastings by appointment only
Telephone:
+61 (0) 400 746 514
Email:
pinecones@sailorseeekshorse.com.au
Website:
www.sailorseeekshorse.com.au
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the Huon Valley/D'Entrecasteaux Channel highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Nandroya, Two Bud Spur (both MJT 14.8°C; 622 GDD) and Bruny Island Premium Wines (MJT 15.4°C; 747 GDD) appear to be the coolest sites south of Hobart.
Tinderbox Vineyard (MJT 17.3°C; 1088 GDD) and Trial Bay Estate (MJT 17.1°C; 1044 GDD) are the warmest.
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 Armstrong Road 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 897mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 442mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 193mm
- Mean January temperature: 15.8°C
- Growing degree-days: 776 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: 30
*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