Small Island Wines
The brand may be small by name and small by nature, but James Broinowski's Small Island wines have been making their presence known since they first appeared in bottle just over a decade ago. Indeed, when Broinowski released Small Island's 2015 Rosé at Hobart's iconic Taste of Tasmania in December that year, the wine sold out within four days.
The 2015 Small Island Pinot Noir made from the same small parcel of Glengarry fruit then went on to win gold at the 2016 Royal Hobart Wine Show. In the following year, Small Island was named among Australia's 10 best new wineries in the 2018 Halliday Wine Companion.
It was a stellar start to a wine company that only sprang to life in the most tenuous of circumstances – thanks to the goodwill and $14,510 crowd-funding of 90 supporters that responded to Broinowski's pitch on Pozible.
Small Island was one of Australia's first successfully crowd-funded wine projects.
Broinowski is a Tasmanian-born winemaker. He worked as a sommelier and managed Hobart's Mill on Morrison restaurant before completing his Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology degree at the University of Adelaide in 2013.
Subsequent vintage experiences saw him making wine in the Hunter Valley (Margan Family Winemakers), Washington State (Gramercy Cellars) and the Coal River Valley (Domaine A) before deciding he wanted to establish his own small-scale operation in a cool climate wine region.
Broinowski chose southern Tasmania as his starting point. Until recently, he operated from the Dr Island Winemaking facility at Cambridge, a collaborative winery he co-founded with Dr Edge winemaker Peter Dredge to support other small producers. He now works from rented winery space located elsewhere in the Coal River Valley.
There is no Small Island Vineyard.
Fruit for Small Island Wines is purchased from a carefully selected handful of vineyards located right across Tasmania. They include Meadowbank (Derwent Valley, Saltwater River (East Coast/Tasman Peninsula), Pembroke (Coal River Valley) and Marengo Vineyard (Coal River Valley). The sites span a diverse range of topographies and geologies, including free-draining sandy loams, ironstone-rich soils, and sandstone-derived loams with clay and occasional basalt or dolerite intrusions.
All are maritime-influenced, with Meadowbank's inland location experiencing some continentality at critical times. Long, cool ripening seasons reward growers with intense, finely-structured fruit and balanced natural acidity.
In 2025, Broinowski welcomed Mark Dietz, one of Australia's top sommeliers and sales agents as partner and head of sales. The duo is taking Small Island to new heights in quality and finesse, allowing Broinowski to focus on production refinement while Dietz handles wine sales and extends their market reach.
There are 10 current release wines. They include Small Island's first traditional method sparkling, wrought from a single barrel of Saltwater River Chardonnay and a dollop of Coal River Valley Pinot Noir.
Broinowski regards Saltwater River on the Tasman Peninsula as the jewel in the crown when it comes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The Small Island portfolio spans a range of styles and varieties, with Tasmania's usual suspects Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir each having a strong presence. Gamay from Saltwater River and Syrah from the upper Derwent offer glimpses into the State's future under a warming global climate.
Three products – cryptically labelled 'A Bit Special' – are the result of single barrel batches given prestige oak treatment from some of Broinowski's most revered cooperages.
Small Island wine. 'Big Island' envy.
Key details:
James Broinowski: founder/winemaker
Mark Dietz: partner and manager of sales/marketing
Vineyard/cellar door address:
No cellar door visits or tastings. Refer to website for sales and events
Telephone:
- James Broinowski: +61 (0) 449 895 004
- Mark Dietz: +61 (0) 497 654 418
Email:
info@smallislandwines.com
Website:
www.smallislandwines.com
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 sites contributing to Small Island Wines show significant variability.
Climate data* for Saltwater River Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 775mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 413mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 188mm
- Mean January temperature: 16.0°C
- Growing degree-days: 859 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: 9
Climate data* for Meadowbank Road, Glenora 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 583mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 297mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 119mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.1°C
- Growing degree-days: 954 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: 43
*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