Stargazer Wines
Born and educated in NZ, Samantha Connew is a law graduate who jumped ship and made a big splash in the wine world after discovering Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir while working part-time in a wine bar.
Postgraduate studies in viticulture and oenology set Connew on a career path around the world – Italy, Spain and the US – before securing senior winemaking roles in McLaren Vale (Wirra Wirra) and the Hunter Valley (Tower Estate). The latter's connection to Tasmania prompted vintage work at Bay of Fires in 2012.
Behold, Stargazer Wines. Vintage 2012 marked the start of Connew's Tasmanian journey in earnest with the purchase of fruit from the Derwent and Huon Valleys. But while her brain was hot-wired to take the best of what was on offer, Connew's heart was already set on the Coal River Valley.
In 2016, she purchased Palisander Vineyard, a 1ha site at Tea Tree in the Coal River Valley. It was first planted to Riesling and Pinot Noir by the Gangell family in 2004.
Highly regarded for her winemaking talents, the Stargazer principal says she landed there with a thud. She spent countless hours learning about hand-tending vines, her thoughts seldom far from planning and managing major expansions. The latter – in 2017 and 2021 – added 4ha of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gamay and Pinot Noir.
The vineyard sits on brown dermosols over Jurassic dolerite. The high-calcium earth plays a lead role in producing thick-skinned, slow-ripening grapes. Cooling afternoon sea breezes offer a welcome foil to Tea Tree's high sunshine hours and low rainfall.
Overall site management is grounded in sustainability. Sheep provide weed control, chickens assist with pest management and bees deliver pollination. More than 1000 native plant species have been added since 2020.
All that good work has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, Connew's passion project was named Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year by the Royal Agricultural Show Society of Tasmania.
Twice nominated by the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology as 'Winemaker of the Year' – and twice named a finalist for Gourmet Traveller Wine's Winemaker of the Year – Connew finally broke through in 2025. In mid-November, she was named ASVO's 2025 Winemaker of the Year.
In doing so, the national industry body also recognised Connew for her 'huge commitment' to volunteering her time and expertise back to the industry,
Connew appreciates working with nature. Winemaking is entirely consistent with that philosophy, embracing wild ferments, minimal intervention and sympathetic use of oak in order to create wines that reflect intricacies in site and vintage.
All is revealed at Stargazer's stylish new cellar door.
It may seem a somewhat refined shed on a hill at a distance, but there's a simplistic beauty to the lovingly crafted facility. Its centrepiece is a single bespoke dining table, just large enough to comfortably accommodate up to 12 seated guests. The panoramic views across the vines are wonderful, with the building's elevation adding to the spectacle.
Tastings are conducted in person by Connew. Currently, Friday through to Monday.
An habitual over-achiever, Connew is a great storyteller who immediately puts her guests at ease.
Her superb wines speak for themselves.
Key details:
Samantha Connew: winemaker/director
Vineyard/cellar door address:
37 Rosewood Lane, Tea Tree TAS 7017
Telephone:
+61 (0) 473 668 494
Email:
info@stargazerwine.com.au
Website:
www.stargazerwine.com.au
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 Rosewood Lane, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 524mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 298mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 108mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.5°C
- Growing degree-days: 1063 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: 19
*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