Top Rosé decoded

Wine comes in three basic colours, according to Harry Eyres' amusing Bluff Your Way in Wine. The first, of course, is red, which we're told ranges from purple to light brown. Next comes white, which in fact is usually pale yellow. Then finally comes rosé, 'which is to be avoided at all costs,' Eyres writes.

That might be good advice for prospective wine bluffers but for those of us looking forward to spring, lightly-chilled rosé wines make great drinks for the great outdoors. Their crisp acidity and delicate red fruit can also complement the savoury and salty elements of cured meats, olives, and cheeses typically offered in antipasto platters.

You probably won't see Cape Bernier's Andrew Sinclair doing much lolling about under trees over the coming months. He'll be flat-out making sure his meticulous vineyard management goes according to plan.

Growing conditions can be very challenging in this cool, south-eastern corner of Tasmania. But they can also bring rich rewards. Back in January, respected author, critic and wine judge Huon Hooke ranked the 2015 Cape Bernier Pinot Rosé ($30) the best of Australia's current (2015) vintage Rosés.

Published online by The Real Review, his list of 112 tasting samples were drawn from all parts of the country. Cellar door pricing ranged from $13 to $80 per bottle.

Sinclair and his wife Jenny and their children moved from Sydney to Bream Creek in 2014 to escape the rat-race of day-to-day living in Australia's largest city.

"The real driver of getting into the Tasmanian wine industry was just to get out of Sydney and go somewhere else in the country where we could enjoy life while maintaining our existing work arrangements," he explains.

"We considered all sorts of opportunities – including having a market garden and raising pigs – but we loved what we found here. We discovered the vineyard was for sale while visiting friends in the State. It's a stunning location."

"We had already identified a set of business criteria that needed satisfying," Jenny Sinclair continues.

"We wanted something in a semi-rural setting that was close to an airport. We also needed enough land to allow us to develop a business that would provide a living once we had retired from our busy professional lives. What we didn't take into account is how much worked is involved. It's certainly more than just a hobby vineyard."

Indeed, it's not.

The site was a former dairy farm – located on the slopes of Bream Creek's Ragged Tier – when vineyard founder Dr Alastair Christie planted it with a mix of wine grape varieties back in 1998. 

Like the Sinclairs, Christie had moved to the property primarily for lifestyle reasons. Its dramatic coastal views take in Maria Island, around 10km north-east of Bream Creek.

Bream Creek Vineyard itself – owned and operated by renowned viticulturist Fred Peacock – is just five kilometres away.

Christie was a former Government policy adviser and strategy consultant. He claimed he wasn't even a gardener when he first took up cool-climate viticulture. But that didn't stop him from turning an acknowledged 'romantic dream' into an industry showpiece.

In 2010, Christie's 4ha Cape Bernier was named Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year.

What seemed like overnight success actually took 12 years and required a significant change of plans along the way.

Cabernet Franc and Merlot originally occupied the sunny, windswept site, alongside the industry's usual suspects, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The two red Bordeaux varieties contributed to several attractive blends of Cabernet Merlot wine – and may have produced good Rosé – but both red grapes were far better suited to much warmer and less breezy wine-growing environments. 

Praise be for Pinot Noir, as tricky as it is.

After enduring four years of meagre crop production, Christie undertook significant grafting and replanting programs that also added Pinot Gris to the coastal site.

The vineyard changed hands in December 2014 after ongoing health issues forced early retirement on its founder.

The Sinclairs plan to follow Christie's trailblazing example, albeit one step at a time.

Their current work resumés already identify them as over-achievers.

Jenny Sinclair has an honours degree from the University of Texas and a PhD in biological sciences from Sydney's Macquarie University. She is Chief Scientist and Head of Research & Technical at GreenCollar, Australia's largest environmental markets investor and project developer. Her immediate focus beyond the vineyard is improving water quality in the Great Barrier Reef's vast catchment area.

Andrew Sinclair is an IT professional, specialising in the development of cloud-based video software. The couple's vineyard purchase coincided with his appointment as principal software engineer at Brightcove. The US-based company is an acknowledged world leader in online video hosting and online video player solutions.

For a brief moment, relocation to San Francisco seemed much more likely than a move south to Tasmania.

"When we first came down, we only had ADSL coverage, so we had to install our own high-speed microwave link before NBN connection became available in the district," he recalls.

"Running the vineyard fits in well with my other work arrangements. We employ people for major undertakings like picking and pruning. Living on the property allows me to get out into the vineyard each day."

Sinclair's decision to add a little field-blended Chardonnay to his lauded 2015 Cape Bernier Pinot Rosé appears to have been something of a master stroke.

"Working across international time zones means I usually have my meetings out of the way by 9:00am. I then let the dogs out and go for a walk to see what needs doing and to generally keep a close eye on everything," he adds.

"Our Sydney friends thought we'd only last a year or so and we'd move back there. But it's been great.

"Sure, there are challenges, but we've learnt so much already. People in the industry here are all so helpful and friendly. Winemaker Alain Rousseau at Frogmore Creek Wines is very practical and to the point. We also have Fred Peacock just down the road. We often gave him a call during the first few months after our arrival.

"Our goal now is to develop a strong retail business. This is a passionate, labour-of-love industry. But done right, you can survive and prosper."

Last page update: 20 June 2026