Two Bud Spur

03/14/2025

Two Bud Spur – then labelled 2 Bud Spur – burst onto the wine scene with great gusto in 2002 when the first vintage of Pinot Noir grown on the Gardners Bay property (in 2020) was awarded a top gold medal and the James Halliday Chairman's Trophy at the Tasmanian Wine Show.

As if to prove the 2.2ha site was no one-hit wonder, at the 2003 wine show the following January, the 2001 Chardonnay produced from five-year-old vines also won a top gold medal. It went within a whisker of carrying away the Best Chardonnay Trophy.

Those show successes represented a cracking start for vineyard founders Phil Barker and Anna La Sala, but it was not to continue. By the time marine biologists Dr Karen Miller and Dr Craig Mundy took on ownership of their Two Bud Spur side hustle in 2006, the property was in need of significant re-vitalisation.

The vineyard's Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Pinot Noir plantings are all laid out across a gentle north-facing slope, with shallow soils overlaying a clay base. A junction of Jurassic Dolerite and mudstone straddles the middle of the vineyard, providing opportunities for diverse expressions of terroir to be reflected in the property's discrete range of dry table wines.

Almost 20 years of ownership have seen the vineyard returned to its roots. The site was originally established with little herbicide and zero synthetic pesticides. Regenerative practices have also enhanced wildlife habitat.

With the couple's scientific careers now winding down, their increased focus on cool-climate viticulture has been augmented more recently by on-site winemaking. Tertiary-trained and experienced Karen Miller is in the box-seat as principal winemaker, but in reality the role is shared by the two vineyard buddies.

Two Bud Spur's eco-friendly straw bale winery is usually one of the last in the State to see the end of vintage. Winning wines are back on the agenda.

Key details:

  • Craig Mundy: owner/vigneron

  • Karen Miller: owner/vigneron

Vineyard/cellar door address:

1033a Woodbridge Hill Road, Gardners Bay, TAS 7112

Telephone:

+61 (0) 429 006 486

Email:

vinesandwine@twobudspur.com.au

Website:

www.twobudspur.com.au

Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied

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 Woodbridge Hill Road 1995-2024:

  • Total annual average rainfall: 1020mm
  • Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 525mm
  • Average autumn rainfall: 227mm
  • Mean January temperature: 14.8°C
  • Growing degree-days: 622 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: 33

*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