Vineyard rolling in Clover

Clover Hill. The name sounds so ideally suited to dairying it's hard to believe its rolling slopes on the outskirts of Pipers River in northern Tasmania could have ever given up their cattle and become State's first purpose-built single site sparkling wine vineyard.

Nevertheless, that's the story behind the 21-hectare sparkling wine operation Chris Smith manages for Victoria's Taltarni Vineyards. Too bad he rarely gets time to admire the scenery.

"The Pipers region isn't a place where you can just sit and watch the vines grow," says the 2005 winner of the Richard Langdon Trophy for Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year.

"Growing grapes here is an on-going challenge. We've been doing it since 1986, and we're still very much on a learning curve as we come to understand our vineyard and its idiosyncrasies."

The inaugural recipient of the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania's award for excellence in vineyard management, Smith says the journey of discovery hasn't been entirely his own work. There's a four-member team that shares his vision. Between them, they have more than 50 years' experience amid the property's 13.1ha of Chardonnay, 6.8ha of Pinot Noir and 1.2ha of Pinot Meunier.

What was once the French-inspired brainchild of former Taltarni CEO Dominique Portet has become a testament to precision viticulture with a uniquely Tasmanian flavour. It may not be hi-tech, but the precision that underscores all vineyard operations here borders on obsession.

Located within 20km of Bass Strait - and barely a few kilometres from Hardys Bay of Fires, Jansz Tasmania, and Pipers Brook Vineyard - Clover Hill is subjected to climatic conditions that are cooler, wetter and windier than any of its neighbours. Its mean daytime January maxima rarely achieve the 21 degrees Celsius found at Jansz Tasmania and Pipers Brook Vineyard. And while all four properties share the region's well-structured, rich red ferrosol soils, with their free-draining capacity, only Clover Hill has a significant elevation (250m – 300m) above sea level.

It's the most marginal of the group in viticultural terms, Smith says. Those deep fertile soils – and annual average rainfall of 1000mm that's been closer to 850mm in the past three seasons – conspire to make Clover Hill a high vigour site that has to be worked hard to produce good results in quality and yields.

Getting sunlight into vines along principles prescribed by leading viticulturist and researcher Dr Richard Smart often demands innovative responses to challenges posed by the site. 

When its first blocks were established, north-south and east-west row orientations were employed. Vines were planted 1.1 metres apart, and row spacings measured 2 metres. Typically Gallic, its arched-cane double Guyot trellising system was characterised by vine crowns as low as 60 centimetres, and massive leaf canopies that extended beyond 2 metres. 

The combination of young plantings on new ground encouraged rampant vegetative growth, with severe crowding among canes and canopies, and significant fruit shading. There was an almost biennial see-sawing of yields as Taltarni's winemakers grappled with acidities in the mid-teens, and fruit characteristics best described as 'shy and retiring.'

"It took us a while to come to grips with the situation," Smith recalls. 

"On our east-west blocks at the bottom of the hill – the warmest part of the vineyard – we pulled out every second vine to create new spacings of 2.2 metres. Instead of pruning to three canes and maybe 45 buds per vine, we gave them four canes, and made them a little longer. That ensured something like 200,000 buds per hectare on the block, but it worked," he says.

"Our leaves went from dinner plate size to hand size. Now we have good fruit exposure and canopies you can actually see through. They get a trim just before picking – as late as possible so as not to interfere with ripening and cane maturation – but that's about all. Sure, we thin the crop if we have too many grapes in cooler or wetter years, but those changes had a major impact on flavour profiles and the quality of the fruit we're picking."

What works on one site isn't universally applied to the rest of the vineyard in a one-size-fits-all approach. Recent conversions to four-cane Scott Henry trellises across a number of blocks in the site's warm amphitheatre have brought slightly larger, more reliable yields – and better aromatics in their base wines – but they haven't taken the place of conventional arrangements on neighbouring vines where there's rigorous vertical shoot-positioning.

"At the top of the hill, and in areas where blocks are tilted more to the south, we've retained a modified VSP because we get natural resistance to vigour. Our best Chardonnay block is a bit colder and more shaded than the rest, and ripens two to three weeks later than everywhere else, but it gives us top end citrus/lemon flavours, and acids that go through the roof. That's actually what we're looking for as a key part of our Clover Hill blend," Smith explains.

Pinot Meunier vines represent only five percent of Clover Hill's vineyard area but they too have seen major changes since they were established 16 years ago. Planted east-west at the bottom of the hill, they make use of a combination of arched canes and three or four spurs. Carefully tied and exposed to sunlight, those canes and spurs consistently yield around 12 tonnes per hectare, good compensation for the additional labour costs incurred.

Proud of his team's achievements, Smith points out that the three member judging panel weren't rewarding the industry's prettiest vineyard when they singled it out from its peers.

Luxuriant inter-row grasses that compete for space and moisture and add nutrition when slashed don't present an idyllic appearance. Nor do the straggling canopies that hang on here for almost two months after harvest. But along with extensive records of vineyard management and observations, regular spray programs and uncannily accurate crop forecasts, they do play vital roles in keeping Clover Hill at the pointy end of Australia's sparkling wine scene.

"As a vineyard manager in Tasmania, you have to know what's happening on your site and be prepared to be flexible," Smith says.

"It's not enough to spend all your time working with your vineyard crew. You've got to be observant and be planning far enough ahead to know where the next move has to be made. My 17 years managing vines the Clare Valley showed me it's fairly easy to grow grapes in a warm climate. In Tasmania, you're always on the edge.

"Make a mistake here and it hurts you big time."

First published August/September 2005 issue: Australian Viticulture