GOOD DRINKING

Reserves seldom make it onto the field in big games like footy finals. Reserve wines are a different matter entirely. They're key players when it comes to producing traditional method sparkling wine.

In the late 1980s, Steve and Monique Lubiana travelled almost 10,000km in search of an ideal place to grow grapes and make cool-climate wine. They considered parts of Western Australia, South Australia and southern Victoria, but really wanted a site where traditional method sparkling wine could find a new home in Australia.

Bide your time. That was Dr Andrew Pirie's message for Tasmanian wine consumers 30 years ago when asked to comment about the 17 different vintages of Pipers Brook Vineyard Riesling he had poured for visiting wine judges James Halliday and Huon Hooke.

Looking back, it seemed only a matter of time before Luke Andree's small-batch Sonnen Wine project would see Glenelg Estate in the Derwent Valley as the perfect place from which to source his Chardonnay for this label.

'When you're on a good thing, stick to it.' The Mortein fly spray ad – that ran from the 1930s to the 1980s – was part of one of Australia's most successful marketing campaigns. Humans are creatures of habit. We're drawn to products that offer consistency in style, quality and value.

It's been 10 years since Stargazer winemaker Sam Connew purchased her Palisander Vineyard in the Coal River Valley. (Time flies when you're having fun!)

Sinapius occupies a gently sloping site at Pipers Brook and was first established by the Richardson family in the early 1990s. Originally given the name Golders, the vineyard became Sinapius in 2005 when the property was purchased by young NW Coast couple Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice.

When Frogmore Creek purchased Campania's Roslyn Vineyard in 2009, it wasn't long before the company's owners and senior winemaker Alain Rousseau decided the rugged 45ha site warranted further investigation. With far too much Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot planted there, a vine grafting program was soon established.

Decades sprang to life in 2022 when the long-time mates Steve Flamsteed (winemaker) and Brad Rogers (brewer) purchased the 30ha Woodlands property at Tea Tree in the Coal River Valley. Located less than 5km from 10 neighbouring vineyards, this part of the valley is effectively its 'dress circle.'

With more than 30 years of industry innovation and leadership to his credit, Pipers Brook Vineyard founder Dr Andrew Pirie moved to Lebrina in 2007 to establish his 2ha Apogee Vineyard. Less than a kilometre from the renowned Clover Hill Vineyard, the site produces traditional method sparkling wine as well as small volumes of Pinot Gris and Pinot...