The Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania is one of the island's most historic and fertile agricultural regions. European exploration began here in 1804, when English naval officer William Collins charted the kanamaluka/River Tamar and recommended the area for settlement. The valley became a centre of colonial agriculture, river trade and industry, its fertile soils supporting orchards, grazing, cropping and eventually cool-climate viticulture from the latter half of the 20th century.
Today, it's home to Tasmania's most dynamic agricultural and tourism sectors.
Geologically, the valley itself is remarkably diverse. The upper reaches near Launceston are underlain by ancient dolerite and basalt, while the mid and lower sections of the valley feature Tertiary clays, gravels and alluvial deposits laid down by this substantial river system. In some locations, marine sediments and limestone occur, contributing to soil variability – from deep, well-drained loams to lighter sandy profiles on vineyard slopes.
This mix of soil types – along with the valley's favourable maritime climate – provide excellent growing conditions for stylish Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and aromatic whites including Pinot Gris and Riesling.
The Tamar Valley Wine Route takes visitors along a 170 kilometre journey of discovery, encompassing more than 30 vineyards and wineries.
"One of the top 10 wine routes in the world." Essential Travel Magazine (UK)
Utzinger Wines at Legana – just outside Launceston – is the passion project of Swiss winemaker Matthias Utzinger and his Tasmanian wife, Lauren. Utzinger left Zurich in 2015 seeking the ideal cool-climate location in which to grow grapes and make wine.
When former Olympic cyclist Micheal Wilson and his wife Mary bought an old vineyard at Legana in 2001, they renamed it with the French word for 'bicycle.' They knew they'd become custodians of 35 years of viticultural history. Vineyard founders Michael Curtis and Graham Wiltshire produced Tasmania's first gold medal wine there in 1976.
Waterton Hall Wines sprang to life in 2015 when brother and sister John Carter and Susan Shannon – along with their spouses Belinda Evans Carter and David Shannon – purchased Waterton Hall and its 2.5ha vineyard from local couple Jennifer Baird and Peter Cameron.
Hugh McCullough won a trip of a lifetime in early 2014. It turns out it wasn't just a cruisy month on holiday overseas. It set in motion a series of life-changing events that turned a part-time wine job into full-time obsession with Riesling and a career beyond academia. On the other side of the world.
Westella Vineyard is the Rowella property of Pinot Noir specialists Will and Jacquie Adkins. The couple first met as students in the 1990s at South Australia's renowned Roseworthy College, before beginning their wine careers in the Barossa Valley. In 2002, they returned to the Adkins' home town of Launceston.
