Enjoying the crisp morning chill and bright sunny afternoons?
Join the club. The wine industry’s small army of vineyard workers certainly are as they move steadily across Tasmania’s spectacular landscapes. Many operators are reporting they have experienced one of the best starts to pruning they’ve had in recent years.
“Cracking frosts, then clear still days with plenty of sunshine,” says Bream Creek Vineyard’s Fred Peacock.
“We’ve had some pretty traditional June days so far. Perfect weather for pruning.”
Bream Creek’s Fred Peacock. Image courtesy BC.
Named Viticulturist of the Year 2018 by leading Australian publication Gourmet Traveller Wine, Peacock is a highly respected vineyard owner and consultant who has worked in and around Tasmania’s small-scale wine industry for more than four decades. These days, he is responsible for the management of close to 30ha of vineyards in southern and eastern Tasmania.
The industry veteran says pruning is progressing well at Lowestoft Vineyard in the Derwent Valley. The 3ha property at Berriedale, barely a grape toss from MONA and Moorilla Estate, was purchased last year by the Fogarty Wine Group, one of Australia’s pre-eminent wine businesses. In coming weeks, Peacock’s small but efficient contract labour force will then move on to client properties in the Coal River Valley before tackling his own Pages Creek and Bream Creek vineyards.
Winter pruning is a critical part of the winegrower’s year. Peacock says time and money spent now is worth its weight in gold as vine-training systems are reinvigorated by skilled industry workers.
Grape bunches only form on shoots growing from one-year-old wood. The pruner’s art is to determine the number and architecture of healthy canes that will support new shoots during the coming seasons. While only a small amount of new fruiting wood will be selected, a much larger volume of unwanted vine growth will be removed by pruners to become vineyard compost.
Importantly, potential crop yields for vintage 2021 can begin to be manipulated right now, by determining the number of new buds each vine will carry into spring.
“Vineyard owners today have a much better understanding of how Tasmania’s climate and topography interact with wine grape varieties than we did in the 1970s, when the first commercial vineyards were being planted,” Peacock explains.
Pruning under way in the Derwent Valley. Image courtesy Mark Smith.
“Sparkling wine producers, for example, will have established their vineyards in the industry’s cooler locations, those best suited to growing fruit that holds its acid well through the ripening phase. They will have also planted varieties and clonal selections intended to meet those same production needs.
“Generally speaking, blocks dedicated to sparkling wine production will have slightly higher crop production than those assigned to table wine production. They’ll be pruned to a higher number of buds per vine than their table wine counterparts. That’s not to say wine producers can’t change their operations around to suit whatever the seasons are likely to deliver them.”
With pruning completed, September’s warming soils and increased sunlight intensity will bring an end to each vineyard’s hibernation and reveal the first flush of new shoots and leaves.
“That’s the theory,” Peacock adds.
Home Hill’s Rosemary Bennett in pruning mode. Image supplied.
“Various seasonal factors do have a big impact on the timing and nature of budburst, especially if we’ve had a lot of rain and there’s a fair bit of moisture in the soil. The scary seasons are always ones like those we had this time last year when we had a very dry autumn and winter. The lack of rainfall allows vineyard soils to warm up more quickly than usual. New shoots may then appear earlier than they should, exposing them to risks of being damaged by frosts.”
Tasmania may have just experienced its wettest autumn since 1975, but the possibility of a repetition of last year’s start to the growing season is already cause for concern. Somewhat perversely, according Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology data, last month was the driest May in Tasmania since 2011. And according to last week’s climate outlook overview, most of the State is likely to be drier than average from June to August.
Those concerns aside, Peacock believes Tasmania continues to benefit from the recent effects of climate change in southern Australia. Warming temperatures have made our island more reliable as a wine-producing region. Not only has that promoted a greater range of planting options for those wishing to establish new sites, those with existing vineyards have experienced consistent, high quality vintages with yields that can repay the high costs associated with intensive, hands-on viticulture.
“Crop production has been rising across the State during the past decade or so,” Peacock observes.
“Some of that has been due to increasing bud fruitfulness brought on by global warming. While climate change has provided plenty of challenges to Australia’s traditional winegrowing regions, we now have an industry in this State that is strong and stable, and has solid backing in terms of investment, skills and experience.
“It’s no surprise to find our wines are attracting a lot of international attention. The world is watching us.”
Cellar door developments
Devil’s Corner cellar door. Image supplied.
Blue skies, even bluer seas and the rich bounty of Tasmania’s East Coast farms, vineyards and fisheries brought more than 300,000 visitors to the Great Eastern Drive touring route during 2019.
That not only set cash registers ringing in the district, it provided yet another ringing endorsement of the $1.8 million investment the Brown Family Wine Group (BFWG) made in opening the company’s spectacular Devil’s Corner Cellar Door and Lookout back in December 2015.
The Apslawn property offers breathtaking views of Moulting Lagoon and the Hazards beyond. It’s also home to a 180ha vineyard the family-owned company acquired from Gunns Limited in 2010.
If all goes according to schedule, a much-expanded Devil’s Corner will appear on the site in September/October 2021, almost doubling in size the existing cellar door sales and food outlets.
The company’s planning approval application is currently under consideration by the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council.
The $1.2 million project is the brainchild of Hobart architect and Cumulus Studio principal Peter Walker.
In a letter to council, the architect states the proposal seeks to deal with existing demand and forecast growth over the next 4-5 years.
“The Cellar Door has been highly successful, and current visitor numbers to site on peak days mean that the development is not able to adequately accommodate existing visitor numbers, creating a poor visitor experience,” he notes.
“The new work has been designed to be in-keeping with the existing development, the character of the rural area and with the intent of the planning scheme.”
Visitors heading to the East Coast in coming weeks will be pleased to hear BFWG will be re-opening Devil’s Corner on Friday 19 June. According to Marketing Manager Will Adkins, the outdoor venue will operate every Friday to Sunday, from 11am-3pm.
“That will increase as we get settled in and head into school holidays,” he adds.
Artist’s impression of new Devil’s Corner cellar door. Image courtesy Cumulus Studio.
Hobart’s Mark Smith wrote his first weekly wine column back in 1994. Now more than 1700 features and 25 years later, he continues to chart the successes of Tasmania’s small scale, cool climate wine industry with regular contributions to some of Australia’s leading industry publications.
PICK OF THE CROP
Mark gives you his honest opinions about the best wines available right now from Tasmania’s wine makers.
2019 Devil’s Corner Riesling $22
Since its acquisition of the Devil’s Corner brand almost a decade ago, The Brown Family Wine Group has devoted a considerable amount of time and energy to developing the quality and market reach of the popular Tasmanian wine brand. This 2019 Riesling follows in the path of the very successful 2018 release. It was sourced from the company’s Tamar Valley and East Coast sites, and delivers its ripe, blossomy citrus characters with force and conviction. A dab of sweetness calms the variety’s intrinsic cool climate assertiveness. www.devilscorner.com.au
2019 Holm Oak Pinot Gris $25.20
Pinot Gris is well-suited to northern Tasmania’s mild maritime climate. Holm Oak winemaker Bec Duffy appears determined the variety shouldn’t be constrained by its similarly mild and agreeable disposition when it comes to her winery work. Barrel fermentation has played a key role in giving this 2019 release its attractive weight and texture, while somehow still showcasing Gris’classic aromas and flavours of ripe pear and musk. The wine’s floral aromatics are a sheer delight. Less than 5g/L of residual sugar provides a good foil to the region’s fine natural acidity. Delicious. www.holmoakvineyards.com.au
2018 Pipers Brook Pinot Noir $50
This is another striking Pinot Noir from the steady hands of winemaker Luke Whittle. Sourced from five different Kreglinger vineyards located across northern Tasmania, it’s a wonderfully aromatic, medium-bodied red that glistens in the glass. Whittle has woven his raw ingredients into a very fine fabric indeed. The wine is distinguished by poise and elegance. There’s not a grape skin nor oak splinter out of place. This smooth, satisfying, harmonious mix of red berry fruits displays much that is compelling about Tasmanian Pinot Noir. www.kreglingerwineestates.com
2016 Pressing Matters Pinot Noir $58.50
While Hobart barrister and Senior Counsel Greg Melick has established no less than 20 different clone and rootstock combinations at Pressing Matters in the Coal River Valley, the most significant contribution to red wine quality has been the recent handiwork of contract winemaker, Sam Connew. Here, the Stargazer principal has crafted a lovely Pinot that is redolent of the valley’s black and red cherry fruits. A somewhat cooler than usual 2016 vintage has ensured the tannins are fine yet still supportive of the wine’s generosity. Trophy winner, 2019 Tasmanian Wine Show. www.pressingmatters.com.au
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