You don’t need green fingers to grow a grapevine.

But planting a vineyard and growing a wine business is a different matter entirely.

That requires countless hours of careful thought and planning, not the least of which includes matching grapevines to soil types and climatic conditions.

Then there’s the matter of choosing a distinctive name for your new patch of vines. But how do you manage that if there are many thousands of wine businesses on the planet?

Lucky Duck poses with Jackie and Darren Brown. Image supplied.

When Darren and Jackie Brown first planted vines on their property between Cambridge and Richmond, the Coal River Valley couple put off what they realised would become a momentous decision some day. That’s okay, they figured, wine’s journey from grape to glass takes a minimum of three years beyond planting.

“Coming up with a business name wasn’t something we felt we needed to rush into,” Jackie Brown recalls of those heady days spent nurturing young vines back in the late 1990s.

It wasn’t until the couple were seven years into their venture and had wine in the bottle that their conundrum was finally resolved.

“It was a lovely afternoon in August 2003, and Darren and I were out by the dam, watching the ducks diving,” Brown explains.

“I turned to Darren and said, ‘When I was little, Mum used to call that puddling.’”

“‘Puddleduck!’ Darren exclaimed.”

“‘Yes, that’s it!’ I replied. And the rest they say is history…”

Morrison, a new vine-woven duck. Image supplied.

Fast forward 17 years and today you find the couple on Richmond Road still telling their quirky vineyard story. During the past week, the Browns and Puddleduck Vineyard manager Johnny Knibbe added finishing touches to a larger-than-life, vine-woven duck they’ve named Morrison.

“It’s a bit of Darren’s handiwork,” Brown says with a grin.

“Johnny created the basic framework using some of his welding skills. Darren then spent four weeks weaving Morrison together using vine canes discarded during our annual winter pruning program.

“Morrison’s spending time near the entrance to the cellar door at the moment. But we have plans to relocate him to the dam where he’ll be moored so that visitors can come by and take selfies with him.”

While some on social media have already described the month-long period of levity as ‘simply quackers,’ it’s provided the couple with a timely distraction from the omnipresent threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Puddleduck closed its doors just as the nationwide lockdown commenced in late March. It then endured 11 long weeks without visitors before re-opening in mid-June with limited trading hours. The place had been buzzing only months before. During one weekend in December 2019, the Browns set a new cellar door sales record that exceeded the previous one by a double-digit percentage.

The recent lack of cellar door trade struck a huge financial blow. The Browns had based their entire business model on selling wines direct to customers.

The couple’s willingness to strike out on their own had been premised on avoiding costly and time-consuming engagement with wholesalers and retailers across the country.

But what made the visitor-focused operation truly unique within the Tasmanian wine context also made life especially challenging. While Puddleduck sales still continue via online, over-the-phone and cellar door channels, the Browns’ decision to stick resolutely to their long-term plans has required them to work much smarter and harder in order to keep their ducky little business afloat.

Gift packs a business lifeline at Puddleduck Vineyard. Image supplied.

A diverse range of beautifully packaged gift packs has provided a lifeline. Many were specifically created to encourage online and wine club sales during lockdown.

Retail items include more than just Puddleduck wines. All manner of goods are offered – Country Larder jams, locally-made peanut butter and baby beanies incorporating delightful ducky motifs head a long list of quality products.

Meanwhile, Federal Government Jobkeeper payments have allowed vineyard employees to remain optimistic about their futures. Business downtime provided opportunities to spruce up the cellar door alongside winter’s usual round of vineyard and winery chores.

“We steam-cleaned, painted, re-stained… you name it, we did it,” Brown says.

“We were determined to use the time wisely and be 110-percent business-ready whenever we finally re-opened.”

The personal, authentic nature of the Browns’ evolving wine story clearly resonates among those that come into personal or virtual contact with Puddleduck.

Within three years of opening to the public, the vineyard was named 2008 Tasmanian Small Business Champion. Four years on, it became the 2012 Tasmanian Tourism Award Winner in the Best Tourism Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries category.

More good news came only last month. In a poll conducted by Radio 7HOFM, Puddleduck Vineyard was named Hobart’s Best of the Best Winery. The award should provide a welcome boost to a wine couple capable of almost anything except blowing their own trumpets.

Puddleduck opens Thursday to Sunday, from 10am to 4pm. Contact the vineyard for details.

Celebrate our Pinot Noir

Tasmanian pinot noir. Image courtesy Mark Smith.

“Pinot noir is one of the world’s most beloved varieties for its versatility and elegant flavour profile,” writes respected author and critic James Halliday in the 2021 edition of his best-selling Halliday Wine Companion (Hardie Grant, $39.95).

“Australia’s best examples hold their own against Burgundies at twice the price. This year’s top-rated wines hail from a range of cool-climate regions across the country, with the standout being Tasmania.”

Indeed, some 13 Tasmanian wines were singled out for special mention among Halliday’s Best of the Best Pinot Noirs. They span a significant range of prices, wine styles and vineyard origins.

Tasmania’s highest-pointed Pinot Noirs are the 2018 vintage from Bay of Fires and a 2017 Sinapius wine labelled The Enclave Single Vineyard Close Planted Pinot Noir. Both scored an incredible 99 points out of 100. Similarly, both were engaged in a four-way tussle that saw Geelong’s 2017 Bannockburn Serre emerge with the author’s imprimatur as Australia’s Best Pinot Noir, bar none.

Halliday’s assessments provided a bittersweet moment for fans of Pipers Brook-based Sinapius Wines. Much-loved and respected winemaker Vaughn Dell died from a heart attack in the early hours of May 26 and did not live to see his little bit of Pinot genius being acknowledged by the country’s staunchest ally of the quixotic red grape.

Dell’s 2017 Sinapius La Clairiére Single Vineyard Close Planted Pinot Noir also made it into the Tasmanian baker’s dozen.

For the record, the following Pinot Noirs from Tasmania’s 2018 vintage are also recognised by the author: Giant Steps Nocton Vineyard; Home Hill Estate; Home Hill Kelly’s Reserve; Shy Susan; Mewstone Hughes and Hughes; Tertini; and Tolpuddle.

A 2017 wine from Tamar Ridge Single Block, a 2016 wine from Dawson & James and the 2014 Josef Chromy Block 17 complete Halliday’s illustrious list of Tasmanian Pinot Noir stars.

Tuesday 18 August 2020 is International Pinot Noir Day. What better reason could you have for taking a good close look at Tasmania’s world-class wines? #supportlocal

Bay of Fires Wines. Image courtesy Mark Smith.

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 Puddleduck Vineyard TGR Riesling $36

Puddleduck Vineyard in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley has been home to Riesling for almost a quarter of a century. Vine age helps elevate fruit quality, allowing winemaker Darren Brown to do a fine job of showcasing varietal character alongside Riesling’s Germanic heritage. Twenty grams of residual sugar gives the wine a delicious lime and spiced apple juiciness. Its dab of sweetness rounds the palate while softening potentially abrupt natural acidity. This is a versatile little ducky – pair with mild curries or soft cheeses. Or pour as an aperitif or an end-of-day pick-me-up. www.puddleduckvineyard.com.au

2019 Milton Pinot Gris $28

Milton on Tasmania’s East Coast has provided the Dunbabin family with a home since 1826. When vines sprang up here in the 1990s, new-fangled Pinot Gris was among the choices made in planting the warm Cranbrook site. Today the rich aromatic variety accounts for almost a third of its 20ha vineyard. Smart move. The 2019 is typically Milton – generous, flavoursome and with a little bit of grip from the wine’s skin tannins to provide structure and dry the finish. It works well with roasted white meats and dishes woven with a discernible Asian thread. www.miltonvineyard.com.au

2018 Eddystone Point Pinot Noir $31

With Accolade Wines’ Bay of Fires brand riding high on the Australian Pinot Noir scene at the moment, it seems the company’s entry-level Eddystone Point label is benefitting somewhat from a trickle-down effect. The 2018 is a very smart release that won gold in a hotly contested class at the 2019 National Wine Show of Australia. The richness of its silky-smooth black cherry and dark plum fruit is neatly balanced by fine tannin and typically Tasmanian cool climate acidity. You get plenty of value from this sub-$35 release. The irony is it should keep well too. www.bayoffireswines.com.au

2016 GlenAyr Pinot Noir $35

The Casimaty family’s GlenAyr vineyard is the second oldest in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. Its Pinot Noir fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the years, but recent releases indicate wine quality is on an upward trajectory. The yet-to-be-released 2018 is a ripper. That wine’s 2016 sibling also offers a rich mix of bold cherry, plum and chocolate fruit flavours. It’s not as refined nor as complete as the 2018, but there is good value here, and plenty of time on its side. Silver medal, 2019 Royal Hobart Wine Show. Was that a portent of future success? www.glenayrwines.com.au

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