Proposed Bird in Hand vineyard site, Seymour. Image supplied.
There are some 250 million bubbles of carbon dioxide crammed into your average 750ml bottle of non-vintage Champagne.
At least, that’s the estimate scientist Bruno Dutertre came up with back in the 1980s after a three-year, $7 million study carried out by Möet & Chandon.
Strange, that. You never hear anyone estimating the number of bubbles you’d find trapped in a soufflé or contributing to the freshness of your sliced white loaf. That seems too trite and inconsequential. Somehow the mere mention of prestige sparkling wine changes the ground rules entirely.
That in a roundabout way explains the significance of last week’s announcement by Adelaide Hills wine producer Bird in Hand that it intends to develop a 60ha vineyard on the state’s east coast over the next three years. Its goal will be to produce exceptional cool climate Tasmanian wine grapes, ideally suited to the creation of prestige sparkling wines.
The family-owned company, located at Woodside 37km east of Adelaide, has already put its toe in at the deep end of the Australian sparkling wine pool.
Back in mid-2017, it released for sale 28 dozen bottles of 2007 Lalla Victoria Late Disgorged Sparkling Pinot Noir. Aged on its yeast lees for 10 years, the wine set a record price for an Adelaide Hills sparkling wine – a heady $175 a bottle. Critical acclaim seemed similarly short in supply at the time.
Bird in Hand’s ambitious expansion into Tasmanian cool climate viticulture will provide it with ample opportunity to enhance the quality and status of the company’s prestige sparkling wine portfolio.
Bird in Hand founder Andrew Nugent. Image supplied.
“World-class Adelaide Hills fruit, combined with higher acid fruit from Tasmania, will provide us the best possible blend,” Bird in Hand founder Andrew Nugent told Adelaide media earlier this week.
His company’s flagship – the 2015 Nest Egg Joy Sparkling Pinot Noir, which sells for $75 – is presently subject to a 12-bottle purchase limit. That in part is due to the wine’s limited production base within the close confines of its Adelaide Hills geography.
The developments outlined on February 19 will be located on a 180ha parcel of productive farmland the company purchased at Seymour in November 2020. As an experienced winemaker and viticulturist, Nugent says the site lies at the edge of the renowned Douglas Apsley National Park and will be transformed into a contemporary viticultural showpiece, managed according to industry best practice.
Site preparations are to commence shortly. These will include construction of a vast 16ha dam that will have a capacity of some 300ML, well in excess of the water requirements for establishing vines in this frequently parched region of Tasmania’s central east coast.
An initial planting of 4ha in the vineyard’s rich dolerite soils will take place during the spring of 2021. Bicheno’s Freycinet Vineyard – located barely 16km away – has agreed to supply and process small parcels of its own estate grown fruit until the new development’s first crops become available in 2024.
Nugent states the Seymour vineyard will provide a home to more than just Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines.
“Our goal is to be able to enhance the flora, fauna and biodiversity of the region,” he says.
“In addition to planting vines, native vegetation will be restored, and endemic shrubs and flaxes will be added to the site to enhance biodiversity. We want the project to have a positive effect on the landscape.
A key part of that will be the establishment of numerous wildlife corridors that will enable animals and birds to access the neighbouring coastline and national park through parts of the vineyard.”
Nugent says Bird in Hand plans to affirm the quality of Australian wine by showcasing the land which it calls home. The site’s dam and vineyard construction, for example, will contribute aesthetic qualities to the site as well as water and wine grapes.
“We plan to create a pre-eminent destination with ambitious land art traversing these ancient soils,” he explains.
“I’m really enamoured by what I see happening in Tasmania. It’s likely to become a really outstanding viticultural state. There’s no doubting the spectacular beauty of our vineyard setting. It’s wonderful.
“Our intention is to tie everything into the spirit of the place. Sense of place is an important part of wine culture. So our dam won’t just be a place for water storage. We want it to be really quite sculptural, as well as forming the basis of significant natural habitat.”
East coast viticulturist, Marty Smith. Image supplied.
Marty Smith from Absolute Viticulture regards the new developments as further proof of the state’s position of pre-eminence when it comes to growing and making premium Australian sparkling wines. An east coast resident and vineyard owner, Smith and his family live at Cranbrook, some 45km south of Seymour. The talented viticulturist grew up on Clover Hill, a purpose-built sparkling wine operation located at Lebrina, in the Pipers River district of northern Tasmania.
He says he knows the Seymour/Bicheno district well. He’s also admired its foreshores and vineyard slopes while surfing the many popular breaks dotted along the coastline.
“It’s a brilliant spot,” Smith says of the vineyard site.
The bloke from Blackwood House is regarded as one of the state’s leading project consultants and vineyard contractors.
“The vineyard will be ideally suited to a top-end sparkling wine product. I’ve been working with Bird in Hand for some months now, and while they may be a small family company, they are certainly very, very good operators. Everything they do, they do very well.”
“Andrew Nugent and his team are a welcome addition to the east coast of Tasmania,” adds near neighbour and renowned Freycinet sparkling winemaker, Claudio Radenti.
“Their plans to develop their scenic and ideally situated property at Seymour are exciting. Given their exceptional expertise in viticulture, winemaking and marketing, Bird in Hand can only enhance Tasmania’s excellent reputation as a producer of world-class wine.”
Proposed Bird in Hand vineyard site, Seymour. Image supplied.
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Off-grid and on trend
Bird in Hand’s Seymour project is just one of many ambitious east coast ventures Marty Smith has been associated with in recent years.
Next month will see pickers moving across the lunar landscape of Rod Roberts’ recently developed 20ha Belbrook Vineyard, located midway between Swansea and Cranbrook. Smith played a key role in planning and planting the site, and 2021 will see the property’s first harvest take place on the former Webster Ltd property.
Roberts was instrumental in the development of the east coast’s walnut orchards during his tenure as managing director and chairman of the agribusiness.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris account for most of the plantings at Belbrook. Meanwhile, Shiraz, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and the Austrian white grape, Grüner Veltliner, are also represented on the challenging, low rainfall site.
Its state-of-the-art viticulture was developed following connection to Tasmanian Irrigation’s Swan Valley Irrigation Scheme, which was completed on the east coast in 2017.
Off-grid onsite, Belbrook Vineyard. Image courtesy Mode Electrical.
Operation and real-time management of Belbrook’s vineyard irrigation is made possible by means of an onsite, off-grid solar power station. It generates the 100kW of energy needed to run water pumps, electrified vermin-proof fencing, a large family residence and separate workshop.
Launceston’s Mode Electrical were responsible for the design and installation of the fully autonomous power station. A total of 256 solar panels have been incorporated into the design, along with 120 battery cells.
Mode Electrical co-owner Martin Dingemanse had little room for error in creating his innovative energy solution. Belbrook is located more than a dozen kilometres from the nearest access point to the state’s hydro-electricity grid.
Driven entirely by the sun, the system specifically takes into account seasonal variability in power load and solar generation, enabling it to operate efficiently with practically zero generator backup.
“If we’re going to be doing anything significant in the ag space, we want to be sure it’s entirely sustainable,” Roberts says.
“Being completely off-grid and carefully managing our chemical inputs are important signals of that.”
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 Laurel Bank Riesling $25
Kerry and Laurel Carland’s Laurel Bank Vineyard overlooks the Derwent’s broad river estuary at Granton, north of Hobart. Significant vine age and excellent sunlight exposure makes this small, family-run operation a shoo-in when it comes to producing top-notch Riesling. This current release won gold at the 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show. It certainly deserves the approbation given by judges. The wine is fresh and vibrant, with wonderfully juicy limey fruit and a satisfyingly long and generous finish. Satisfying and generous apply equally well to its price-tag. It’s a bargain and a keeper, too. www.laurelbankwines.com.au
2019 Pipers Brook Estate Pinot Gris $35
As a mutant form of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris can be a source of great disappointment in Tasmania. It frequently lives in the shadows of Burgundy’s noble red grape. But hope springs eternal. The Pipers Brook recipe for success includes judicious use of large format oak and extended time on yeast lees. Together, they contribute considerable texture to this smoothie from the State’s ultra-cool north-east. White nectarine and lemon curd flavours are balanced by fine natural acidity, making it a versatile partner for roast pork or stir-fried vegetables with tofu. www.kreglingerwineestates.com.au
2017 Winstead Vineyard Lot 16 Pinot Noir $39
This rich middleweight red from the southern Midlands was one of the talking points of the recent Southern Open Vineyards Weekend. Many visitors to the Bagdad property loved its rich dark fruits and gentle spice notes. The hilltop site bears the full brunt of summer heat and occasional chill winds, helping to maintain naturally low vineyard yields and enhance varietal expression. Add fine oak tannins and well-balanced acidity to those essential ingredients and you have a complete package that is already suitably well-endowed for current enjoyment or medium-term cellaring. www.winstead.com.au
2018 Merriworth Estate Pinot Noir $39
Merriworth in the Coal River Valley takes its name from the 3ha vineyard’s street address. Planted in 2000 by Hobart architect John Skinner, it was previously known as Third Child. Co-owners Kirralee Hatch and Mark McNamara are doing a fine job of managing the property they bought in 2017. This current release is beginning to show a little development in colour, suggesting the attractive Tea Tree wine is on the cusp of blossoming into a complex and savoury red in peak drinking condition. Its red and black cherry fruit has an intriguing dried herb dimension. Try it with BBQ lamb. www.merriworth.com.au
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