Wine
Open Vineyards Seek Weekend Visitors
It’s time to plan your outing for Tasmania’s Southern Open Vineyards Weekend.
‘Sailor Seeks Horse’ read the handwritten note, fixed to the wall of Cygnet’s Red Velvet Lounge.
It was 2011 and North Carolina author, film maker and inveterate traveller Bernie Harberts was in town. He’d not long sailed solo around the world. Now he was in the tiny Huon Valley hamlet, in search of a four-legged critter to carry him on a six-month journey around the state.
‘I would like to visit Tasmania – by horse or pony!’ the wishful thinker had added to his poster.
But beasts of burden were in short supply in the valley. Harberts had to make do with a decrepit old push bike, purchased for $12 at the Huonville tip shop.
In the vineyard – Paul and Gilli Lipscombe. Image courtesy Max Marriott.
It’s a crazy story, but the American’s keen sense of adventure clearly resonated with winemaking couple Paul and Gilli Lipscombe.
“Paul and I were also in Tasmania, trying to do something equally crazy and with very little money to speak of,” Gilli recalls.
“For us, it was about growing our own grapes and making our own wine in the beautiful Huon Valley. It’s Australia’s coolest, most southerly wine-growing district; it’s right on the edge of what’s possible viticulturally.
“But life is about doing something you really want to do. It’s about seizing the moment and just getting on with it. When it came time to naming our cherished Huon Valley vineyard, Sailor Seeks Horse just felt right for us.”
It’s been almost a decade since Harberts’ derring-do captured the imagination of this venturesome couple. Now fully immersed in their vibrant Cygnet community, the Lipscombes will be among the 40 or so vineyard operators sharing their wines and their own unique stories during Tasmania’s Southern Open Vineyards Weekend.
The annual event takes place on February 19, 20 and 21. Potential visitors can register for email updates and periodic news.
Nowadays a popular wine tourism initiative, the idea took shape back in 1998. It was the brainchild of Hobart-based food and wine writer, Graeme Phillips. As a former chef and successful restaurateur, Phillips had experienced first-hand the travails of owning and operating his own small business enterprise on the edge of financial viability.
Phillips decided it was time Tasmania’s wine industry small fry were given opportunities to come face-to-face with the consumers that regularly supported them throughout the year.
Originally conceived as an event to be held in all seven of Tasmania’s key wine producing areas, its focal points in recent years have been the vineyards and wineries located in southern Tasmania and along the east coast.
Huon wine producers roll out welcome mat. Image courtesy Kate Hill Wines.
Next weekend will see welcome mats being rolled out in the southern Midlands, Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley, Huon Valley and the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. And with vineyards across the state just beginning to groan under the weight of impending autumn harvests, this is a perfect time of year for hitting the road and tasting premium Tasmanian wines against a backdrop of stunning local scenery.
Many producers like Sailor Seeks Horse will have foods as well as wines for purchase, for at least part of the weekend.
Some will have live music and other forms of entertainment. Clearly still channelling the free-spirited Bernie Harberts, the Lipscombes will be offering table tennis as part of their weekend of wine and festivities.
Wineries and vineyards taking part in the event are often small, family-run businesses. Few have the wherewithal to build and operate a financially viable cellar door alongside their equally challenging winegrowing, winemaking and marketing activities.
Pocket handkerchief operations with little more than a hectare of vines are also likely to be hamstrung by limited production volumes, effectively ruling them out of conventional cellar door sales for much of the year.
“The Southern Open Vineyards Weekend is a chance for winemakers to proudly showcase their work,” says Derwent Valley winemaker and event manager, Greer Carland.
“More than that, it’s an opportunity to meet and get to know the people who enjoy their wine. Quite a few producers, like my mum and dad at Laurel Bank outside Hobart, only open their doors for this one event each year.”
Participating vineyards south of Hobart will be especially glad to receive visitors. Back in February 2019, they were among the dozen or more producers in the district that were just beginning to come to terms with the loss of an entire vintage, due to the disastrous consequences of that summer’s prolonged bushfire activity.
Huon Valley winemaker Jim Chatto. Image courtesy Mark Smith.
Vineyards and wine grapes exposed to fresh bushfire smoke can acquire undesirable aromas and flavours that are redolent of dirty ashtrays or backyard incinerators. They can be detected by humans at exceedingly low levels of concentration. Subsequent post-harvest fermentation usually results in the creation of smoke-tainted wines. Consumers typically describe them as having smoky, burnt, ashy or medicinal characters.
“In extreme instances, the characteristics make wines so unpleasant they’re commercially unsaleable,” says Huon Valley winemaker Jim Chatto.
In 2019, the former Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year and his wife Daisy produced no wines at all from their tiny Glaziers Bay vineyard.
“Luckily, some wonderful industry friends from the north of the state reached out, allowing us to purchase parcels of their precious fruit,” Chatto explains.
With only a modest volume of their 2019 Chatto Marion’s Pinot Noir remaining in the cellar, the couple will be passing up their opportunity to take part in the forthcoming Southern Open Vineyards Weekend. Their next release of wines, from the 2020 vintage, is scheduled for April 1. No kidding…
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Taste responsibly
To make the most of a vineyard visit, plan ahead and practise responsible consumption of alcohol.
Cellar door staff can provide good advice on what to taste. Avoid the temptation of wanting to sample everything available. Concentrate instead on getting a sound appreciation of a few well-chosen wines, especially those that are vineyard specialities.
Sample each wine in small portions. Rely on second or subsequent tastes before making firm judgements. Initial assessments may be compromised by the residual effects of previous wine or food.
High impact wines, including big reds or oaky chardonnays, are likely to reveal much of their flavour almost immediately. More subtle varieties, such as aromatic whites and Pinot Noir, will have aromas and flavours that reveal themselves a little at a time.
Leave your prejudices at the door. Be prepared to taste wines made with varieties you are unfamiliar with or rarely drink and enjoy.
Smell as well as taste. Your taste buds more or less confirm characteristics already sensed by your nose.
Importantly, use spittoons. Dump any tasting leftovers there, be they wine or rinsing water. Better still, smell and taste each wine, then spit the mouthful into a spittoon.
Experienced tasters and winery staff will be impressed by a discreet bit of lip work. You can become quite expert after a little target practice at home in the shower or while cleaning your teeth.
Remember wine producers bear the costs of providing tastings. Few if any food producers offer endless free tastings of the products they wish to sell. Similar expectations exist among cellar door operators. Some may charge a nominal tasting fee; others may not.
Many producers prefer to keep visitors out of vineyards, to avoid the spread of microscopic pests and diseases. Ask cellar door staff whether visitor access is allowed.
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
2017 Pressing Matters R9 Riesling $35.10
The annual Southern Open Vineyards Weekend is always a roaring success for the Melick family in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. Their Tea Tree site has an enviable record for superb Riesling. Visitors there love to taste and buy those wines by the armload. Four different levels of sweetness are offered. This off-dry four-year-old provides very attractive current drinking. Its engaging limey flavours display vibrancy, along with a little ginger spice. Humble Thai fish cakes will make a great match. www.pressingmatters.com.au
2020 42ºS Pinot Noir $32
Frogmore Creek’s entry-level Pinot Noir is often one of the most user-friendly reds around. The 2020 should win a whole army of new friends this summer. It’s the best to date under this popular label. Fruit-driven, it’s rich and juicy, in typical Coal River Valley fashion. Fresh black cherry and plum flavours are very well structured, with fine ripe tannins underscoring short-term cellaring potential as well as casual everyday drinking. Silver medal, 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show. www.frogmorecreek.com.au
2017 Brinktop Cab Sav $38
One of the joys of cellar door visits is the chance discovery of a wine that really takes you by surprise. Drop by Brinktop, outside Penna in the Coal River Valley, and you’ll find this example. It’s a deep, almost menacing red in appearance. But swirl it around in the glass and the wine offers generous cassis and black olive flavours that are already eminently drinkable. Eucalypt notes and quality French oak add points of difference to this genuine BBQ stopper. www.brinktop.com.au
2020 Meadowbank Gamay $45
Meadowbank in the Derwent Valley is 65km from Hobart’s CBD, but the hour’s drive is well worth the effort. Wine quality at cellar door is excellent. This bright and juicy medium-bodied red is wrought from the Beaujolais grape, a rich and attractive variety, well suited to Tasmania’s cool maritime climate. Ripe tannins and fine natural acidity support a palate brimming with berry fruits of the forest. Gold medal and trophy winner, 2021 Tasmanian Wine Show. www.meadowbank.com.au
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