Harvest time at Pressing Matters. Image supplied.
Greg Melick was underage and living at home when he made his first significant wine investment. He won the daily double with a dollar bet and bought two cases of Hunter Valley red with his ill-gotten gain.
“The Werribee win wasn’t exactly a sure thing,” recalls the Hobart barrister, Senior Counsel and founder of Pressing Matters.
“It pays to do your homework.”
It sure does. Especially in the wine world.
One look at the showpiece Melick and his business partner Anthony Hall have created in the Coal River Valley will tell you those prophetic words still ring true. A welcome sign is shown there, seven days a week. Go see for yourself.
This Friday, Pressing Matters and 40 other Tasmanian wine producers come together to support Wine South’s annual Southern Open Vineyards Weekend. The 3-day event concludes Sunday, 2 March, 2025.
Wineries taking part cover the Coal River Valley, the Derwent Valley, the Huon Valley/D’Entrecasteaux Channel and Tasmania’s south east. Many offer on-site tours, free tastings, fine food and live entertainment.
See details in last week’s column, and here: openvineyards.wine
Pressing Matters sprang into being in 2002 after Melick and his wife Michelle purchased a greenfield site adjoining Brenda and Peter Bosworth’s 3ha Morningside Vineyard at Tea Tree.
More than half a lifetime of tasting, collecting and wine show judging told Melick he was backing a winner. The Bosworths were not just friends. They were industry pioneers. The couple bought their 35ha Morningside property in 1978, adding Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon two years later.
The only other venture in the valley was George and Priscilla Park’s Stoney Vineyard, established outside Campania in 1973. More than a decade would pass before Swiss immigrant Peter Althaus took on ownership of Stoney to begin making his celebrated Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon.
“Michelle and I always liked the Riesling and Pinot Noir that Bos made; that was what brought us to Morningside,” Melick says.
“Vines there enjoy a sunny, north-easterly aspect, with frost-free growing conditions.
There’s only about a metre of black cracking clay on top of free-draining limestone, so vine vigour and yields are naturally low while winemaking potential is huge.”
It wasn’t potential alone that led Anthony and Kay Hall to purchase Morningside in late 2019 and join forces with the Melicks. The new arrangements came into effect just as Pressing Matters celebrated more than a decade of wine show success with its 30th trophy and 110th gold medal.
Fast forward to the present-day and some glittering prizes are more than skin deep.
Viticultural innnovation and sustainablity on the site resulted in Pressing Matters being awarded the 2024 Richard Langdon Trophy for Vineyard of the Year by the Royal Agricultural Show Society of Tasmania. An exhaustive program of new builds and refurbishments earned Hutchinson Builders nomination in the 2023 Awards for Excellence conducted by Master Builders Tasmania.
Worth a visit? You bet.
Picnicking among the vines at Wobbly Boot. Image supplied.
Be sure to drop by one or two vineyard neighbours. Small wineries in southern Tasmania have played key roles in the Open Weekend, ever since Hobart-based food and wine writer Graeme Phillips began the initiative in 1998.
Back then, online wine sales were little more than a pipedream for Tasmanian producers. The former restaurateur also felt it was time industry small-fry were given opportunity to come face-to-face with consumers that supported them throughout the year.
Merriworth Wines’ co-owner Mark McNamara believes the Open Vineyards Weekend remains an important annual event. The Tea Tree winemaker and Wine South President says a significant number of producers taking part are sole operators, or are small-scale, family-owned businesses still undergoing development.
“They simply don’t have the capacity to build and operate a financially viable vineyard cellar door alongside equally challenging winegrowing, winemaking and wine marketing activities,” he explains.
“They’re also likely to have very limited wine production, ruling them out of conventional cellar door sales conducted over 52 weeks.”
Wobbly Boot Vineyard’s Paul Williams has clear recollections of the Open Weekend’s formative years. Prior to taking on ownership of an established vineyard at Campania, he and wife Lynda figured among the small army of wine enthusiasts who sought out labels and producers given top billing by Phillips in his specially prepared weekend guide.
The tables have turned. This weekend finds the couple sharing wines and wine experiences at their picturesque property on White Kangaroo Road, 35km north of Hobart. At any other time of year, the 10ha site is open only by appointment.
“In addition to our current releases, we will be pouring Pinot Noirs from 2015 and 2017, giving people an idea of just how well our Tassie wines can hold up in the cellar,” Williams says.
Be prepared to be impressed. The vineyard’s contract winemaker is Frogmore Creek’s Alain Rousseau.
“We have an ‘animals first’ and ethical philosophy where our organic grape growing, winemaking and business practices all place animals first and foremost,” Williams says.
“We love nature and we’re committed to animal welfare and wildlife rescue. We’re giving back to the community.”
Wobbly Boot’s mantra of ‘making great wines for great causes’ isn’t something its owners sourced from a switched-on marketing consultant. That’s how the couple live their daily lives. By all accounts, this is Australia’s only philanthropic vineyard.
Since taking on vineyard ownership in 2015, the Williamses and their golden retriever Maeve have raised in excess of $115,000 to support all manner of wildlife rescue and animal welfare organisations. ‘Wine and Woofs’ has become a very successful quarterly fundraiser, reaching a 40-event milestone during 2024.
In mid-January 2025, more than a hundred people attended a fun-filled day of food, music, and furry friends to raise funds for Campania’s Sloth Hill Animal Sanctuary. Two-and-a-half years earlier, Wobbly Boot partnered with the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation to provide displaced animals in war-torn Ukraine with essential food and medications.
“We’re keen to demonstrate to people that you can farm successfully and help look after animals and wildlife at the same time,” Williams concludes.
Weekend wine roads lead to new horizons. Richmond Bridge. Image courtesy Noodle snacks, WikiMedia-CC-SA3.0.
It’s been 20 years since Darren and Jackie Brown first opened their Puddleduck Vineyard to the public, providing a regular cellar door destination on the Open Vineyards Weekend.
Like the Williamses, the Browns work hard to ensure visitors feel comfortable and relaxed from the moment they first set foot on the property.
Located between Cambridge and Richmond in the south of the Coal River Valley, the business is easily spotted by passing road traffic.
A larger-than-life, vine-woven duck named Morrison drifts serenely on the property’s vineyard dam.
So too do the occasional remote-controlled yachts that sail its waters.
Almost entirely reliant upon online wine sales, vineyard events and steady visitor patronage, Puddleduck offers a diverse range of beautifully packaged gifts and other merchandise. These provide worthy supplements to Puddleduck’s bar and self-guided tastings. Ditto the delicious dishes prepared on-site for its Vineyard Pecking Menu.
Indeed, self-catering is actively encouraged there. This comes by virtue of the couple’s Reverse BYO initiative. Vineyard visitors are welcome to bring their own foods to enjoy out of doors, as long as they leave all beverages at home. A site fee is charged for groups of 15 and over. Find further details online.
Tolpuddle reigns supreme
Tolpuddle Vineyard rows. Image courtesy Jessica Clark.
“If ever a winery was born with blue blood in its veins, Tolpuddle would have to be it.” Thus reads the opening line of the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion’s introduction to one of the book’s three megastar operations in the Coal River Valley.
(The others, highlighted by the publication’s coveted ‘5 red stars’ rating and bold red text, are Pooley Wines at Richmond and Domaine A outside Campania. The former is described as ‘a glowing exemplar of a boutique Tasmanian family estate.’)
Wine enthusiasts and professionals alike should note that despite officially being opened for tastings, Tolpuddle is not a participating winery in this year’s Southern Open Vineyards Weekend. The new, state-of-the art tasting room is only open by appointment each Friday through Monday.
Business hours span 11am to 5pm, with 4pm providing last opportunities for end-of-day bookings. Tastings cost $55 per person.
That noted, a visit to this distinguished site should be mandatory for every fine food and wine fan. Guests taste a flight of four wines, commencing with the current release Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay and its sibling Pinot Noir. Each sits alongside a more mature back vintage of the same wine, enabling comparisons in style and quality to be made.
A concise menu of small share plates with local ingredients also features at the Back Tea Tree Road facility. The Tongola Curdy Goats Cheese with Hazelbrae Hazelnuts and Kunzea Honey is an ultra-smooth, heavenly delight.
Wines from 2023 and 2018 make up the current tasting foursome.
Last September’s Melbourne Royal Wine Awards saw the wonderful 2023 Chardonnay win three trophies: Best Tasmanian Chardonnay, Best Chardonnay, and the prestigious Francois De Castella Trophy for Best Young White Wine of the show. Chardonnay entries at the event totalled 270 wines from all over Australia.
The fabulous 2018 Chardonnay drinks superbly, replete with a neatly textured palate and gentle, savoury finish.
Sadly, Tolpuddle tasting room purchases are limited to one bottle of each wine presented there. This reflects increasing pressure on product inventory and the extensive waitlist now controlling subscriber purchase of annual new releases.
Online customers might soon face further disappointment. In 2024, Halliday’s ‘industry bible’ predicted Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir will become Australia’s most collected Pinot Noir within the next three years.
Caledon Vineyard is participating in the Southern Open Vineyards Weekend.
Seeking Southern Open Mouths
Looking to buy right now? Here’s what Mark is currently recommending.
2024 42 Degrees South Pinot Grigio $29
The rule of thumb for enjoying Pinot Grigio is to drink the youngest available. This release from the warm, dry 2024 vintage would have you question that. Its ripe, almost white nectarine-like fruit has been given added weight and mouthfeel by winery time on yeast lees. Perhaps more typically Gris? Try it with seared deep-sea tuna steaks.
2022 Quiet Mutiny Charlotte’s Elusion Riesling $40
Greer Carland was named among Australia’s top Young Guns of Wine in 2019, barely two years after launching her cleverly conceived QM label. The Derwent Valley winemaker previously practised her craft alongside Tasmanian Riesling maestro, Julian Alcorso. Varietal purity in this vintage is enhanced by subtle, honied bottle age. Think white flowers; leatherwood; lemon/citrus fruit with a dry minerally finish.
2021 Frogmore Creek FGR Riesling $34
All good things must come to an end, it’s said, but the rumoured departure of FGR from the Frogmore Creek portfolio will disappoint a loyal following. This limey, off-dry, almost Germanic white invariably provides a palate-pleasing pour. Pass around the spicy Thai seafood or head for the garden with it. Ageing gracefully.
2024 Brinktop Pinot Noir $42
Todd Goebel and Gill Christian arrived in the Coal River Valley in 1999 and remain staunch advocates. They know that when its warm, dry climate meets fastidious, hands-on viticulture, rich, intensely-flavoured Pinots can result. Despite its youth, this release won a silver medal at the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Show. On the brink of being something special. Keep a while.
2022 Caledon Estate Reserve Pinot Noir $65
When Karen and James Stewart completed their stylish new cellar door at Richmond, the couple planned for it to trade this summer as part-wine bar, part-tasting room. Smart thinking. The pleasures of drinking beautifully crafted young Pinots like this are enhanced by a little time and contemplation. It runs deep and juicy. These are early days, but the business and wine are both set to prosper.
