Tasting Tasmanian Wines

  Frogmore Creek is located in the Coal River Valley in Southern Tasmania and only a 20 minute drive from Hobart. Producing a wide range of award winning cool climate styles including Pinot Noir. Frogmore Creek is helping to carve out Tasmania as a place for producing excellent  Riesling - from the lemon/citrus characters in evidence in the dry style to the delicate balance of fruit, sweetness and acidity that make the great wine that is FGR (forty grams residual sugar). With wine makers Andrew Hood, Nick Glaetzer and Alain Rousseau on board I am sure owner Tony Scherer can look forward to many more award winning wines &  on top of that there is the garlic!!!! yummy

Cellar Door Manager Dee talked to us about the wines and labels under the Frogmore umbrella, then following that an update from Tony when I caught up with him having a great time at the Noosa Wine & Food Festival.

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Barringwood Park Vineyard is a ten minute drive from Devonport on the North West Coast of Tasmania. The tasting room is made from timber milled on the property & includes Blackwood, Tassie Oak & Myrtle amongst others. Spectacular views over the surrounding country side and Bass Straight can be enjoyed from the north facing deck .  A fabulous  spot to enjoy the vista whilst sipping a wine or two with a gourmet platter of local produce. One of the wines to try is the Schönburger - a German hybrid variety  it is an aromatic medium to full bodied white wine with distinct hints of muscat flavours, the off dry style has floral/fruity characters & goes well with the fruit and cheese platters. From their first foray into the world of growing grapes to the eclectic range now on offer Judith talks to us about her journey.

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  The Coal River Valley near Hobart is well worth a visit and the area includes the heritage town of Richmond .  Lots of history here and it is an  interesting town to have a browse around plus  a scallop pie from the bakery  goes down rather well.

The Valley has seen a diversification in  agriculture which includes the establishment of a number of successful vineyards. As we meandered down the valley came across a small family owned vineyard called Puddleduck.  Had to drop in for a visit on the strength of the name, so glad we did as very impressed with what was on offer from an excellent expression of Riesling to a quirky range of merchandise. Unfortunately the Bubbleduck sparkling was sold out and no more available until June 09. Those in the know get their orders in early for this one. You will need to go to cellar door (easier said than done I know) or get on the mailing list to find out what is available and when. Darren Brown has been part of the Tasmanian wine industry for many years and was a mine of information which he has generously shared with us. Tasting the grape on the vine was an extra treat for us as the crop was near to reaching optimum levels for picking, lots of delicious flavours in evidence. Thank you Darren

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In yet another picture perfect setting, on a beautiful sunny autumn day a grape growers dream has come true  in the  Coal River Valley Tasmania .  Peter Althaus and his  impressive winery of Domaine A /Stoney Vineyard produce wines for the classicist- premium quality European style wines from estate grown grapes. These wines can be enjoyed now or left for the complexity to develop through careful cellaring.  Now a significant wine producing area Peter & Maria have experienced may challenging vintages since purchasing this winery in 1989. Peter is an internationally awarded wine maker & it is a credit to their enterprise producing a Cabernet Sauvignon that has joined Langtons 100 top wines classification.

Tasting our way through Peters wines was a treat and my personal favourite was the Lady A Fume Blanc an oaked matured Sauvignon Blanc . A very beautiful wine with an exceptionally long palate and a credit to its style. Sorry only small amounts of this particular wine available  try getting on the wineries mailing list. The Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon we were tasting  was the 2003 & the Domaine A Merlot 2004 both stand out wines of great finesse and elegance showing perfect balance between the fruit, alcohol and oak integration.  This winery was a highlight of our tour, the wines were first class and the barrel room was also very impressive.

The charming Peter Althaus  tells us his story:-

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Willie Simpson has made good use of his sheds turning a love of home brewing into a sustainable business. Opening the first Brewery in North West Tasmania since 1907 Willie is producing natural ale and mead. This little gem is in Railton - The Town of Topiary which is on one of the scenic routes to Cradle Mountain. Don`t expect gourmet restaurants or lots of tourist trappings but access to some great bush walks, good picnic areas and tranquil settings. Willie talks to us about his range from Razzamatazz - a wheat ale infused with local honey and raspberries to the Willie Warmer - a strong dark ale with cassia bark and star anise and more:-

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A visit to Tasmania provides not only a taste of premium wines but premium fresh regional produce. From seafood to fresh fruits, cheeses and chocolates there is always something to tantalise the taste buds. As a regular visitor it is always a great pleasure to visit some of the many vineyards across the state from the well known to the not so well known. The Tamar Valley in the north is renown for its vineyards and hosts such names as Pipers Brook, Bay of Fires & Jansz (check out our chat with winemaker  Natalie Fryar at our sparkling wines blog). This visit we discovered a gem called Goaty Hill this is an established vineyard that for some years has been providing grapes to other vineyards and now in a position to produce their own wines which consist of a  terrific Riesling a Chardonnay & of course that Tassie favourite a Pinot Noir. The 2008 Riesling has won a gold medal at the 2009 International Cool Climate Wine Show which is conducted in Red Hill Victoria so congratulations to the team for  well earned recognition.  Marcus from Goaty Hill talks to us about their wines:-

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