A Little North East Adventure…
A recent email alerted me to the latest release of 2021 Delamere Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Made in tiny quantities both wines are often as good as sold out within days of release. There was none made in 2020 as all fruit went into sparkling production. In making a purchase over the phone the Cellar Door Manager was keen to arrange delivery. No I said, I will come out and collect it. An excuse for a little adventure, in the depths of the Tasmanian winter. The east Tamar and across into the Pipers River region rarely makes the glossy brochures but there are beaches and bush, wine and whisky to easily immerse yourself in for a day.
When planning a day out it is important to divide the activities into two; non-wine tasting activities and wine tasting activities. Always, always do the non-wine tasting activities first. The other way round and you can be sure the non-wine related activities will be relegated. Also, always start the day with good coffee.
Prince’s Square Bar is a tiny hole in the wall café on Charles Street with seating inside for about six people and outside for another four or five at best. Villino Coffee is their bean supplier and Sweet Wheat their pastries. There are home made Portuguese tarts and excellent toasted sandwiches. PSB’s side hustle is composting coffee grounds (Golden Brown Tas) from local cafés to keep it out of landfill and a worm farm out the back takes care of food scraps. It is an oasis with good music too.
Once the caffeine kicks in set your route guide for Mount Direction along the East Tamar Highway about 25 minutes out of town. Tasmania is best known for its wilderness, deep green damp rainforest with ancient and unique trees. The bush land deserves some attention too where eucalypt, wattle, banksia and sheoak grow above diverse grasslands and seasonal wildflowers. It is a habitat where much of Tasmania’s incredible wildlife thrives. The Mount Direction walk trails up and through quintessential Tasmanian bush. The destination is the remnants of a stone house constructed in the early 1840s as part of the semaphore messaging system for communication between Low Head and the Port Office in Launceston. The signal system was introduced in 1825, one of the first of its kind in the colonial era of Australia.
More a hill than a mount the descent offers extensive views across the picturesque Tamar Valley, and to the Northern Tasmania coastline. Through a clearing the industrial sea port of Bell Bay is visible. On this wintery day it is not difficult to imagine the silhouette of the loading cranes as tall ships sailing down the river for the first time those few hundred years ago. The irreparable impact on the original inhabitants since that time cannot be understated. It fascinates me on a walk such as this there is zero recognition or information to tell the visitor of the indigenous people living for thousands of years prior to the stone ruin that is the destination.
It is an invigorating but certainly not strenuous walk. The fresh air clears the mind in preparation for… wine tasting! While forming an integral part of the Tamar Valley Wine Route, vineyards in the Piper’s River region are in fact outside the valley. The winding road through farming land gradually ascends. It then coasts down toward the wine sub-region that is much cooler and more influenced by the prevailing conditions of Bass Strait. Today there are two vineyards to visit and conveniently they are neighbours but neighbours who have taken very different paths in their winemaking journeys.
Delamere Vineyard was planted out 40 years ago to just two grape varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Shane Holloway and Fran Austin bought the vineyard fifteen years ago, and in that time have changed its trajectory to a specialist sparkling wine producer. All made in the traditional bottle fermented method their dedication to the style is resulting in wines of serious finesse. All are made in the winery onsite from the single estate fruit. Surrounded by the big makers in Tasmania’s burgeoning sparkling wine scene they are quietly succeeding with their impeccable range of NV and vintage sparkling wines. On this occasion I’m collecting a half dozen of 2021 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of the non-bubbly style. In most vintages, fruit from a select few rows of the oldest vines is hand picked and pressed out into oak barrels for 12-15 months. The result is delicate, savoury and fragrant still wine that can happily be cellared for a decade or so.
Not twenty metres out the Delamere driveway is the entrance to Sinapius Vineyard. Originally Golders Vineyard, planted out in the early ‘90s, Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice purchased the vineyard in 2005 and immediately set about making it their own. Aromatic varieties thrive in the cool maritime climate. There is Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Ribolla Gialla, Gamay, and of course Chardonnay and Pinot Noir all planted out in high density, low yielding rows. The seasons determine what happens in the winery with options for field blend whites (Clem Blanc) or single varietal expressions and extended skin contact styles. The little Cellar Door is nestled on the hillside amongst the vines. Through the windows the arduous winter task of pruning is underway, the pruners’ breath visible in the cold air. In only a few months it will be bud burst time again, the new green growth signalling the beginning of spring, and another vintage.
The coastal influence is integral to both vineyards. The sea breeze keeps late season frosts away at budding time and reduces the summer sun intensity providing a more even, longer, slower ripening of fruit. It’s not uncommon for picking to start 2-3 weeks after vineyards in the valley get underway. Two tiny vineyards not to be missed, side by side, both dedicated grower producers but on very different winemaking paths.
Just down the road another producer of the same ilk, this time a distillery, is taking full advantage of its beachside location. The only sign to Fanny’s Bay Distillery is the open sign, outside the distillery. Google Maps will get you there. I was being very Tasmanian on my day out and not bothering to make appointments, just rock up is how we do it down here. (Don’t do this people! Make bookings, plan your day, get in touch to at least check opening hours, especially over winter when opening times are at best sporadic.) Fortunately some wiser people than myself had made an appointment and Mathew, owner and distiller, was about awaiting their arrival.
On their website Fanny’s Bay is described as a “small-scale artisanal distillery.” This underplays just how tiny the operation is. The production line, from malting to distillation, is complete in half a dozen paces. Two more steps and you’re in the bond (barrel) room, and another finds you in the tasting room. And Mathew definitively has no plans to expand. The water for production is sourced from the shed roof. The Pinot whisky is out of a barrel supplied by Sinapius Vineyard. The grains are sometimes Tasmanian, sometimes from the mainland (how Tasmanians refer to the rest of Australia), sometimes New Zealand. The still was homemade by Mathew. Every element of the operation has Mathew’s fingerprint and that is what makes it so special.
There is no blending of barrels, so Port Barrel No. 86 edition is different to Port Barrel No. 97. I tasted Bourbon Barrel No. 125 (46%abv) and Pinot Barrel No. 126 (58%abv). The saline tang from the Bourbon edition was remarkable, the seaside location adding its stamp to the finished whisky. The higher alcohol of the Pinot edition was warming rather than burning, a smooth whisky with just a hint of sweetness. A small bottle of each may have been purchased. Fanny’s Bay Distillery is at Lulworth, a seaside town with a population of not more than two hundred. Being this close to the ocean a beach stroll is mandatory. I drove along to Beach Street where there is a small community area with a playground and accessible toilet facilities. The warmth of the whisky still lingered but a jacket and scarf were necessary additions. The beach was deserted and there were spots of rain. Heading back to the car I thought perhaps if I return in three or four years time I may get to taste today’s rainfall as whisky!
Side Trip: either on the way to Mount Direction or when returning to town.
The foundations of today’s Tasmanian wine industry were being developed in the 1960s. It was another twenty years before it really got under way. For the very first plantings of vines in the Tamar Valley we need to go back 180 years. In 1831 Dr Matthias Gaunt had arrived on the banks of the East Tamar to take up a land holding of over 2500 acres. He named the area Windermere, in unsurprising English style, after a region of his home country. By 1841 he had planted an array of varieties from which he produced wine for about 30 years. The vineyard is long gone and only survives in written history. He did promise his wife on arriving to Tasmania should where he settle there not be a church he would have one built. Saint Matthias Church sits on the edge of the kanamaluka/Tamar River and within the cemetery Dr Gaunt’s burial site and headstone can be found. Adjacent to the church is a parking area and jetty. It offers picture perfect views of the surrounding area across to the West Tamar hillsides, most of which are under vine.
Cellar Door Bookings;
Dining options in the area;
Delamere Vineyard has a fridge of local produce, cheese, cold meats & crackers. Its self service to create your own platter and enjoy.
Nadine’s Café at Piper Brook Vineyard has rustic offerings utilising local ingredients served to your table.
Clover’s Kitchen Dining at Clover Hill Vineyard offers “a small plate menu of simple but striking regional produce to perfectly complement our wines.”
Bread + Butter Lilydale for bread, pastries and coffee.
Pipers River General Store & LPO is most famous for its egg, bacon & bbq sauce toastie. Traditional takeaway fare and a fridge full of fizzy drinks too. Petrol available.
Other vineyards in the Pipers River region; Pipers Brook Vineyard, Jansz, Bay of Fires, Apogee, Clover Hill, Brook Eden, The Ridge.
Toilet Facilities: Delamere Vineyard, Sinapius Vineyard, Lulworth Community Area (Beach Street), Windermere Jetty Reserve. There are no facilities at the Mount Direction scenic walk.
