Many decades ago, European immigrants recognised the potential of Tasmania as a winemaking haven – now the state’s vignerons are enjoying the fruits of that vision.

Blessed with a cool temperate climate and soil conditions akin to some of the great winegrowing regions of Europe, Tasmania proved a cornucopia for the French and Italian immigrants who planted the state’s first vines.

Today, those ideal conditions have sprouted an exploding wine industry, with more than 100 vineyards scattered throughout the island and more vignerons opening their cellar doors each year.

Most of the wineries are boutique – some are family businesses – and yet the varietal specialties they produce evoke comparisons with some of the great wine regions of the world.

There may not yet be the same recognition of names like Bordeaux or Chardonnay but the Tamar and Coal River Valleys, Pipers Brook and Freycinet are Tasmanian winegrowing areas that offer huge promise.

Right now, the state’s winemakers are especially excited about the success of the distinctive cool climate varieties, especially the Tasmanian sparklings, rieslings and pinot noirs.

A Taste of Local Hospitality

Richie Richardson, who runs one of Tasmania’s best small wineries – a family affair called Delamere, in the north-east of the state – is one such example.

He and his family are the farmers, the pruners and the people who will share a friendly tasting session with you at the cellar door, or, more specifically, in the front room of their house. Such is the relaxed nature of most of Tasmania’s wineries.

At the other end of the scale, wineries like Pipers Brook and Tamar Ridge, both located in the northern part of the state, are impressive in terms of scale, export success and for the broader ‘cellar door’ experience, which extends to cafés, tours and even entertainment.

Similarly, Hobart’s best-known winery, Moorilla Estate, hosts ‘in the vineyard’ concerts over summer, featuring performers such as Elvis Costello, The Cruel Sea and Paul Kelly.

Moorilla also offers sensational dining – a common trait in Tasmania where many fine restaurants operate in vineyard settings, including Strathlynn and Rosevears Estate, both about 15 minutes out of Launceston, and Meadowbank, in the Coal River Valley just east of Hobart.

Meeting the winemaker

Stoney Vineyard is one of the most celebrated Coal River wineries, best known for its Domaine A reds. Owner Peter Althus is a former IBM executive who left Switzerland 15 years ago to pursue his dream of making wine in Tasmania. A skilful winemaker, Peter also has the cellar door manner of a favourite uncle.

Cabernet sauvignon is considered a tricky variety in Tasmania. Peter’s pet project has been a distinctive cool-climate ‘cab sav’. It’s a revelation to smell and taste such freshness in a traditionally robust, full-bodied style of wine.

One of the more entertaining cellar-door experiences is to chat with Stuart Bryce at Providence, a small but very significant vineyard at charming Lalla, north of Launceston.

This is Tasmania’s oldest vineyard – the place where Frenchman Jean Miguet planted the seeds of the modern winemaking industry way back in 1956. Stuart battled the French wine industry – unsuccessfully – to preserve the vineyard’s original name, La Provence.

Stuart maintains that Tasmanian winemakers, being in a fringe growing region, have the opportunity to produce their own iconic wines that, in his words, “take people’s breath away”. And it goes without saying that nobody will dispute that.

What’s your drop?

It’s not just the wine industry that’s exploding in Tasmania. Both Cascade and Boags Breweries, in Hobart and Launceston respectively, have cabinets full of trophies for their premium beers.

Both have tasting centres and brewery tours. As Cascade dates back to 1824 and Boags to 1853, there’s no shortage of intriguing history at both sites.

At Moorilla Estate, their micro-brewery product ‘Moo Brew’ is on tap in the restaurant, in view of where the beer is actually being made. Tastings and purchases of Moo Brew, which comes in pilsener, pale ale and wheat beer styles, are available.

But the latest ‘top drop’ to come out of Tasmania is, believe it or not, vodka.

As with beer, premium quality begins with pure water and grain crops. The end result – The Tamar Distillery’s Strait Vodka – is proof that you can actually ‘sell ice to Eskimos’. The distillery, at Beauty Point, has recently landed a six-year contract to sell its premium Strait Vodka to Russia. It is expected the distillery will open a public tasting area in the near future.