Meander Valley Vineyard, Fogarty’s and Yabby Lake reveal Tassie plans

Tasmania’s wine industry continues to see mainlanders, some of them massive national companies, others boutique, invest in our vines. Here’s what three have in store.

Lowestoft Estate wine maker Liam McElhinney. Picture: Chris Kidd

It’s a Tasmanian success story that, according to figures, contributes $200m annually to the state economy, supports more than 2000 FTE jobs, and achieves prices among the highest nationally – and mainlanders are investing in it.

WA-based wine giant Fogarty Wine Group and boutique players Yabby Lake and Meander Valley Vineyard are similar in that they have all announced significant moves in the past months and all have their origins on the mainland.

Melbourne duo Bronya Dance and Jade Nicholls purchased what was formerly known as 3 Willows Vineyard at Red Hills 18 months ago.

“I was an event manager at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, my husband was an accountant. It was a vine change for us,” Ms Dance said.

“We were locked down in Melbourne for two years, it pushed us to do something a bit out of our comfort zone.

The Meander Valley Vineyard crew: Jade Nicholls, Bronya Dance, Hazel and Benji. Picture: Supplied

“We decided to move everything to Tassie and fell in love with the property.”

The duo have just unveiled a rebrand to Meander Valley Vineyard and are months away from releasing their 2022 pinot noir vintage and also the unique baco noir. They are one of the only vineyards in Australia making wine with that variety.

“It’s rich and fruity, a dark inky colour, both the actual flesh and the skins of the grape are dark red,” Ms Dance said.

She also revealed the vineyard was in the process of preparing a development application to host on-site glamping tents for overnight and weekend stays.

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Further south, one of New Zealand’s most renowned winemakers, Marlborough’s Liam McElhinney, is heading up Fogarty Wine Group’s burgeoning Tasmanian empire.

FWG has recently released a new premium sparkling range, ‘Thalia’, which features three drops: NV, Rosé and Reserve Cuvée, each of which will only have a release of about 2000 bottles.

Lowestoft Estate’s Liam McElhinney. Picture: File

Since gaining its first Tasmanian toehold in 2018, purchasing assets including the Cambridge processing facility of wound-up firm Winemaking Tasmania (renamed Tasmanian Vintners), FWG’s growth has been swift.

Mr McElhinney said FWG, which owns local labels Lowestoft Estate and Strelley Farm, now has 200ha under vine in Richmond and Forcett and contracts an additional 50ha across the East Coast and South.

“The Upper Derwent is becoming quite a stronghold for us as well. The key to early success is having a really diverse footprint, each microclimate is so different,” he said.

The new sparkling range is a “natural extension” for FWG, Mr McElhinney said, as the company seeks to leverage off the success of wines such as Lowestoft’s La Maison Pinot Noir, a critic’s darling that has gathered a slew of awards.

In the Coal River Valley, Mornington Peninsula’s Yabby Lake, which also owns Heathcote Estate, has purchased a 12ha property, ‘Mallow’, at Campania. It has 5ha under vine, predominantly pinot noir, and another 4ha ready for planting.

Yabby Lake and Heathcote Estate winemaker and general manager Tom Carson. Picture: Yabby Lake

General manager Tom Carson said Yabby Lake’s eyes had been on Tasmania “for a long time,” driven both by the “high-quality producers coming to the fore” and the inability to expand further on the Mornington Peninsula.

“Land prices here are crazy, it’s the value you get in Tasmania,” he said.

Climate change considerations increasingly play a part in the push to diversify, Mr Carson said.

“We’ve learnt over the years sometimes with weather conditions, you ave a tough year in one vineyard but other vineyards don’t suffer the same fate,” he said.

The fruit from Campania will be shipped to Yabby Lake’s processing facility for release as a new line of “high-quality Tasmanian pinot noir”.

According to statistics collated by peak body Wine Tasmania, the industry is worth more than $200m to the state economy, supports 2063 FTE jobs, and achieves “some of the highest (prices) nationally,” both for its fruit and wines.

Originally published as Meander Valley Vineyard, Fogarty’s and Yabby Lake reveal Tassie plans