Tasmania makes big food impact

TASMANIA's fresh produce, wineries and top chefs are attracting global attention, writes Rick O'Shea.

Escape Tasmania

CAST your mind back a few years and Tasmania was a culinary wasteland with a handful of restaurants and a few struggling vignerons.

But times change and today the island state is a gourmet hot spot dotted with world-class eateries and producing cool-climate wines that are much sought-after by sommeliers and aficionados worldwide.

From former two-hat chef Hugh Whitehouse (ex Darleys at Lilianfels) at The Palate, the signature restaurant of luxury lodge Saffire, to Frenchman Philippe Leban at The Source, part of the MONA complex north of Hobart, Tasmania is attracting top-notch chefs with its stunning fresh produce.

From Stillwater and Black Cow Bistro in Launceston to Hobart's Garagistes and Ethos Eat Drink, Tasmania has a sumptuous choice of eateries at which you can sample fresh local seafood, Huon Valley mushrooms or maybe some locally grown wasabi.

From the Tamar Valley and Pipers River regions in the north to the iconic wineries of the East Coast to the Derwent, Coal River and Huon valleys surrounding Hobart, Tasmania's vineyards are attracting global attention.

While the island state currently accounts for less than 1 per cent of all Australian wine production, its cool-climate vineyards have proved perfect for new-wave sparkling wines, brilliant pinots and stunning aromatic whites.And it's not only the big names such as Tamar Ridge, Moorilla Estate, Stefano Lubiana, Frogmore Creek, Pipers Brook, Bay of Fires and Josef Chromy that are producing great wines.

Artisan producers are popping up all over the place, often making less than 1000 cases of wine.

There are also several boutique breweries and distilleries.

With the advent of global warming, and as wine drinkers' tastes switch from big, oaky high-alcohol styles to more restrained cool-climate wines, Tasmania is perfectly positioned.

The wine world was stunned when a shiraz made by Nick Glaetzer of Glaezter-Dixon Family Winemakers won the Jimmy Watson trophy for best young red at last year's Royal Melbourne Wine Show.

Tasmania has traditionally been seen as too cold for shiraz and cabernet, but both thrive in certain micro-climates.

Among the cellar doors where you can combine local produce with fine wines are Josef Chromy, Meadowbank, Home Hill and Moorilla Estate, home not only to The Source, but also to the headline-grabbing MONA - the Museum of Old and New Art.

The Chromy Wines facility at Relbia, down the road from Launceston Airport, is a must-visit on the Tamar Valley Wine Route.

The cellar door overlooks vineyards and a lake a new restaurant and function centre recently opened here.

The Tamar is often compared to Burgundy's Cote d'Or, with both regions sharing a cool, humid climate and the Tasmanian wine industry delights in pointing out climatic characteristics the island shares with great wine regions of Europe.

Other star wineries here include Tamar Ridge, Velo Estate, Holm Oak, Goaty Hill, Moores Hill, Pirie, Grey Sands and Stoney Rise.

To the northeast of the Tamar, and considerably cooler, is the Pipers River region that produces the fruit for sparkling wines including Arras, Kreglinger and Jansz, as well as aromatic whites that shine for labels such as Pipers Brook, Delamere, Sinapius and Dalrymple.

Visitors to Hobart can try many of the local wines at Grape, an excellent wine bar on Salamanca Place. Names to look out for include Frogmore Creek, Domaine A, Meadowbank, Winstead, Puddleduck, Stefano Lubiana, Moorilla Estate, Home Hill and Panorama.

There are only a handful of east coast wineries, with Apsley Gorge, Milton, Spring Vale, Coombend and Freycinet Vineyard the standouts (and all within a short drive of the Saffire Freycinet resort), while further south at Marion Bay are Cape Bernier and Bream Creek.

Wineries of the emerging northwest, on the road to Cradle Mountain, include Barringwood Park and Lake Barrington Vineyard.

British-based Jancis Robinson, one of the world's leading wine writers, is a huge fan of Tasmania's wines and predicts a bright future, saying: "The wines reflect the pristine atmosphere of the island state and Australia's coolest climate with crisp, fresh acidity and well-defined fruit flavours."

Highlights of the gourmet year include the waterfront Taste festival held each year on the Hobart waterfront, Festivale each February in Launceston, Tastings at the Top at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge and Savour Tasmania, a statewide food and wine festival that runs from late May to early July.

It is not only wine that is putting Tasmania firmly on the global gourmet map.

The food scene has come on in leaps and bounds, as has been illustrated in Matthew Evans' popular SBS TV series Gourmet Farmer.

In an arc that stretches from Burnie, Devonport, Launceston and the Pipers River, you'll also find superb cheese, seafood, venison, chocolate, fruit and vegetables and meat from sheep and cows.

Ashgrove Cheeses, Christmas Hills raspberry farm and 41 Degrees South aquaculture should all be on your Tasmanian itinerary.

"I don't know of any other place in the world where the combinations of clean, fresh air, reliable rain, fertile soil, abundant sea life and an enthusiastic farming community all come together to provide such high-quality outcomes," says Tetsuya Wakuda, who has two restaurants in the World Top 100 list.

In the Huon Valley and Channel districts south of Hobart, the countryside is dotted with apple and cherry trees, organic producers, goat and sheep cheese farms, berries, mushroom producers and salmon farms.

Local restaurants including Home Hill, the Red Velvet Lounge and Lotus Eaters Cafe in Cygnet and Masaaki's at Geeveston all promote regional produce, as does chef Wayne Smith at the spectacular Meadowbank winery restaurant.

Among the state's best dining experiences are Black Cow Bistro in Launceston, for dishes such as prime Longford eye fillet, and Hobart's uber-trendy Garagistes (and new bar offshoot Sidecar), for innovative cooking and a list of natural wines.

Other stars include Remi de Provence, Lebrina, Me Wah, Smolt and The Stackings in Hobart and surrounds, but there are also gems to be found off the beaten track.

Ut Si Cafe, a former church surrounded by a kitchen garden serving organic and ethical dishes, at Perth, south of Launceston, is well worth a visit, as are the Mediterranean flavours of Koukla's at Gravelly Beach in the Tamar and historic Old Cable Station at Stanley in the far north.

It seems Tasmania's bounty knows no bounds.