In a year that saw many businesses dry up, Tasmania’s wine industry has quietly been bubbling away, with half a dozen new cellar doors opening and mainland investment as fruitful as ever.

Two of our wines have just been named the world’s best, and nine local drops have been included in James Halliday’s Top 100 wines of 2020 list.

The year didn’t start out so bright, though.

East Coast Tasmania went into the growing season in the grip of drought after the third year in a row of dry winter, growers in Southern Tasmania battled dry, windy conditions that slowed growth and the cool and windy conditions in Northern Tasmania saw yield down 30% in a late harvest.

Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies said the COVID-19 pandemic was the absolute last thing the state’s wineries needed after “a pretty tough” 2019.

“The toughest part of COVID was really fourfold,” Ms Davies explained.

“We were still harvesting grapes so that was the biggest focus for our winemakers … so trying to get grapes safely into wineries and make wines from the 2020 vintage.

“Then restrictions came into place for our tourism sector so that cellar door channel was completely closed, with our other major channel being restaurant supply also immediately closed. Those two main areas where we sell wine were ground to a halt.”

The fourth point, Ms Davies said, was the uncertainty.

“Income stopped for our wine industry overnight and nobody knew how long this was going to continue. Were we meant to go without income for three months, six months, longer? The unknown was almost the worst of it.

“But things have definitely started to improve.”

During COVID, Tassie wineries had to adapt. Some launched online shops, home deliveries or tapped into their loyal wine clubs to still provide an outlet for customers and a vital income stream.

We may be “a little island at the bottom of the world”, as Ms Davies puts it, but most importantly, Tassie wines are still getting attention “well exceeding our size”.

Tolpuddle Vineyard’s 2018 chardonnay recently took out the award for the best white wine in the world at the International Wine Challenge in London.

Then in more good news, The House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2004 was named Top Sparkling Wine in the prestigious Decanter Magazine Wine of the Year 2020 Tasting, beating out top drops from France and Italy.

And just this week, Bream Creek Vineyard picked up three gongs at the Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show.

Their 2017 Reserve Pinot Noir was awarded three trophies – Best Pinot Noir, Red Wine of Show and the coveted Wine of Show.

Bream Creek Vigneron Fred Peacock said it was “a great thrill” to win the top award from a field of over 900 wines entered.

Halliday’s 2021 Wine Companion proclaims the Bream Creek pinot noir “fully deserves its string of trophies” — also singing the praises of every Tasmanian winery featured in next year’s wine bible.

Hobart born and bred wine expert Tyson Stelzer was this year named chief editor of the best-selling guide to the wines and wineries of Australia.

Tasmania is in his blood, and his passion seeps through as he talks about why our state is leading the charge globally as a shining star amid a tumultuous year.

“There’s such a compelling beauty about Tassie as a state,” Mr Stelzer said.

“Nowhere comes close for pinot, chardonnay and sparkling wines.”

Its cool climate places Tasmania in prime position to withstand the effects of global warming, and big mainland wine producers have been quietly (and some not so quietly) investing in the Apple Isle for a over a decade to “future-proof” their labels.

“If you look at Penfolds, who traditionally sourced their chardonnay and pinot in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, the majority of theirs are now in vintages in Tasmania,” Mr Stelzer said.

“The latest big news is that Hill-Smith, behind Yalumba and Jansz, has built a new facility in the south of Tasmania where they will ferment their wines so their investment into Tasmania has been enormous.”

Investment continued at home this year too — with Stoney Rise and Boomer Creek opening new cellar doors, Bangor Vineyard opening a new tasting room/events space and Home Hill Winery building a new outdoor dining deck.

Sailor Seeks Horse, Mewstone, Riversdale Estate and Apsley Gorge are also among the names who opened new cellar doors and wineries this year.

Ms Davies said the fact so many local wineries were “putting their money where their mouth is” even in one of the toughest years was a sign of extreme confidence.

“You can only ever look long term in this industry,” she said.

“You have one vintage each year and Mother Nature might wipe out your grapes so you have to be able to survive a year until the next vintage.

“So you necessarily have to take a long term approach and that’s what Tassie’s wineries have done in 2020.”

A remarkable year ahead

Gripping a copy of James Halliday’s Wine Companion, Rosemary Bennett pinches herself and wonders how their relaxing hobby farm has turned into an award-winning vineyard that now graces the pages of the premier wine bible.

Like many wineries, 2020 didn’t get off to a great start.

“It started out disastrous,” Rosemary said.

“We were still recovering from smoke taint in the vineyard from the 2019 bushfires and the 2020 crop was very, very low.”

Then, of course, COVID hit.

“Financially, we were luckily able to keep our staff on, our chefs were relocated and our wait staff helped in other ways, like with the new decking at the back of our restaurant and the pond at the front, they cleaned windows, mowed lawns and boiled wine barrels,” Rosemary said.

When Tasmania entered lockdown, Home Hill’s restaurant had to close, as well as the cellar door temporarily.

Their saving grace, Rosemary said, came when they were included in Halliday’s Wine Companion — their 2018 Estate Pinot Noir and 2018 Kelly’s Reserve Pinot Noir both gaining a rating of 98 points.

“These accolades really expanded our brand to the interstate market, so we saw lots of orders from the mainland wanting to buy our line which really helped us during lockdown,” she said.

“We then reopened our cellar door, and the restaurant in August and we’ve been absolutely supported by Tasmanians well and truly.”

Rosemary has made it her mission to make the winery as homely as its name — chosen while driving through the quaint little canefarming town of Home Hill in North Queensland and thinking of their home on the hill back in Tasmania.

“We’re very passionate and we have to do the best we possibly can,” she said.

“My husband’s a positive person, and with the vineyard being led by my youngest son Sean, daughter Kelly helping me in the cellar door, my sister Gail (managing the office and functions and niece Prue in marketing) we all work as one big family.”

Looking ahead to 2021, there’s nothing but smiles from Rosemary.

“We’re going to do a final tasting of our 2020 vintage but we think the wine is better than excellent,” she said.

“We’re so so happy with it and the winemaker is happy with it – it has lovely flavours to it. We’ll bottle it in January and I think it’s going to be another award-winning pinot.”

The winery has also gained another feather in their cap, in the form of esteemed chef Mark Wilson, who has previously worked at Saffire and Maylands Lodge.

“Going into 2021 we hope we have sunny days to ripen our fruit, our 2020 vintage will be fantastic and the restaurant will be a success,” Rosemary said.

“Anything you do you have to do it properly, work hard at it and communicate with your customers to become a family everyone supports.”