Tasmania Facilitator Guide Australian Wine Discovered Education Program
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TASMANIA FACILITATOR GUIDE AUSTRALIAN WINE DISCOVERED EDUCATION PROGRAM The comprehensive, free education program providing information, tools and resources to discover Australian wine. To access course presentation, videos and tasting tools, as well as other programs, visit Wine Australia www.australianwinediscovered.com supports the responsible service of alcohol. For enquiries, email [email protected] TASMANIA Jansz, Tasmania Jansz, Jennifer Doyle, Jennifer Australia’s unique climate and landscape have fostered a fiercely independent wine scene, home to a vibrant community of growers, winemakers, viticulturists, and vignerons. With more than 100 grape varieties grown across 65 distinct wine regions, we have the freedom to make exceptional wine, and to do it our own way. We’re not beholden by tradition, but continue to push the boundaries in the pursuit of the most diverse, thrilling wines in the world. That’s just our way. Tasmania / Facilitator guide TASMANIA: TINY ISLAND, BIG PRESENCE Celebrated as one of Australia’s finest cool-climate wine-growing areas, Tasmania is turning heads as one of the world’s premier wine regions. - Small, isolated island at the south-eastern tip of Australia - Cool climate and diverse, unique terroirs - Ideal conditions for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines - Booming food and wine tourism industry FIRST TASTE advantages of a naturally pristine, cool-climate environment. THIS MAY BE A GOOD Until relatively recently, this small, isolated OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE island was an overlooked piece in the EVERYONE A TASTE OF A Australian wine puzzle. An outlier both physically and in terms of perception, CLASSIC TASMANIAN WINE. Tasmania spent years quietly going about THE FULL TASTING COMES its business with only a few big-name LATER IN THE PROGRAM. pioneers pricking the consciousness of the average wine lover. But things TASMANIA: have definitely changed. In recent years, TINY ISLAND, BIG PRESENCE Tasmania has found its way to centre stage Tasmania is a small island state off the thanks to its wonderful collection of cool- south-eastern tip of Australia. The climate climate wines that are proving themselves and soils of the region combine to create worthy among the world’s finest. ideal growing conditions for developing With its pristine and picturesque naturally elegant, intensely flavoured and environment, cool climate and fine-food aromatic wines, with Chardonnay and scene, Tasmania is also one of Australia’s Pinot Noir the region’s most renowned leading tourist destinations, and the varieties. The region also produces some of brilliant Tasmanian wine and grape Australia’s finest sparkling wines, reflecting community takes this traveller’s paradise high levels of winemaking expertise and the to the next level. Tasmania / Facilitator guide TO DAY WE’LL - The history of Tasmania - Geography, climate and soil - Viticulture and winemaking COVER… - Prominent varieties Tasmania / Facilitator guide HISTORY 1823 Bartholomew OF TASMANIA Broughton establishes first significant vineyard in the colony. 1788 1834 Vines first arrive in Van Settler William Henty sails Diemen’s Land on the HMS from Tasmania to Victoria, Bounty; William Bligh plants bringing with him local them at Bruny Island. Early grapevine cuttings; these experimental plantings cuttings would become flounder. Victoria’s and South Australia’s first vineyards. MID- 1800s 1958 Van Diemen’s Land is Claudio Alcorso plants renamed Tasmania in second vineyard – Moorilla 1856. The Tasmanian wine Estate – in Hobart. and grape community all but disappears due to the Victorian gold rush. 1956 Jean Miguet plants first (new) vineyard – La Provence – near Launceston. Tasmania / Facilitator guide 1960s –1980s TO DAY Tasmanian grape and wine Tasmania is home to a thriving community enjoys period of wine and grape community, with remarkable growth; several around 230 individual vineyards distinct winemaking areas and some of the best cool-climate emerge. wines anywhere. 1990s More trailblazing winemakers arrive; Tasmania begins to truly capitalise on its cool climate and unique terroirs – with great success. HISTORY OF TASMANIA: BUMPY BUT from Launceston in the north of the island, INFLUENTIAL PAST, BRIGHT FUTURE taking grapevine cuttings and plants to Pioneering early settlers to Tasmania, Victoria. These cuttings would become the which was known as the colony of Van source of Victoria’s and South Australia’s first Diemen’s Land until 1856, recognised that vineyards. the region would suit grape growing. The The success of Tasmania’s own initial grape island has been producing wine for longer and wine community, however, was fleeting than the Australian states of Victoria and and faded into relative obscurity in the mid- South Australia, and played a significant 1800s, when the Victorian gold rush drove role in launching these two prominent large numbers of the population to the winemaking states. mainland in search of their fortunes. 1700s In 1856, Van Diemen’s Land officially became Vines first arrived in Van Diemen’s Land Tasmania. on the HMS Bounty in 1788. William Bligh 1900s planted these vines at Bruny Island, but The Tasmanian wine scene experienced these early experimental plantings proved a resurgence in the late 1950s. Although fruitless. there were many ‘backyard’ winemakers in 1800s Tasmania, the revival of the state’s modern Former convict Bartholomew Broughton wine and grape community dates back planted the first significant vineyard in to this time, when French immigrant Jean Tasmania in 1823. Little more than a decade Miguet and Italian immigrant Claudio later, in 1834, settler William Henty sailed Alcorso realised that the cool climate and Tasmania / Facilitator guide unique soils of Tasmania were similar to Today those of the exceptional grape-growing After a significant but somewhat bumpy regions of their respective homelands. start, the thriving Tasmanian grape and Vintner Miguet and his wife Cecile wine community is here to stay. planted La Provence vineyard (now called The island state has seen exceptional Providence) in north-eastern Tasmania in growth in recent decades. This ongoing 1956. Alcorso followed suit in 1958, planting growth is indicative of the quality of both grapes near the Tasmanian capital of the region and its producers who create Hobart and naming his vineyard Moorilla cool-climate wines that are proving to be Estate, a Tasmanian Aboriginal word among the best in the world. meaning ‘a rock by the water’. He released his first vintage in 1962. To this day, both Providence and Moorilla Estate still produce excellent examples of cool-climate wine in a number of varieties. DID YOU KNOW The next couple of decades marked a Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first period of dramatic growth for the spotted Van Diemen’s Land on 24 Tasmanian grape and wine community. November 1642; the island is now Wine trailblazer Graham Wiltshire, for named after him. instance, established the Heemskerk pilot vineyard in 1966, releasing his first commercial wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, in 1976. Dr Andrew Pirie established the Pipers River area in 1974 with his Pipers Brook Vineyard. Wiltshire later developed Jansz to produce local sparkling wines. The east coast of Tasmania began production in the 1980s with the establishment of Craigie Knowe vineyard and Freycinet winery. In the 1990s, a number of pioneering producers arrived on the Tasmanian winemaking scene, further expanding the community and setting a high standard. These included Stefano Lubiana, Peter Althaus of Stoney Vineyard and Domaine A and Michael Vishacki of Panorama. Tasmania / Facilitator guide GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE01 AND SOIL:- Errit huctum satem mo. - Conventi culicastam muliis A COOL-CLIMATEhuituam iaecuper. CHAMPIONXXXX - Bi erridet huctum satem mo. GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND SOIL Geography The only officially recognised geographical indication (GI), or appellation, for Tasmania is Tasmania itself. However, informally it has seven distinct wine-growing areas, which you’ll find primarily in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the state, away from the often ferocious ocean winds that batter the west coast. DID YOU KNOW Tasmania is Australia’s southernmost geographical indication (GI). Tasmania / Facilitator guide AUSTRALIA NORTHERN TERRITORY QUEENSLAND WESTERN AUSTRALIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA 0 500 TA SMA N IA Kilometres GEOGRAPHY The only officially recognised geographic indication (GI), or appellation, for Tasmania is Tasmania itself. But it has seven distinct wine-growing areas. Tasmania / Facilitator guide PIPERS BROOK DEVONPORT PipER s RivER North WES t LAUNCESTON TaMA r V a LL EY BICHENO TASMANIA E AS t C oAS t Coal RivER V a LL EY DER wen t RICHMOND V a LL EY HOBART H u ON V a LL EY CYGNET TASMANIA’S SEVEN DISTINCT East Coast WINE-GROWING AREAS East Coast, a food lover’s paradise of fresh Tamar Valley produce and seafood, also grows, among Tamar Valley is Tasmania’s biggest and other grape varieties, Pinot Noir and oldest wine district. It sits on both sides Chardonnay. The Freycinet winery opened of the Tamar River, which flows from here in 1980 and has since become one of Launceston into Bass Strait. Pinot Noir, the island’s leading producers of Pinot Noir. Sauvignon Blanc and the varieties in Freycinet also makes the renowned Radenti sparkling wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier premium sparkling wine. and Pinot Noir) are popular varieties here. North West Pipers River North West, the state’s youngest wine Pipers River is northeast of the Tasmanian region, boasts a small number of city of Launceston. Dr Andrew Pirie groundbreaking wine producers, including established this region in 1974 with his Pipers Lake Barrington Vineyard, Ghost Rock and Brook Vineyard. Sparkling wines are the Barringwood. area’s specialties, with Chardonnay, Pinot Coal River Valley Noir and Riesling successfully growing here. Coal River Valley, just east of Hobart, is home The renowned House of Arras and Jansz to several small wine producers. Many of wineries are also in Pipers River. Jansz is the the vineyards here sit on north-east slopes only Tasmanian winery that focuses solely to best take advantage of the sun.