Ten Tidbits on Tasmania

Ten Tidbits on Tasmania – Tasmanian Wine, that is!

#1 – The island of Tasmania is the southernmost state of Australia and lies about 150 miles south of the coast of Victoria, across the Bass Strait. Tasmania lies directly in the path of the fierce trade winds known as the “Roaring Forties” and as such, its west coast has a cold, wet climate.

#2 – Tasmania is Australia’s most mountainous state. The highest point is Mount Ossa in the northwest. Mount Ossa reaches peaks of 5,350 feet (1,620 meters) above sea level. The temperature climate necessary for viticulture in Tasmania is made possible by the multiple mountain ranges that criss-cross the center of the island. Most Tasmanian vineyards are located on lower slopes and valleys of these mountains, or in the rain shadow to the east.

#3 – As is to be expected considering its location, Tasmania has a maritime climate. Mild spring and summer temperatures, warm autumn days, and cool nights allow for the region’s grapes to enjoy a long, slow ripening with minimal loses of natural acidity.

#4 – Cool climate grapes dominate the viticultural landscape and include 44% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay, 12% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Pinot Gris and 5% Riesling. Other varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Gewürztraminer.  Tasmania’s cool climate makes it a natural for sparkling wines, and many of the sparkling wines produced in Australia are sourced with grapes grown in Tasmania.

#5 – Tasmania’s output is tiny. At last count, the state had just over 3,700 acres (1,500 hectares) of vineyards, and accounted for approximately 0.5% of Australia’s output. They even say that “more wine is spilled on the main land than is produced in Tasmania.” However – Tasmania’s wine production rose by more than 300% over the last decade, and quality is regarded as quite high.

#6 – According to winetasmania.com, 100% of bottled Tasmanian wine retails for $15.00 or more – as compared to only 7% of Australian wines overall.

#7 – Tasmania’s first vineyard, planted in 1788, was a failure. The vines were planted by William Blight at Adventure Bay (on Bruny Island), but when he returned four years later they were gone. Vines were planted again in the early 1800s, and wine was made and sold commercially in Tasmania from 1800 through the 1860s. However, vine disease and the gold rush in Victoria (1851-1870) caused wine production in Tasmania to collapse by the 1870s.

#8 – In the 1830s, wines from Tasmania were brought to Victoria by William Henty. Henty sailed from Launceston in Tasmania to Portland in Victoria on the Schooner Thistle. Among his belongings were “one cask of grape cuttings and one box of plants.” These cuttings became the first vines planted in Victoria. At about the same time, vines from Tasmania were also among the first grapes planted in South Australia; John Hack (in 1837), and John Reynell (in 1837) both planted Tasmanian vines in South Australia.  Some say, based on these facts, that vines from Tasmania founded the wine industries of both Victoria and South Australia.

Map via winetasmania.com.au

#9 – The beginnings of the modern era of Tasmanian wines can be traced back to the 1950s, when two Europeans, Jean Miguet and Claudio Alcorso arrived in Tasmania and, without knowing each other or what the other was doing, began planting vines and making wine.

#10 – While Tasmania does not have any officially designated wine regions or sub-regions within it, the following “unofficial” areas are generally used to describe those areas rich with vines:

• In Northern Tasmania: The Northwest Coast, Tamar Valley, and Northeast/Pipers River
• In Southern Tasmania: Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley, and Huon/Channel Valley
• Straddling the Two: The East Coast

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas: missjane@prodigy.net