Ned Goodwin MW explores the regions of Tasmania and takes a look at its performance over the last decade in our latest update to the Langton’s Vintage Chart. See Langton’s Vintage Chart now.

Tasmania had long promised so much. And finally, over the best of the last decade, it has delivered. A raft of finely tuned Pinot Noir, tensile Chardonnay and vibrant aromatic whites, spurred as much by the diversity of craftsmanship, accretion of wisdom and a deeper comprehension as to what grows best where, articulated in the least invasive fashion possible, at least by the better crew.

The delayed manifest of promise as reality was due, perhaps, to the limited number of consultants cum viticulturalists and oenologists, that once trawled these shores like travelling salesmen. The dynamic was not dissimilar to the early days of Central Otago, driven as much by aspiration as by isolation and the lack of experience inherent to an embryonic wine culture. Today things are vastly different. Both regional and stylistic diversity are chief drawcards.

The Apple Isle remains defined by a single Geographical Indicator (GI), a nebulous effort on behalf of the authorities, that is a blatant anachronism today. In other words, Tasmanian wine, irrespective of sub-regional nuance, is clumped together as a single regional brand. Looking through a more perspicacious lens, however, it is clear that there are demarcations between The Tamar Valley, which produces approximately 31% of volume, the Coal River Valley 22%, the East Coast 20%, Piper’s River 17% and the Derwent Valley, 7%.

Taking a look at each, the Tamar Valley in the north-west is verdant and lush. By Tasmanian standards, it is also relatively humid with subsequent disease pressures. Yet it boasts basalt, clay and hallowed limestone, the most prized of terroir. The wines can be exciting, with Joe Holyman leading a surge of thrilling Chardonnay and pixelated reds, pushing angles of possibility that challenge the drinker while quenching the thirst. Best, his new cellar door offers international wines by-the-glass that reflect his personal taste, while offering the opportunity for intriguing comparative tastings.

The Coal River Valley, meanwhile, is near the mercantile hub of Hobart. Its dry climate and peaty, sandy humus to alluvial soils beckoned the intrepid growers of yore, largely because a solid crop, consistent wine quality and profitability were all but guaranteed. Today things are far less risk-averse, with Shaw & Smith’s Tolpuddle spinning the qualitative paradigm on its head with trailblazing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of remarkable quality from the very first release in 2013, while Pooley is responsible for streamlined Riesling that strike a mellifluous, almost balletic pose of depth and juicy, natural acidity, evoking the great wines of the Rheingau. Samantha Connew at Stargazer, meanwhile, blazes a very different path. While her reds are solid, the semi-aromatic whites are among the finest exposes of blending and its myriad of possibilities in the country. I have consistently rated them very highly, searching for adjectives while doing so, so spellbinding are they! They remind me of the great wines of Marcel Deiss, the Alsatian maestro. The proximity of the Coal River Valley to Hobart’s dynamic culinary scene, perhaps the most exciting in the country, guarantees an ebb of exchange with the local chef and sommelier community, a positive symbiosis of creativity.

The East Coast is rugged and spectacular, as coastal vistas peel to pockets of vineyards, testimonies to determination nestled amidst the world’s largest formation of dolerite. Here, Freycinet has long led the way with wonderful Riesling and bumptious, highly structured Pinot that age beautifully. Gala, a relative newcomer, crafts transparent Pinot embedded with whole-bunch spice and impressive complexity.

Piper’s River has long been a bastion of sparkling wine. The House of Arras and Jansz, for example, are located here. Yet a warming climate and free-draining friable soils are facilitating high quality table wines such as those by the excellent Sinapius and Delamere, each a proponent of chiselled Pinots of flare and real interest.

Meanwhile the Derwent Valley, or ‘the spine of Hobart’ as it is known, is home to Moorilla Winery, the ever exciting Glaetzer-Dixon and the riveting wines of Stefano Lubiana, home to arguably the finest single vineyard iterations of Australian Pinot, eking vitality from a geological meld of sandstone and schist.