How Tasmania’s Sparkling Wine is Bubbling Up from Down Under
Australia has always been a world in and of itself. The smallest continent on earth and one of its largest countries, it sprawls across 2,941,300 square miles in Oceania. The oldest, flattest, least fertile and driest continent with inhabitants, Australia harbors incredible diversity, from deserts, to tropical rainforests and mountain ranges.
And with 65 officially recognized wine regions, 160+ varieties under vine, some of the oldest vines in the world (European survivors of phylloxera were exported to the remote country for safekeeping) and the world’s biggest English-speaking country of wine drinkers (they kick back an estimated 21.1 liters annually), the range and diversity available for sipping is incredible.
While most of us think of Barossa, Margaret River, McLaren Vale or Clare Valley when we think of Australian wine, increasingly, oenophiles in the know are turning to Tasmania. Especially when they’re in the mood for fizz.
A 26,410-square mile heart-shaped island state (the 26th largest in the world) off the south-eastern tip of mainland Australia, the weather, soils and cool climate—the terroir—create the perfect growing conditions for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And when you have auspicious conditions for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the production of sparkling wine naturally follows.
The Evolution of Tasmanian Wine
To be sure, the current renaissance has been building for some time. Wine-growing has been happening in Tasmania for longer than the Australian states of Victoria and South Australia. The groundwork for Tasmania’s vibrant wine scene today were planted in 1856 on a colony then known as Van Diemen’s Land, when vines successfully took root.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that commercial winemaking took off, and not until the 1970s and 80s when Dr. Andrew Pirie, founder of Pipers Brook Vineyard and Jansz, embarked on the production of sparkling wine, which has since arrested the attention of sparkling producers around the world. Today, sparkling wine comprises about 36% of Tasmania’s entire production, about 4.5 million bottles, according to Wine Tasmania’s CEO, Sheralee Davies.
Many Australian wine professionals have watched the evolution with delight.
“I still have a vivid memory of tasting the first Tasmanian Traditional Method Sparling, which was the 1989 Jansz, a collaborative project with Louis Roederer Champagne,” says Joe Lenck, owner of Australian wine club, the BudBurst Wine Collective. “One of the winemakers, Graham Wilkshire, presented it to a small group of us prior to release, and it was quite exciting. I still remember the taste of it, with notes of green apples and an ultra-crisp finish.”
From the beginning, Tasmanian sparkling wines have primarily been made in the Champagne method, Lenck explains. “All Tasmanian sparkling wines undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, with the majority made in the traditional method, with a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” he says. “Some producers add a small amount of Pinot Meunier, but there are only small plantings by comparison to the other two, and it doesn’t seem to perform as well. Chardonnay sparklings are becoming more common too, but Blanc de Noirs are relatively rare.”
Tasmanian Wine Regions
There are seven distinct wine-growing regions within Tasmania: Tamar Valley is the biggest and oldest; Pipers River, which specializes in sparkling wine; North West, the youngest and most cutting edge; Coal River Valley, where Pinot and Chardonnay thrive; Derwent Valley, home to many biodynamic icons; and Huon Valley, known for its fertile soils.
Tasmania’s climate and growing season are analogous to those in Champagne, and another rising star on the sparkling scene, the South of England. There’s low summer and autumn rainfall, and the cool maritime climate allows fruit to ripen steadily over a long season.
“There are sparkling wines made all over the island, and being deceptively big, about the size of West Virginia, means there’s a diverse range of micro-climates,” Lenck says. “The coolest and later ripening regions like Pipers and the North West are coming to the fore, as producing the most delicate and complex sparkling wines.”
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Delamere Vineyards
The 27 acres of vineyards here are nestled along cool maritime slopes in Pipers River. Delamere was established in 1982, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under vine. Delamere cranks out 4,000-5,500 cases a year, with 80% being sparkling produced in the traditional method.
Co-founders Fran Austin and Shane Holloway prioritize environmental, social and economic sustainability, and quality over quantity, from vine to bottle; and unlike many Tasmanian producers, they do everything on-site.
“We love the pursuit each vintage of capturing the characteristics of our site in our wine,” says Austin. “We process as soon as it’s picked, and our cool climate means lower fruit temperature, allowing slower oxidation of juice and less risk of uncontrolled ferment or spoilage, while also preserving fruit character. This intersection of site, season and culture is the true meaning of terroir to us.”
Delamere has a range of vintage and nonvintage cuvees. The vintage wines spend a minimum of four years and up to 10 years on the lees. The nonvintage spend 16 months on the lees, with the cuvee getting 25-30% reserve in the mix.
One to try: the 2015 Delamere Blanc de Blanc: Complex, lively, crisp. Citrus, apricots, white flowers, oyster shell minerality.
House of Arras
Accolade Wines’ House of Arras, created in 1995 by Australia’s most awarded sparkling winemaker Ed Carr, produces 20,000 cases of traditional sparkling wine annually.
Carr says he sees the recognition of his wine by critics and awards shows as being essential to Arras’ success, but also the rise of Tasmanian sparkling wine more broadly. Recently, the House of Arras was named the world’s best sparkling wine by Decanter, for its E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2004, beating out all comers, including those from Champagne.
“Our goal is create an Australian sparkling wine on parity with the world’s finest Champagnes,” Carr says. “The sparkling wine production in Tasmania has and is showing amazing growth, with most key producers now having their own house style. Consumers now have considerable choices in style. There is significant opportunity for Tasmania and Arras in the global market, and we will need to continue to ‘let the wine in the glass do the talking’ to continue this success.”
Arras has a range of vintage and nonvintage cuvees, with an average tirage age of between four and 10 years.
One to try: The Grand Vintage 2013: Elegant, complex, with notes of lemon curd, almonds, mushrooms, biscuits. Bright, medium-bodies, extra brut.
Jansz Tasmania
Jansz Tasmania was founded in 1986 as a joint venture between Louis Roederer and Tasmania’s Heemskerk Vineyards with the goal of focusing on sparkling wine, cultivated in biodiverse and organic vineyards, and produced using traditional methods, old French oak barriques, malolactic fermentation, long-lees aging (up to eight years) and wild yeast.
Jansz was acquired by the Hill Smith Family in 1998, who continued in its winegrowing and making philosophy and expanded its estate vineyard to include Pipers River in northeastern Tasmania, and Pontos Hills in southeastern Tasmania. The Hill Smith family also built a state-of-the art winery there in 2020.
“All of our wines are made from the classic Champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier,” says winemaker Jennifer Doyle. “Our method is Méthode Tasmanoise! This encapsulates not only our use of the traditional method for our vintage wines, but more holistically represents all aspects of our unique terroir that contributes to each and every bottle. It is not just a process, it is the very essence of Tasmania.”
One to try: Vintage Cuvée 2017: Pours out golden. Citrus zest, peaches, cream, toast, saline.
Only about 4% of all Tasmanian wine finds its way into export markets. Davies says that means just 18,000 cases are finding their way out of the country, which rightly would like to hold onto the good stuff.
But Davies predicts that will likely change, as the value of exports continues to rise: about 115% year-over-year in 2021, with volume up 70% over the same period. The U.S. and the U.K. are the biggest markets for Tasmania; sales grew by 156% year-over-year, and the value grew 168%.