Tasmania is fairly high up my list of must see places before I die. Lying 150 miles south of the Australian continent, it is the sixth state of Australia. With less than half a million inhabitants for such a large island, it is absurdly remote in places. Around half of its population live in and around the capital, Hobart, so there’s plenty of beautiful, unspoiled land to explore, as well as some of the world’s best terroir to the benefit of wine drinkers.

As a wine producing state, there wasn’t much activity worth noting before the 1980s. Jean Miguet, a Frenchman working with the Hydro Electric Commission, planted a number of plots in Northern Tasmania in the late 50s which showed promise. Fast forward to the mid-1980s and Pipers Brook, Tamar Valley and the East Coast had all a number of established wineries. In Southern Tasmania, vineyards were popping up in the Derwant Valley, the Huon Valley, Coal River and on the east coast in Cranbrook.

The great thing about Tasmania is the diversity on offer. The soil make-up is varied and there are so many different micro-climates. We talk about Australian wines as having identity in terms of regionality within each of its winemaking territories, but Tasmania has so many local variations within its own land mass, so it’s very difficult for professionals to pin-point exactly where a particular wine is from.

The best producers find the varieties that suit their terroir best, thus playing to the strengths of the land, but overall the consensus is that Riesling, Pinot Noir and the sparkling wines of Tasmania are world class. In fact, in my own experience, the best sparkling wine I have ever tried outside of Champagne was Andrew Pirie’s Sparkling NV. Absolutely to die for.

The varieties (source: Wine Australia)

Wherever it is grown, Chardonnay responds to the varying influence of the vineyard site and the winemaker’s philosophy and technique. Because of the cool nature of the climate, conditions at each vintage are mirrored in the finished wine. Chardonnay in Tasmania is usually much more fine and delicate than most other Australian counterparts. It is unified by a capacity to develop in the bottle and an unsurprising European edge to the tangy citrus and apple fruit flavours.

A variety which flourishes in climates paralleling those of the Mosel, the Rheingau and Pheinpfalz regions of Germany, the Riesling grape, there and here, produces subtle but distinctly differing styles. The common bond for Tasmania with Rieslings from these European regions is the relatively high level of natural acidity which underwrites their longevity and becomes even more obvious when the wines are compared with those from mainland Australia.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot suit only the warmer sites and warmer vintages such as those of 1998 and 2000. However, two swallows barely make a summer and so these varieties must be planted with the greatest of caution in Tasmania.

Pinot Noir is a variety that in both theory and practice is perfectly suited to Tasmanian conditions and which regularly produces soft, luscious and strongly perfumed wines. As with Riesling, there are various regional nuances to be found, but the winemakers’ fingerprints are much more evident and important with Pinot, so choosing makers may be as simple and easy as picking districts.

Sparkling wines are of great and growing importance, which is hardly surprising considering the French Champagne comparisons. Several brands have gained both national and international acclaim as production volume increases, and the styles continue to be refined.

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“Australia’s unique gift to the world”. That’s what Jancis Robinson MW said of Hunter Valley Semillon. There’s a good chance that if you’ve been to Sydney as a tourist, you have also been to Hunter Valley to taste some of their fine produce. I was there in 2008. It’s actually even easier to get to from Newcastle, just north of Sydney. Another great place to visit if you’re in Sydney is the Blue Mountains, just an hour or so out of town on the train.

As a tourist destination there’s probably not a better equipped wine region in the world. From the brilliant accommodation, to the top class restaurants and golf courses, Hunter Valley has something for everyone. For many producers, particular the smaller ones, tourism is actually making them more money than the wine sales outside of the cellar door.

Wine has been produced successfully in the Lower Hunter Valley since the 1860s, although despite some truly amazing wines, particularly from Shiraz and Semillon, and the long term success of producers big and small – Wyndham Estate, Rosemount Estate, Keith Tulloch, Tyrrell’s et al – the Hunter is not in fact the easiest place to grow grapes. A lot of the land is unsuitable for growing, consisting of hard, acidic clay. Winter droughts are common and the rain often arrives just when it’s least wanted.

The varieties (source: Wine Australia)

A world benchmark wine, Hunter Valley Semillon is the stellar white variety in the region. Semillon is at its delicate best when picked early to make a wine of ten to 11.5% alcohol and almost invariably has ripe flavours at low sugar concentrations. This is the style of wine that best responds to bottle age, during which it develops outstanding lemon curd and toasty complexity and becomes barely recognisable from its demure beginning. Most companies release their Semillons when only a few months old when they are crisp and lively with a light body and fresh, lemony and grassy fruit. A few keep some wines for bottle-maturation and release after five years or more when they have deepened in colour, become rounder and softer in the mouth and developed the most brilliantly complex flavours of vanilla and buttered toast.

Chardonnay started its Australia-wide popularity when the late Murray Tyrrell produced the 1971 Vat 47 Pinot Chardonnay. Today, virtually every winery in the region produces a Chardonnay with three different styles produced. The first is the traditional style with a rich peachy flavour, new oak & a full body; the second is an earlier picked tighter style, lighter in body & a little higher in acidity; the third is an unoaked or lightly oaked chardonnay that has been fermented in stainless steel.

Verdelho ripens early in the harvest, so there’s usually little difficulty in getting very ripe flavours and a full body. Verdelho is made using the same methods as Semillon, with the exception that it’s usually picked somewhat riper. It goes into bottle early and is usually at its best in the year or two after it’s made, when it shows ripe, tropical flavours. Its easily appreciated flavours make it a popular variety for cellar-door sales.

Shiraz is undoubtedly the Hunter Valley’s outstanding red grape. The typical young Hunter Valley Shiraz is a medium bodied wine showing red and dark berries, spices and plenty of soft tannin. It is quite deceptive, as the best can age for a considerable time, more than their constitution often suggests. With bottle-age, it becomes much more complex, with earthy, leathery overtones and a beautiful perfume. It also acquires a silkiness and grace, becoming a smooth, wonderfully complex and richly flavoured wine.

The Hunter Valley has successfully produced Cabernet Sauvignon for many years and of recent has introduced several Mediterranean varieties such as Tempranillo, Sangiovese & Pinot Gris.

Pictured: Legendary Hunter winemaker Keith Tulloch.

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While Englishman John Reynall was laying the foundations for viticulture in 1830s McLaren Vale, it would really be the 1880s before the grape became more important than the original staple, wheat. Reynell would employ a young labourer called Thomas Hardy, who later acquired Tintara in 1876. As viticulture in the region gathered pace, two giants of McLaren Vale and the Australian wine industry were born – Château Reynella and Hardys.

Despite these two pioneers, McLaren Vale became known as the spiritual home of the small winery in Australia. In the early 1900s, by which time Thomas Hardy was the largest, around 20 small wineries produced predominantly red table wine and fortifieds. The main export was a dark coloured, high alcohol, tannic dry red wine with supposed medicinal properties, much of which went to England. By the early 1970s McLaren Vale had more small wineries than any other region in Australia.

Today’s major challenge is irrigation, as the underground watertable is very much depleted. There has been talk of diverting some water from the Murray River, although cost is proving to be the prohibiting factor. Summer rainfall is low so irrigation is essential. Site selection and the marriage of site to variety are all important; Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay all do very well in the right location. Riesling tends to be subtle and delicate in youth but ages well. Pinot Noir is used mainly for sparkling wine. Many producers are now experimenting with new and re-emerging varieties including Viognier, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Verdelho.

If you’re ever lucky enough to visit Adelaide, McLaren Vale is well worth a visit. It is one of the most accessible and best geared wine regions for visitors and is well known for its great value eateries. This includes the legendary Coterie at Woodstock (pictured, with Scott Collett & Ben Glaetzer). The best time to go is during the winter to avoid the crowds. As well as great scenery, the ocean is never far away.

The varieties (source: Wine Australia)

Since its introduction a little over 15 years ago, Chardonnay has, not surprisingly, established a stranglehold on white grape plantings in the region. The style varies according to site, winemaker input and vintage conditions and ranges from elegant, citrus-tinged wines through to richer, fleshier, peachy and buttery versions. Virtually every producer has a Chardonnay in its locker.

The cooler sites in McLaren Vale are well suited to Sauvignon Blanc. While vintage variation does play a role, in most years the wines have excellent varietal character tending to gooseberry and tropical fruit rather than more weedy, grassy flavours without becoming coarse or heavy. Semillon is often incorporated to very good effect as a blend component.

The wines from made from Cabernet Sauvignon are full bodied and rich, often with a touch of dark chocolate intermixed with black currant but they avoid overripe, jam-like characteristics. The tannins are plentiful but soft, and the wines have the structure for long aging. The significant amounts Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the region are blended with less rich wines from other parts of South Australia to provide body and structure in large volume commercial blends.

Just as in the Barossa Valley, the Grenache variety has enjoyed a spirited renaissance during the last decade. The older plantings produce incredibly richly flavoured wines, high in alcohol and with an almost juicy sweetness.

For much of the 20th century — as in so many of the premium wine growing districts of Australia — Shiraz was the backbone of the industry. It produces a densely coloured, richly flavoured wine that quickly develops a velvety texture and carries high alcohol levels with ease.

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You could almost look at Eden Valley as being an extension of the Barossa. They are right next door to each other, but the higher altitude gives Eden a significantly cooler climate. Many Barossan producers grow their cooler climate varieties here. It covers an area as large as Barossa Valley, although it is not as densely planted.

The first to plant vines in Eden was Joseph Gilbert. He grew Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. His first vintage was in 1852 and his Riesling of 1854 was famous at the time for its brilliance. The reputation of the region has been helped by the Henschke family and Yalumba. In 1952 Cyril Henschke decided to bottle and label Mount Edelstone Shiraz, a wine which helped put Eden Valley on the map. In a move that started in the 1960s and ran into the 1970s, Yalumba were brave enough to source their all-important Riesling from Eden instead of the warmer floor of Barossa Valley.

Due to the altitude, the final stages of ripening and harvesting take place in much cooler conditions. The higher vineyard sites (up to around 500m) are generally much better suited to white than red wine production (at around 400m). Wind is a major factor, too, in restricting both growth and yield on the exposed hillsides. Water availability is a limiting factor in the expansion of vineyards, but then this isn’t the only Australian region limited by a lack of water. Dams are the main source.

The varieties (source: Wine Australia)

Chardonnay is a relative newcomer with the first commercial vineyards in South Australia being established at Mountadam in 1973. The variety has proved to be highly successful and rich complex wines are being produced; their flavours ranging through a classic array of melon, fig and cashew.

In common with the Clare Valley, the Eden Valley also has its Riesling tradition. The most important white grape (and wine) of the region is Riesling, initially developing fragrant yet strong lime juice aromas with great intensity of flavour on the palate. As the wines age, marmalade and toasty nuances appear on nose and palate. Good Eden Valley Riesling will take ten years or more to reach its peak.

Site climate is of key importance. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced from vineyards around the Eden Valley village is of the highest quality, with perfectly ripened cassis-accented fruit flavours. These contrast to wine from higher, cooler sites that have more elegant undertones of green leaf and dark berry characters.

Shiraz ranks as the most important red grape and often the most highly regarded wine of the region. Contrary to expectations, the wines rarely show the spicy and peppery characters of cool climate Shiraz from other parts of southern Australia, notably Victoria. Rather, they tend to more luscious plum and blackberry fruit characters, sometimes with touches of liquorice and more gamey, forest characters. Structurally, the wines are very smooth, with ripe tannins that are integrated and well balanced, guaranteeing a long life.

Pictured: A very cool Tysohn Bitter of Langmeil, on set in Eden Valley.

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Langhorne Creek is one of Australia’s oldest and most significant wine regions. It was Frank Potts who realised the potential of the region in the mid-1800s. He was convinced that the stands of tall red gums promised fertile soils and reliable water. And water is something the area certainly doesn’t lack, as it was founded on the broad flood plain influenced by the local Bremer and Angas Rivers, which floods every year.

The name ‘Langhorne Creek’ acknowledges Alfred Langhorne, a cattle drover, who brought animals overland to a property known as ‘Langhorne’s Station’ during the 1840′s. The place where Alfred Langhorne traversed the Bremer River was referred to as ‘Langhorne’s Crossing’, and from this the current name Langhorne Creek evolved.

The growing season climate is predominantly shaped by the on-shore southerly winds blowing directly from the Southern Ocean across Lake Alexandrina. The key grape varieties are Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, which you will often see as a component in regional blends. While less than a quarter of the wine currently made from grapes grown in Langhorne Creek is sold as a single-region wine, the style is relatively easy to define.

Generally the wines are immediately accessible, soft and fragrant. With the Cabernet, flavours are in the red berry spectrum, often with some gentle minty and chocolate overtones though seldom herbaceous or tannic. As in the Clare Valley, here Malbec adds a particular dimension when added to the blend, providing an almost riotously juicy wine with more cassis evident.

Often released as a single varietal but also blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Malbec, Shiraz produces strikingly fruity wines with flavours and aromas of cherry and mint. Its hallmark regional softness finishes with that hint of spice still remaining. Although produced in relatively small quantities, a regional specialty, particularly as a fortified wine in the style of Madeira, Verdelho is increasingly handled as a soft, early maturing table wine.

Despite continuing to supply considerable and useful blending material to the bigger companies, an increasing number of fine individual producers have been emerging. The likes of Bremerton Wines, John’s Blend, Lake Breeze Wines and Brothers in Arms have all managed to raise the bar in their own unique ways. Bleasdale, the original premium winery who continue to set the benchmark, was established by the aforementioned father of Langhorne Creek viticulture, Frank Potts, in 1850.

It’s amazing to think just how young Australia is. As far as winemaking goes, the country’s oldest winery was only established in 1849. It was around about this time that the Barossa Valley started to become somewhat of melting pot. British gentry and Lutheran emigrants from Prussia were the main imports, hence why we’ve got all these German surnames on Barossa wines.

A young region in winemaking terms it may be, but Barossa is known for its old vines. Penfolds, followed closely by Langmeil, have the oldest surviving vines in the world, and to this day those vines are producing astonishing wines. Langmeil’s 1843 Freedom Shiraz will attest to that.

Barossa Valley now has sixth-generation winegrowing families. It has gone through some torrid times. From 1860 to 1880, over-production was a big problem, and in fact even today is an issue many producers are really struggling with. The Great Depression of the 1930s hit the worldwide economy, but the toughest times were probably the 1970s. Consumer tastes started to lean towards red and white table wines and the fortified market had been dwindling since the 50s. Some family-owned businesses sold up to multinationals and the government helped fund the Vine Pull Scheme to remove old, low-yielding vines. Those that have survived are now priceless.

Today, Barossa Valley is stronger than ever. More than 75% of area planted is under red grape vines, and this is rising. Those gnarly old Grenache and Mourvedre (Mataro/Monastrell) vines, originally used solely for fortified’s, are now being harvested for top-end reds of amazing complexity, and although the fortified production is small, the quality is exceptional. The region is now rightly asserting not only its importance to the Australian wine industry but the inestimable value of its storehouse of century-old vines and historic wineries.

This video shows Langmeil’s James Lindner keeping in touch with his German roots.

Pictured: Historic photo from the Barossa circa 1880s, copyright Langmeil Winery.