We got up early today to do hike at Cataract Gorge before wine tasting. 

Today we visited three wineries at the east coast of Tasmania. The first one was Milton Vineyard, which originally was a farm with sheep and crops. In 1980 the first 2.5 hectares of vineyard were planted, but that wasn’t a success. Now they have 26 hectares of vineyards and their own winery. 

But they also still have 3,500 Merino sheep, that happened to be sheared when we were there.

Here are the wines we tasted at Milton:

• Reserve Riesling 2021: petrol, creamy, dry, balanced acidity.
• Reserve Pinot Gris 2021 (aged 7-8 months in French oak pungeons): stone fruit, dry, round.
• Reserve Chardonnay 2022: green mango.
• Syrah Rosé 2022: dry.
• Dunbabin Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2021: eucalyptus, fresh, ripe tannins.
• Vintage Sparkling 2012 (65% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, second fermentation in the bottle and long aging on the lees before disgorgement): complex, developed, high acidity.

There used to be a theory that the eucalyptus notes in many Australian (red) wines were caused by essential oil of the eucalyptus in the air around the vineyard, thus ‘tainting’ the grapes with this. But the eucalyptus aroma is actually caused by stray leaves of the eucalyptus trees that end up in the ferment, for example because a leaf got stuck in a bunch of grapes. Most winemakers don’t want the eucalyptus and try to remove the leaves as much as possible, but only a few leaves can already have a noticeable impact on the wine.

The second winery we visited on the east side of Tassie was Gala. The cellar door was located in an old post office. Gala started as a farm and still has 10,000 Merino sheep. The wines we tasted are from 11 hectares of vineyards planted in 2008. A further 15 hectares were planted in 2018, but no wine has been produced from those vines yet. Gala does not have their own winery, but send the grapes to a winery in Hobart to be made into wine according to Gala’s specifications.

At Gala we tasted:

• White Label Riesling 2022: crisp.
• White Label Pinot Gris 2023 (4 months in old oak): pear, structure, nice.
• White Label Sauvignon Blanc 2023: crisp, aromatic.
• White Label Rosé 2023 (85% Pinot Noir, 15% Shiraz): red fruit, off-dry.
• Black Label Pinot Gris 2021 (8 months in old oak): full body, rich, structure.
• Black Label Chardonnay 2022 (10 months on French oak, 25% new, partial malolactic): mango, balance, fresh.
• Sparkling Vintage Rosé 2017 (70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, second fermentation in the bottle, aged 2 years on the lees and a further 2 years after disgorgement): complex, toast, beautifully aromatic, soft mousse.
• White Label Pinot Noir 2022 (5 months in old oak): red fruit, nice soft tannins.
• Black Label Pinot Noir 2019 (8 months in French oak, 20% new): jammy red fruit, oak, balance, structure.
• Constable Amos Pinot Noir 2020 (12 months in French oak barriques, 25% new): red fruit, ripe tannins.
• Black Label Emerald Syrah 2021 (10 months oak, 25% new): bit of eucalyptus, smooth, fresh.

The third and final winery on the east coast was the family-owned Freycinet Vineyard. This was the first winery on the east coast of Tassie, established in 1979. There are only 16 hectares of vineyards within the 1400 hectare property. They have their own water supply, which is important in this dry part of Tasmania. Contrary to many others, Freycinet started as a winery and has later added sheep. The vineyard of Freycinet has some of the oldest vines on Tassie and is one of the warmest. It is so warm, that even Cabernet Sauvignon can ripen there.

We tasted these wines:

• Riesling 2023: ripe stone fruit, crisp, balanced acidity.
• Chardonnay 2021 (aged on French oak, 25% new, no malolactic, but a lot of stirring of the lees): oak, tropical fruit, nice acidity.
• Schönburger Riesling 2023 (93% Schönburger (cross of. Xxxxxx) and 7% Riesling): floral, slightly sweet (16 grams of residual sugar), balanced.
• Pinot Noir 2020 (15 months in French oak barriques, 25% new): fresh, ripe tannin, oak, red fruit, structure; needs more time in the bottle.
• Shiraz 2018 (2 years French oak and a bit of American oak, 25% new, then 2-3 years in the bottle): black pepper, spicy, oak, fresh, elegant tannins. This is cool climate style, but completely ripe (no herbaceous notes).
• Cabernet Merlot 2017 (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2 years in French oak of which 25% new, then a further 3 years in the bottle): eucalyptus, firm ripe tannins, juicy.
• Botrytis 2021 (Riesling and Chardonnay affected by noble rot, blended with dry Sauvignon Blanc (aged in 2nd fill oak) and Schönburger for balance): beautiful aroma, honey, sweet (160 grams of residual sugar) but balanced with freshness. 

It was a long drive to Hobart from there, but there were some nice views along the way.

In Hobart we had dinner at the Old Wharf, with some more Australian (mostly Tassie) wines.