After New South Wales, Tasmania was Australia's second district in which wines was grown. The first and largest wine-houses were formed in Pipers Brook.
The landscpae is by all means wild, and the climate, with its spectrum from drought to long periods of rain, can certainly not be called mild. The soils are characteristically red, a result of the high iron content in the ground. The vines only ripen slowly on this soil and the climate decides how they ripe they'll become. Nowhere in Australia do the vintages vary as greatly as those in Tasmania.
The white wines are made from Chardonnay, Rhine Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Traminer, red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Malbec. |