We gathered every example of riesling from Tasmania that we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines. Below are the wines that made the panellists’ top-six selections from the tasting.
Our panel: James Broinowski, proprietor and winemaker, Small Island; Hannah Maltby, winemaker, Mac Forbes Wines; Chris Webb, beverage director, Cumulus Inc.; Gemma Neil, head sommelier and restaurant manager, Geralds Bar; Hayley Farquar, sommelier, City Wine Shop and The European; Blaire Gillespie, wine merchant, Natural Science Wine & Liquor; Lotte Sebastian, intern winemaker, Mac Forbes Wines.
This wine appeared in the top six wines of the day for Broinowski, Webb, Maltby, and Neil. Broinowski called it “sea spray, cranberry, orange blossom and red apple on the nose. A kaleidoscope of flavour on the palate, with great fruit weight, a touch of texture, and the smallest hint of sugar to soften the persistent acid line. Right up my alley, and my wine of the day. The balance and tension in this wine shows a skilful hand. Great work!” Webb described “lovely aromas of apple blossom leading into liqueured green apples, fresh Thai lime leaf and juicy green kiwifruit flesh. A wet river pebble–like mineral tone wraps around all these florals and fruits. This riesling has a lovely focus on the palate – a distinct sherbet-like freshness complements the ripe green apple flesh and kiwifruit notes. This ever-building freshness pulls you in to take another sip before you have even placed the glass back down on the table. It’s hard to see how Tasmanian riesling could get better than this!” Maltby noted “a super-fun nose that really draws you in – all pink floral notes and musk stick candy, but well restrained. Pristine on the palate, precise and elegant with a touch of sweetness, showing preserved lemons and a little flinty edge. Fresh, balanced and delightfully drinkable. The perfect BYO wine for your next outing to Victoria Street for Vietnamese food.”
Maltby, Gillespie, and Neil selected this wine among their top six from the blind tasting. Maltby described it by saying, “it would be too simple to just say this smells of Tassie riesling – but wow, does this smell of Tassie riesling! Like biting into a perfectly crisp white stone fruit, with lime zest, sherbet lemon, and a bit of orange blossom and chamomile coming to play. The tiniest hint of sugar is evident on the palate, but it’s beautifully balanced against the acidity, and just makes this wine’s finish so long and silky. Comforting and kind of nostalgic – I could sit with this wine until the wee hours. Love!” Gillespie said “apricot flesh leads the palate, soft and inviting, with hints of lemon peel. The palate shows a gentle sweetness, balanced by bright lemon zest acidity that keeps everything lively. Plush fruit meets refreshing lift, finishing smooth, juicy and quietly.” Neil found “the nose of this riesling immediately reminded me of tropical fruit juice box. On the palate, it conjures more childhood memories – now Pascal’s Fruit Tingles. There’s a tingling quality to the racy acidity, pleasant and effervescent on the sides of the tongue.”
Farquar and Sebastian included this wine in their top six wines of the tasting. Farquar described “an elegant example of cool-climate riesling, demonstrating a dry, saline driven palate and bright floral nose. The acidity feels balanced within the wine, and cuts like lemon juice. Aromatically this is an intense wine, with the structure to back it up. Fruit characters sit primarily within the apple and lemon spectrum – green and red apples and fresh lemon juice, supported by a fuller beeswax note on the palate. The nose shows more delicate aromatics of honeysuckle and fresh jasmine. A refined and pretty example of Tasmanian riesling.” Sebastian saw it as “cool, dark-toned and precise. Crystalline and mineral, with the scent of wet stone and a cold mountain stream running through forest shade. The acidity is tight and finely structured, giving the wine a focused, horizontal drive. The fruit stays quiet and restrained, leaning toward lemon peel and subtle citrus rather than sweetness or ripeness. A wine that feels clear and composed.”
This wine made the top six selections for Neil, Farquar, and Gillespie. Neil said “this wine leapt into my top six because after a day of tasting Tasmanian riesling I was feeling the acid fatigue – and this wine’s lick of residual sugar offered blessed relief. An otherworldly nose that jumps out of the glass with notes of pink musk sticks and green kiwifruit. Sweet notes of ripe Pink Lady apple skin and juicy pear on the palate, alongside a flavour that reminds me of the grapes in those mixed fruit snack pots that were in my lunchbox as child. Great acidity on show here, balanced by that blessed sugar.” Farquar noted that “this wine was a contender for my top spot on the day. ‘Warm’ and ‘inviting’ are the adjectives I’d use to define it – toasty gold in the glass, and determinedly off-dry, it’s golden in all definitions of the word. The acid line cuts through the wine, holding it back from venturing into a too-luscious space. This wine is an after-dinner star – drink it by itself, but preferably with good friends.” Gillespie found it “pretty and gently sweet, opening with aromas of white peach, honey and soft spring blossom. The palate is rounded and generous. A small lick of acidity lifts the sweetness, keeping the wine bright and poised.”
Webb, Farquar, and Gillespie selected this wine among their top six wines on the day. Webb described. It by saying “aromatically, this shows plenty of sunshine – a rosewater note is matched with juicy yellow nectarine and yellow peaches. There is still plenty of poise and delicacy here, though – an engaging salty edge to the aromas builds excitement. It has a more refreshing profile on the palate than you might expect from the nose, led by freshly cut mandarin segments and kumquat marmalade. These yellow-toned citrus flavours are quite compact and upfront, evolving into freshly squeezed Cara-Cara oranges on the back of the palate.” Farquar noted “my initial impression of this wine was its distinct similarity to a Weiss bar – some clean creamy texture balanced with bright tropical fruits. Malolactic conversion has taken the edge off the wine, but hasn’t left it flabby. Easy drinking nostalgia in a glass.” Gillespie found “a restrained nose of apricot skin and the green, freshly cut stems of blossom. The palate sits back comfortably, letting the stone fruit speak softly.”
Broinowski, Farquar, and Webb included this wine in their top six picks from the blind tasting. Broinowski noted that it is “subtle but really complex on the nose – sweet bright floral notes of jasmine and viburnum, backed up by a slate-like mineral tone. Just a hint of richness on the palate, opening up into lemon, lime and kumquat. Wonderful purity and extremely well-balanced, with a richness on its generous mid-palate. A little understated, but with beautiful persistence. Cracking wine.” Farquar said “it wasn’t until I revisited the bracket that this wine really sung to me in the glass. Mouthwatering acidity, crisp and clean citrus, and the green-gold colour in the glass makes me consider this as a very classic example of riesling. After a bit of time with air, this opened up considerably, with some toasty characters filling out the mid-palate, but nothing that overwhelms the natural grace of the wine.” Webb described it as “pale lemon with silver inflections in the glass. Powerful aromas of Thai lime zest, lime cordial, and white rose petals. A broader, more textural experience on the palate, with some phenolic grip adding a moreish element.”
Neil and Maltby chose this wine for their top six wines from the tasting. Neil said, “the crushed ripe Granny Smith apple note on the nose, intensified with overtones of white lily petals and wet sand, immediately made me want to drink this wine. The palate is just as pleasing as the nose, showing the most flavour intensity of all the rieslings in the day’s line-up. This wine packs a punch – and it’s a good punch. We move to Nashi pear on the palate, with a little white musk, before revisiting the Granny Smith and white florals. There’s an incredible acidity to this wine that’s impeccably balanced by all that flavour. This is racy and ready to play – and, after tasting it, so am I!” Maltby called it “a sexy little curveball in this lineup – all toasty and nutty with just the right amount of restrained richness. A touch of sugar and some pleasing development bring generosity to the front palate, while the back half is sleek and tight. One for pondering by the fire in a cabin on a gloomy autumn afternoon – preferably on the side of Lake St Clair.”
Webb, Broinowski, and Maltby selected this wine among their top six wines from the tasting. Webb described “ripe and supple melon fruit on nose, leading into a subtle mango-like tropical character. Rose petals and lemon blossom wrap around these riper fruits. This riper profile of wedges of golden nectarines and mango flesh is softened with a sprinkling of sugar on the palate, building a juicy and richer style of riesling. All of this richness is balanced by a lovely zesty freshness. Would love to drink this alongside prawn toast – just delightful!” Broinowski noted “on the nose, a collage of perfumed notes – everything from roses to lemon verbena, alongside a touch of saline and musk stick. That perfumed nose leads on to a palate full of energy, life and sparkle. It’s like someone turned ‘Electric Blue’ by Icehouse on full blast at a house party – it has great length, exceptional balance, and is just super-fun. Dance like nobody is watching!” Maltby found “lovely vibrant aromatics on this one – lots of orange oil and citrus blossom, with just a lick of zingy fresh ginger. This is a riesling that oozes summer vibes.”
Gillespie chose this wine for their top six selections from the blind tasting, noting “something very nostalgic about this wine … like rifling through a lady’s dresser, or borrowing your grandmother’s clothes that smell of her perfume, or wandering her overgrown garden. Wilted white florals of jasmine and frangipani drift from the glass. The palate softens into round honey and lemon-drop, finishing sweet and elegant, the florals slowly fading like perfume in warm afternoon air. The perfumed character and sweetness of this wine would love floral desserts and soft cheeses – so, staying in the nostalgia, I can imagine drinking this with a frangipane tart, or a goats cheese served with honey and herbs.”
Sebastian selected this wine among her top six wines on the day, describing “smoky, clear and precise – quietly distinctive without being pushy. The fruit expression is subtle and refined, shaped by gentle notes of white peach that add quiet lift and softness, while the wine’s structure, depth and length take the lead. On the palate, almond and cashew provide an understated richness and a soft, rounded texture, while the fruit brings a gentle juiciness. This is a wine that feels defined and balanced.”
Broinowski and Sebastian included this wine in their top six picks. Broinowski described it as being “like an orchard in blossom – flowers and apple fruit perfume jump out of the glass. Underneath there is a second wave of very gentle raisins and sweet spice notes – almost like someone is cooking a Christmas cake in the next room. The palate shimmers with green apple flesh, salinity, and that undertone of lingering sweet spice. A diamond of a wine, sparkling in the light.” Sebastian noted that it is “warm and yellow-fruited, ranging from underripe to ripe nectarine. More restrained acidity giving a softer and rounded feel on the palate. Opens with air, showing more depth and fruit. The finish carries a pleasant, gentle bitterness, adding grip and complexity.”
Sebastian chose this wine for her top six wines from the blind tasting, saying that it “tastes like a warm early-summer afternoon on the terrace, enjoying apricot tart in the sun. Leads with inviting notes of apricot, almond and marzipan. On the palate, it’s bright and gently rich, showing orange blossom notes and citrus. A fresh line of acidity keeps the balance, and a subtle sweetness creates charm.”
Broinowski and Sebastian selected this wine among their top six wines of the day. Broinowski described it as “exceptional. Red and green apple notes on the nose shout ‘Tasmania!’ in an appealing way. The palate shows crisp acidity, deft balance, and a lovely limestone finish. A very clean and quintessentially Tasmanian riesling – one so suited to the local produce and seafood it would sit extremely well on any of the island’s great wine lists. Very well made.” Sebastian saw “notes of orange and apple lead the profile, bright yet gently rounded. The palate shows a soft, melting texture, giving the wine a smooth, harmonious feel. This finishes with impressive length, the fruit and texture lingering elegantly on the palate.”
Gillespie chose this wine for their top six selections, describing it as “very seasonal – an autumnal nose of browning green apples and soft orchard fruit. The palate is gentle, with light lemony acidity giving freshness without sharpness. The overall impression is mellow and slightly oxidative, evoking late-season apples and the quiet warmth of early autumn. So many great pairings for the autumn theme come to mind: a mushroom and thyme pastry, a pumpkin risotto, or just a fat slice of Comté cheese.”
Neil and Farquar included this wine in their top six wines from the tasting. Neil said, “folks, we are on a pineapple journey today! The palate here incorporates the core, flesh, and rind of this glorious fruit. This very ripe pineapple fruit character is a gorgeous accompaniment to the sherbet-like acidity. I wouldn’t accuse this riesling of being simple either – its length makes you stop and think, hinting at wet stone and pristine sea-spray. Thought-provoking yet utterly smashable – a worthy contender on the day’s line-up.” Farquar said “a distinct bergamot note is this wine’s calling card – reminiscent of a pretty perfume or Earl Grey tea. The fruit profile is very much within the lighter tree fruit and melon category. There is a touch of residual sugar, which helps to support the palate very well. The whole wine is very pretty – and very pleasantly surprised me with each sip. A wine that invites contemplation.”
Maltby selected this wine among her top six picks from the blind tasting, describing it as “so pretty! Lemon pith with a touch of freshly crushed herbs on the nose. Bright and crunchy on the palate, with a really lovely acid line drawing the wine out endlessly and effortlessly. Pleasing textural phenolics on show here, with flavours of freshly peeled red apple skin and pink grapefruit. This would be brilliant alongside a seafood platter down by the water somewhere.”
Sebastian chose this wine for her top six wines from the tasting, noting a “well-balanced residual sweetness with sufficient acidity that brings freshness and tension. Notes of mandarine and orange zest. A slightly ethereal quality overlays the fruit, giving definition and aromatic clarity. A wine with energy and substance, carried by citrus richness.”
Gillespie selected this wine among their top six wines on the day, saying “lifted aromatics of green apple liqueur lead the nose, with lemon sitting over lime. The palate feels round and almost creamy in texture, the fruit generous and soft. The acidity is relatively low for riesling, giving the wine a plush, mellow impression rather than sharpness. I could see this with a chunk of triple-cream brie.”
Webb chose this wine for his top six selections from the blind tasting, noting “a lovely focus on ripe lime and crunchy Granny Smith apple on the nose, with a subtle tropical note of green mango sitting alongside the citrus. The palate is zesty, featuring notes of fresh lime and lemon peel alongside lemon cordial, building real excitement and length. This riesling demands a sunset on the balcony and a serve of your favourite fish and chips.”
Webb included this wine in his top six picks, seeing “more ripeness on the nose here – yellow and orange citrus with some ripe red apple skin. Love the salinity on the nose! On the palate, there’s a kaleidoscope of golden citrus – naval oranges through to yellow grapefruit – that springboards into candied yellow apples and ripe yellow peaches. The focus on this golden fruit profile, backed with some subtle salinity, is delightful – very mouthwatering, yet also engaging.”
Maltby selected this wine among her top six wines from the tasting, describing it as “a tight and zippy little number, textural enough to stand up against food without pushing the friendship. A nose of early spring florals, fresh and a bit dewy, all chamomile and lemon balm with bright lemon and lime zest leaping from the glass. Carries great tone – the structure and acid balance is tightly coiled on the front- to mid-palate, but eases nicely on the finish. This is the kind of riesling to share with anyone who tells you that they don’t like riesling!”
Farquar chose this wine for her top six wines of the day, saying that it is “definitely a wine that appears on the green end of Riesling, with crunchy phenolics and a defined acid line. This wine calls out for food, and is almost begging to be brought to dinner at a Thai restaurant. The presence of Thai basil, green mango, and slate tied in with some thoughtful winemaking give it enough complexity to drink alone, but the flavours themselves would be flattered by a pairing. The acid and phenolic grip tend to have a green sharpness to them that is not unpleasant, but interestingly refreshing.”
Broinowski included this wine in his top six wines from the blind tasting, describing “aromas of flint, apricot, and fresh lime juice. Lovely stone fruits come through on the palate – apricot, peach, and nectarine, but all fresh and vibrant. The acidity is very driven, and sugar definitely takes the back seat, although there is a tickle of texture to add interest. Excellent depth and length. Picture sipping a glass of this at the end of harvest, under the Tasmanian sun, as the vines turn green and yellow, alongside some quail with prunes and Waldorf salad. Perfection.”
Riesling has long been a grape adored by wine aficionados but is often treated with a degree of suspicion for those less immersed. Riesling has seemingly been incapable of shedding the baggage carried across from a time when cheap German imports – they were sold door to door in the 1970s – and sweet local equivalents flooded the market. It’s a shadow the grape lives under to this day.
The reality is that riesling is an incredibly exciting grape, one capable of transmitting a sense of place through its relative transparency, while still layering in plenty of flavour detail. Wines can range from the aridly dry to the lusciously sweet and rich, and with everything in between. It is a grape of great versatility and considerable character, when grown in the right place.
While there is no doubt that the Clare Valley produces exceptional riesling, and it is arguably the touchstone for the grape in this country, on paper the region is perhaps a bit sunny and warm for riesling. Cool night-time temperatures help to moderate that, but nonetheless, acid additions by winemakers are not uncommon, and historically have been almost prescriptive for commercial wines.
Head up to the Eden Valley and natural acidities are more likely preserved, but the holy grail is completely natural acidity with enough sunshine to build flavour and sugar. Henty in Victoria’s south-west and parts of Western Australia’s Great Southern are fine territory with these aims in mind, but many experts have long pointed to Tasmania as ideal. Indeed, chasing premium sparkling wine production in Tasmania has very much the same logic as pursuing premium riesling production.
However, like sparkling, it took some time for riesling to build momentum, with cabernet sauvignon being seen as a top contender for the Apple Isle in the late 1970s and through the ’80s. The Bordeaux grape’s unsuitability to most sites was soon understood, just as much as the suitability of riesling became apparent, but the increasing interest in chardonnay and pinot noir, for both still and sparkling wines, still sees it somewhat in the wings.
“Some producers certainly see riesling as a ‘hard sell’, especially when compared to pinot noir. We have all encountered those consumers who are confused by riesling, think it’s sweet, think it’s old fashioned, or just don’t know what to think!”
Claudio Alcorso famously planted vines on Frying Pan Island (essentially a promontory in the Derwent River in the Hobart suburb of Berriedale) in 1958, with ninety riesling vines the first committed to the soil. The material came from Alcorso’s friend David Wynn, who had encouraged him to plant in the cool climate. That advice was at odds with most thinking at the time, with Tasmania largely seen as unsuitable for viticulture. It’s worth remembering that cool climate zones were generally in their infancy, with places like the Barossa, Hunter Valley and Rutherglen seen as benchmarks.
Those riesling vines of Alcorso have not survived to this day, the victim of disease, but his Moorilla brand does, although he lost ownership of it before his death in 2000. The winery and a small vineyard were purchased by David Walsh in 1995, who admits that his purchase was initially more motivated by the site’s architecture than its vinous potential. The site is now not only a working winery but also the home of Walsh’s Museum of Old & New Art (MONA) – and, happily, Walsh has now embraced his role as vineyard proprietor.
Alcorso was a well-educated textile merchant, with his interests deeply immersed in visual art, music and the performing arts. He was also an Italian transplant, hailing from Rome, and food and wine culture was a deep part of his soul. The first vintage made from those riesling grapes came in 1962, and it was fashioned in the most rudimentary of ways, with a grand production of six cases. But the results were promising to Wynn, who sent more cuttings, though of cabernet this time.
At that time, aside from backyard vines for own-consumption production, the only known person committed to growing grapes for commercial wine on the island was Jean Miguet. Originally from Gaillac in southern France, he was also delving into his heritage to produce wine, planting his La Provence (now Providence) vineyard at Lalla about 18km north-east of Launceston in 1956.
Miguet’s was the first vineyard with commercial intent in Tasmania since Diego Bernacchi planted on Maria Island in 1885. Bernacchi had also planted riesling, though that endeavour was marked by a speedy boom that was followed by an even speedier bust, with him leaving for England in 1897.
The difficulty in sourcing vine material in the 1950s made things difficult for both Alcorso and Miguet. The former had Wynn, but Miguet began by obtaining cuttings from local nurseries – general ones, and not specialist grape sources – as well as supposedly propagating material from backyard vines. In 1963, he also planted a trial block consisting of fifty vines of riesling, grenache and cabernet sauvignon that he had sourced from the mainland. The following year, he planted 350 vines across those varieties. The riesling itself, some vines of which remain at Providence today, was from an unknown source and has some unusual qualities: “It’s pretty unique as a cultivar, with atypical characteristics such as really small berries, loose bunches, and tough skins,” says Providence’s current owner, vigneron Rusty Cook. “The juice has a real punch of intense guava and spice.” (These original vines have been transplanted to a different site within Providence that Cook believes will much better suit these characteristics, and should start bearing fruit in the 2026 vintage.)
Around the same time, Graham Wiltshire was searching for a cool climate vineyard site, which led him to acquire land at Legana. Unable to source more cuttings, cabernet sauvignon was planted in 1968, but it was soon followed with riesling. That vineyard would become the pilot vineyard for Heemskerk in Pipers River, which he planted in 1975. That site was opposite brothers David and Andrew Pirie’s Pipers Brook, who had planted riesling, chardonnay and gewürztraminer in 1974 from a large purchase of cuttings in 1973 – the first batch released from the Department of Agriculture’s nursery in Griffith, NSW. Their first wine release was a riesling from 1979, which sold for $4 a bottle.
Also in 1973–74, a new venture for Alcorso, Wynn and a consortium of investors saw vines planted at Bream Creek near Marion Bay on the sout-east coast. While the varietal mix and scope of that vineyard has changed, those riesling vines remain and are now some of the oldest productive vines on the island. Also established in 1974, Steve Ferencz planted his Panorama vineyard in the Huon Valley, though riesling was added a little later. The site was later bought by Steve Lubiana.
Max and Lorraine Reynolds had planted riesling in the early ‘70s at their Chateau Lorraine site near Cygnet, but the production under their label consisted of wine brought in from South Australia for quite some time. In the Coal River Valley, George and Priscilla Park established Stoney Vineyard in 1973, with riesling part of the mix. On the East Coast, Freycinet and Craigie Knowe were established in 1978 and 1979 respectively, though riesling was planted a little later – both makers are pillars of the variety to this day.
“Mild autumnal days and cool nights allow the vines to ripen the grapes ever so gradually. This results in intensity of aromatics and flavours and a very long palate.”
Another old planting of riesling is at the Elsewhere Vineyard at Glaziers Bay in the Huon Valley. Having worked at Chateau Lorraine, Eric Phillips planted a trial block of pinot noir on the property he and his wife, Jette, had established as a flower farm in 1976. Riesling was planted in the 80s after the first pinot was hailed as a success. That site fell into significant disrepair later, but it is being restored to health by new owners. Also in 1976, Gerard Ellis planted grapes, including riesling, on the family grazing property in the Derwent Valley, with the Meadowbank wines now made by Peter Dredge, who also makes riesling under his Dr. Edge label.
The early wines from Pipers Brook, Heemskerk and Moorilla were inspiring others, and small vineyards were being established across the state. That included Peter Bosworth, who established his Coal River Valley Morningside vineyard in 1980, with riesling, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir planted. In 2002, Greg Melick planted riesling and pinot noir next door, with a rare focus at the time of making a range of rieslings with ascending degrees of residual sugar for his Pressing Matters label. Melick acquired Morningside in 2019.
Another key player in the riesling game was Andrew Hood, who made so many of Tasmania’s wines of all types though the 1990s and 2000s. A microbiologist, Hood worked as a wine scientist and educator at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga until returning to his native Tasmania. What followed became an essential plank in Tasmanian wine’s development.
Working from his winery near Cambridge, Hood filled the technical hole that existed in the Tasmanian wine industry at the time, making both larger, more commercial batches and tiny parcels for small growers. Without Hood, many of these wines would have either not been made or done so somewhat rustically. He is also notable for his take on Eiswein (ice wine) – where frozen riesling berries are pressed to extract concentrated juice – first released in 1995 under his Wellington label of the time, as well as co-founding Frogmore Creek – riesling was, and still is, a key line and an off-dry wine, ‘FGR’, was a notable release.
Fred Peacock, who became Tasmania’s first Viticultural Officer in the 1980s, overseeing many of the region’s most important vineyards, was the general manager of Moorilla from 1989 to 1992, working closely with Julian Alcorso, Claudio’s son. “We were making an enormous amount of riesling at Moorilla when I was there,” Peacock says. “Riesling was one of the wines that Julian made particularly well … and the riesling that was coming out of there at that stage was really, really good … and pretty much all of them were coming out of Bream Creek.” In 1990, Peacock acquired the vineyard and runs it to this day, with riesling a cornerstone.
It’s hard to pinpoint when Tasmanian riesling officially arrived, but in Anthony Walker’s ‘A History of the Tasmanian Wine Industry’ he points to the progress made as being reflected in the results of the 2000 Tasmanian Wine Show: “A class of 26 1999 rieslings returned 13 medals, four of them gold, with the judges’ comments ‘a very strong class with marvellous depth of fruit flavour and complexity’, and ‘quite Germanic in style.’” The judges for that show included James Halliday, Huon Hooke, and Nick Goldschmidt, a New Zealand winemaker based in California.
In 1985, Denis and Margaret Pooley planted ten rows of riesling and seven rows of pinot noir on their Cooinda Vale property. What was a retirement hobby for the Pooleys at the time turned into one of Tasmania’s most successful wine ventures, especially since winemaker Anna Pooley came back to the home property in 2012 with her winemaker husband, Justin Bubb.
Pooley had just come from a highly successful career working around the world, which had culminated in the relaunch of the Heemskerk (though not from Wiltshire’s original vineyard) brand, including a lauded riesling.
Today, Pooley makes four rieslings under the family banner, including one from those original ten rows, along with a riesling under the Bubb & Pooley label, which is currently sourced from the Pressing Matters vineyard. For her, Tasmania offers a diversity of expressions, but there are overarching advantages for growing the grape in the island state.
“We monitor residual sugar and acid daily, arresting the fermentation with cooling when we see balance. Every year the residual sugar is different as the acid and phenolic composition is different.”
“The duration of veraison [the ripening phase of the berries] is key to the quality of Tasmanian rieslings,” says Pooley. “The season is typically long and mild with tempering of warmer days from the surrounding ocean. Thus, acid and sugar development are gradual … mild autumnal days and cool nights allow the vines to ripen the grapes ever so gradually. This results in intensity of aromatics and flavours and a very long palate.”
Riesling has long been regarded as not just a suitable variety for much of Tasmania, but one of exceptional potential. Despite this fact, it comprised only 4.5% of the state’s total wine grape crush in 2025, languishing behind pinot gris and sauvignon blanc, and leagues behind the star duo of chardonnay and pinot noir. What explains this gap?
“In Tasmania, there are a lot of smaller producers, relatively speaking. And within that, there’s a decent-sized group of producers who are not winemakers; they’re diversified farming businesses,” says Keira O’Brien of Rivulet, whose prior experience includes working as a winemaker at Tasmania’s largest contract facility, and as the general manager of the iconic Freycinet Vineyard on the island’s East Coast.
Until relatively recently, most Tasmanian wine that was not made by larger producers with their own wineries was made by one of two contract facilities. (Fortunately, this is no longer the case, with more such facilities having opened as the state continues to experience a winemaking boom.) That led to technically proficient wines, but sometimes ones that were not made to reflect nuance of site or indeed a progressive attitude to best reflect the nature of Tasmanian fruit. Added to that, says O’Brien, is the perception that riesling is hard to sell – and even harder at a premium tariff.
“Riesling’s image problem persists,” she says. “Some producers certainly see riesling as a ‘hard sell’, especially when compared to pinot noir. We have all encountered those consumers who are confused by riesling, think it’s sweet, think it’s old fashioned – or just don’t know what to think!”
That is starting to change, with Pooley notably positioning the family estate’s rieslings in the premium category. That’s an attitude that rightly respects making a wine from the ground up that connects it to place and the hands of an exceptional maker, just as one would with pinot noir or chardonnay.
“With the UV having a significant effect on the maturation and fruit profile expression, skin thickness is especially important.”
“The differences come down to the connection with the site and the style of winemaking,” Pooley says. “Getting the balance of healthy canopy and yield and the right distribution of bunches makes all the difference. Clonal selection is also key. With the UV having a significant effect on the maturation and fruit profile expression … skin thickness is especially important.”
Pooley manages the juice oxidatively, which helps to make a stable wine once fermented. “We also chase high phenolic load at the press,” she says, “in order to give the juice protection from oxidation, but more importantly it adds the essential textural enhancement that we believe is crucial to the depth, intensity and length of the resulting wine.”
That’s something that O’Brien also emphasises can contribute to a wine of character, and it’s an element that would previously have been seen as a fault in the corporate/contract winemaking world. “Ideally, there’s a little bit of phenolic tension there as well,” she says. “But there’s still a school of winemaking where people are polishing all of that away still, and going for that tight, dry style.”
“Where you have that melting acidity, that little lick of residual sugar it gives a little bit of weight, a little bit of gloss – so the acid is there, but it isn’t the highest note in the wine.”
For Pooley, getting the balance right is critical, with careful tracking of the wine as it ferments. “We monitor residual sugar and acid daily,” she says, “arresting the fermentation with cooling when we see balance. Every year the residual sugar is different as the acid and phenolic composition is different because of the climatic conditions across veraison. Lees ageing after fermentation is also important to further develop fruit flavour and texture, plus it acts as an antioxidant. Sulphur is used minimally.”
That balancing of often-fierce Tasmanian acidity with some residual sugar is something that O’Brien also favours. “I think where you have that melting acidity, where there’s that little lick of residual sugar it gives a little bit of weight, a little bit of gloss – and so the acid is there, but it isn’t the highest note in the wine,” she says.
But she also stresses that like any wine, the making needs to be tailored to the fruit. “I live with a foot in both worlds, because I make riesling from a really good old vine site where it’s that classic Australian dry style. And I think that works with that site because of the vine age. But generally, I like a little bit of weight, a bit of residual sugar, that more European style. Because I think we’ve got the more opulent fruit down here that can do that.”
O’Brien believes with the exceptional fruit quality that has come from advances in vineyard management, maturing vines and the growing community of skilled and thoughtful makers, the future is very bright. “There’s no doubt these factors will continue to coalesce and strengthen the reputation of Tasmanian riesling. Tasmanian Riesling has all the hallmarks of great riesling-producing regions. So, I see the future as one of thrilling opportunity for both producers and the drinking public.”
Our panel: James Broinowski, proprietor and winemaker, Small Island; Hannah Maltby, winemaker, Mac Forbes Wines; Chris Webb, beverage director, Cumulus Inc.; Gemma Neil, head sommelier and restaurant manager, Geralds Bar; Hayley Farquar, sommelier, City Wine Shop and The European; Blaire Gillespie, wine merchant, Natural Science Wine & Liquor; Lotte Sebastian, intern winemaker, Mac Forbes Wines.
Webb commenced the discussion by posing a question: “I think the initial discussion here is, ‘What is Tassie riesling’, right?” he said. “You’ve got such a contrast between subregions in terms of climate and soil type that it’s hard to paint a blanket picture. But overall the quality was good – high ripeness with freshness, which I think is a key feature of the variety in Tasmania. I think we sometimes forget how much sunshine Tasmania gets – it’s cool, but there’s so much sunshine. It provides ripeness. I think that was, overall, reflected in the wines in the glass.”
Farquar argued that the wines in the lineup that succeeded showed the hand of the makers – not only in the winery, but also in terms of the growing conditions. “Something that I’ve noticed from drinking quite a bit of Tasmanian riesling, but also drinking South Australian riesling – wines that have very different kinds of stylistic features – is that in order not only for the fruit to be ripe, but also for the wine to seem like a finalised product in the glass, there are definitely lots of decisions that need to be made,” she said. “And riesling itself is quite a fickle grape. I think we saw a lot of variety within the variety today – some of it was looking really delicious, and some of it was looking maybe not so delicious, in part because of winemaker and grower choices.” Reflecting on what she called a “really New World, mathematical approach” to growing riesling in terms of site selection, and matching clones and rootstocks to aspects and soil types, she said, “I think you can see the winemakers and growers that really considered where they were planting the vines and thought it through – and maybe wines from vines where it just wasn’t their year, or maybe it’s just the wrong site.”
“I think you can see the winemakers and growers that really considered where they were planting the vines and thought it through – and maybe wines from vines where it just wasn’t their year, or maybe it’s just the wrong site.”
Talk of site got Neil thinking about terroir and the role it played in the day’s tasting. “Especially in a tasting like this – given that you only know the wines are from Tasmania, not the subregions they’re from – the difference that becomes discernible to me is whether the winemaker touched the wine or not,” she said. “I wasn’t looking for terroir expression, I was looking for what jumped out of the glass among all the rieslings in the lineup, and often that comes down to whether the winemaker worked the wine or not. I’m not talking about riesling and terroir in general, but about the manner we tasted today. Realistically, I probably saw some really good rieslings that were probably terroir-reflective. But in that lineup, next to each other, in that volume – bang bang bang – they weren’t showing enough to stand out.” She added that the blind tasting format offered a unique perspective in that regard: “As wine professionals, I think we get sometimes get way too narrowed in on particular things – we have our biodynamics, and terroir, and aspect, and how fruit is grown, and blah blah blah,” she said. “But it’s always good to be humbled, and brought back to understand that context matters.”
Maltby argued that the wines that most succeeded in the lineup were those that showed clear intent from the makers: “In this lineup, you could see the producers who love riesling, and are making riesling because they love it,” she said. “And you could see the ones that are like, ‘Well, we have riesling. We’ll make it. It’s a little generic, but it’s tasty.’ But the wines that are made by people who love what they’re doing with riesling in Tasmania really stood out.”
Broinowski took Maltby’s observation a step further and argued that a successful Tasmanian riesling maker had to not only love the variety, but also develop an intimate familiarity with their fruit source – whether they grew it themselves or purchased it. “You essentially can’t sample a riesling vineyard in Tasmania,” he said. “You’ve got a five Baumé difference on the same bloody vine. And you’ve got totally different fruit on the same bunch. So the small people that love riesling, that really know their site, they’ll thread the needle and pick it ripe. But if you’re sitting in an office and you’re dealing with a thousand tonnes of riesling fruit, it’s pretty hard work to get it right. You can get it close – and some of them are very, very good at getting it close.”
“In this lineup, you could see the producers who love riesling, and are making riesling because they love it. And you could see the ones that are like, ‘Well, we have riesling. We’ll make it. It’s a little generic, but it’s tasty’.”
Webb posed a question to the makers in the room about ripeness: “In an ideal world, where the grapes are perfectly viticulturally grown in terms of matching practices to specific sites within Tasmania, would that soften that variance in ripeness?” Maltby argued that uniformity wasn’t desirable in this case: “But you want that variance there,” she said. “That’s what makes riesling so good. If you make your vineyard uniform, you’ve already made bad riesling.”
Sebastian saw a parallel in this regard between Tasmanian riesling and the rieslings coming out of Germany. “It depends on the style, but there’s no homogeneity in the vineyards in general,” she said. “It’s about knowing the site, understanding the site, and having that history with it.” Talk of German riesling also raised the spectre of residual sugar – a part of the current German prädikat system that is well-known by wine professionals around the world, but doesn’t always reflect the kinds of wines that German consumers like to drink. “I need to say that I’m not too much into off-dry riesling!” Sebastian said. “Where I come from, in Pfalz, we go more for the bone-dry style of riesling. So I struggle a bit more with the sugar. But I was kind of surprised that no wine today seemed too sweet – at least to me. Every wine was super-balanced.”
Gillespie agreed, adding that residual sugar is often a necessary part of creating delicious and balanced rieslings: “There have been so many times where I’ve poured something for someone, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I want bone-dry riesling, the driest thing possible’,” they said. “And of course, what I’m pouring is a little bit higher in sugar – it might be five or six grams per litre, or it might be pushing towards off-dry. And they’re like, ‘Oh, this is amazing!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s because it’s got a little bit of sugar in it, mate.’ It’s just opening up everything. Everything tastes better with a little bit of sugar. It’s something we use in cocktail making, something we use in desserts, something we use in general savoury cooking. So seeing a little bit more sugar today was great. I love seeing that. And these wines are something that I would probably present to someone who is still stuck on that bone-dry idea.”
”Trying to fit it into boxes, because that’s what you or the market wants it to be, doesn't work for Tasmanian riesling – it’s got to find its own way. And I think it is slowly getting there.”
Broinowski argued that the balance on display was impressive – not only within the wines, but also in the way that the wines navigated consumer demands. “You want to make a wine that you can sell, right?” he said. “So you want to make yourself a dry riesling, because dry rieslings are popular, and no one wants in a slightly or remotely off-dry riesling – general statement there. The thing is, though, Tasmanian riesling gets very, very hard – the acid becomes hard, almost to the level of bitter, as soon as your sugars drop too low. So you need to hit that sweet spot, which is all around six to seven grams per litre – even though they all look like they’re three grams – which softens that acid, and draws the wine back out and into the open, and it’s a really lovely drink again. But trying to fit it into boxes, because that’s what you or the market wants it to be, doesn’t work for Tasmanian riesling – it’s got to find its own way. And I think it is slowly getting there – and I think largely that is due to the diversity of winemakers that are down there now.”
James Broinowski started his wine career as a sommelier, working in restaurants around the world, including in Canada and the UK and attaining an Advanced Sommeliers Certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers while in North America. Deciding to jump the fence into production, he completed a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at Adelaide University in 2013. Since then, he has completed vintages at Gramercy Cellars (Washington, USA) Moorilla Estate and Domaine A (Tasmania), Margan Family Wines (Hunter Valley), and Hazelgrove (McLaren Vale). He turned out his first wine under the Small Island Wines imprint from the 2015 vintage – the first Australian wine to be backed by crowdfunding. Small Island now focuses on making pinots from various vineyards, expressing nuances of site, as well as off-dry riesling, barrel-fermented rosé, and oak-free chardonnay.
Hannah Maltby has worked for Mac Forbes Wines since 2017 – initially as a cellarhand and assistant winemaker, then as winemaker since 2019. Originally from Perth, she moved to Melbourne to pursue a misguided career in biochemistry. She discovered a love for wine while researching smoke taint in Mildura, then moved to the Yarra Valley in 2016 to work vintage at Giant Steps. She has also completed a couple of vintages in the Mosel. Maltby has completed the AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course, judges at wine shows, moonlights as a contract winemaker, and is deeply driven to develop and improve sustainability initiatives in wine production.
Chris Webb grew up on his family’s vineyard – Camerons Estate, near Bacchus Marsh – but his passion for wine really kickstarted when he joined the floor team at Flinders Lane institution Cumulus Inc. in 2018. By October of that year he had been promoted to junior sommelier, since then he has worked through the ranks to become the venue’s head sommelier in 2022. He possesses a Level 3 Award in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and Advanced Sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) He has a strong passion for riesling, which he considers one of the most site-driven and versatile Vitis vinifera varieties in the world.
Gemma Neil is the head sommelier and wine buyer for Geralds Bar in Carlton, Melbourne, as well as the manager of its fine-dining room, The Parlour. Originally from Canberra, she relocated to Melbourne in 2007 and began her hospitality journey at The Italian, where an early interest in wine saw her step into a junior sommelier role. Following further wine study, including Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 and 3 qualifications, she joined the team at Ezard in 2013. Over five years, she progressed into restaurant management while continuing to deepen her wine knowledge, commencing the WSET Diploma in 2017. In 2019, she helped open Lagoon Dining in Carlton, and in 2023 she became the head sommelier and wine buyer for Melbourne institutions Coda and Tonka. She commenced at Geralds Bar in late 2025, assisting the team in moving to its new, much larger venue and setting up its fine-dining room, The Parlour. In this role she balances both wine leadership and team management, bringing a thoughtful, inclusive approach to hospitality and list-building.
Hayley Farquar currently works as a bar supervisor and wine merchant at City Wine Shop and The European. She possesses an Introductory Sommelier Certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is currently working towards her Level 3 Award in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.
Blaire Gillespie is a Queensland hospitality veteran of seventeen years, wearing many hats including venue management, off- and on-premise wine retail, chef, and owner/operator of a small suburban bistro. After closing their venue during covid, they went to private contract cheffing, winding up in regional Queensland wineries and becoming curious about wine production. They went on to attend Charles Sturt University, enrolling in a Bachelor of Wine Business and getting their Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wines (with distinction) and a forklift licence before moving to Melbourne, open for whatever the next chapter in the wine industry might be. They currently work as the manager at Natural Science Wine & Liquor in Blackburn, and spend most of their shifts converting pinot gris drinkers to grüner while waxing lyrical about the importance of supporting Australian wine.
Lotte Sebastian is a winemaker from the Pfalz region of Germany, where she grew up with a close connection to wine through her father, who is currently the manager of Weingut Odinstal. She completed her winemaking apprenticeship at Riesling-focused wineries before studying Viticulture and Oenology at Geisenheim University, complemented by further training in biodynamic agriculture. She has worked across a range of wine regions throughout Europe, gaining hands-on experience in vineyards and cellars, and is currently working vintage at Mac Forbes Wines in the Yarra Valley.
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