With its majestic mountain vistas, world-class produce and down-to-earth hospitality, Tasmania is the ultimate destination for wine lovers. Here are the top wineries, vineyards and cellar doors to visit right now, including a few that you don’t need a car to get to.
This minimal-intervention producer goes large when it comes to cellar door experiences, with a spanking new tasting room designed by local studio Cumulus (Devil’s Corner, Du Cane Brewing). It overlooks the stunning kanamaluka/River Tamar, has an outdoor fireplace and serves wines from indie producers plus its own labels, Stoney Rise and Holyman. stoneyrise.com
Family friendly Devil’s Corner, a second label by the team behind Tamar Ridge, upgraded their onsite offering in early 2022. A multi-million-dollar refurb added 300 weatherproof seats and slick new tasting rooms, plus new kitchens for restaurant partners Tombolo Freycinet (pizza) and Fishers of Freycinet (seafood). Orders are collected via a buzzer system and there’s no seating plan, so feel free to sit anywhere. devilscorner.com.au
Just outside the historic town of Richmond, around 30 minutes from Hobart, Pooley Wines produces some of the state’s finest cool-climate riesling. The heritage-listed sandstone barn/cellar door offers wine tastings, charcuterie and cheeseboards daily, plus wood-fired pizza on the weekends. Over the road sits luxury hotel and restaurant Prospect House, an 1830s manor which the Pooley family carefully restored. pooleywines.com.au
No wheels? No problems. Glaetzer-Dixon’s urban cellar door is only a few minutes’ walk from Hobart’s waterfront. Originally from South Australia, winemaker Nick Glaetzer made Tassie his home in 2005. Since then, his ethereal reds and fragrant rieslings have helped reshape the state’s indie wine offering. Nick runs bookings-only tastings, though he doesn’t need much notice if you want to drop by. At $15 for 45 minutes, they’re quite the bargain. gdfwinemakers.com
This northwest Tasmanian winery might seem off the track, but it’s just 10 minutes’ drive from Devonport (where the Spirit of Tasmania docks) and an hour from Cradle Mountain. A favourite lunch spot in the area, Ghost Rock’s onsite restaurant turns out bistro-style fare seven days a week, with all ingredients sourced from within 15km, and plenty of outdoor seating, too. ghostrock.com.au
No Tasmanian wine tour would be complete without a sparkling wine specialist, such is the state’s reputation for high-quality fizz. Josef Chromy’s enormous estate is so close to Launceston you could get cab from town for about $25. Book in for a behind-the-scenes winery tour or sparkling winemaking class, sit down for a three-course lunch or take a glass of bubbles for a wander around the lake. josefchromy.com.au
Brothers Matt and Jonny Hughes make lo-fi wines under two labels, the single-site Mewstone and Tasmania-wide Hughes and Hughes. The cellar door offering is serious, with bookings highly recommended for guided ‘slow wine tastings’ ($25 per person, eight wines). Though grabbing a glass/bottle and a platter of local cheeses to enjoy on the lawn is also encouraged. Sweeping views from Bruny Island to kunanyi/Mount Wellington are a highlight. mewstonewines.com.au
Moorilla’s cellar door and winery are conveniently located at the Mona, aka the Museum of Old and New Art, because they’re both owned by the same guy. That means you can couple a museum visit with a wine tasting (or head straight to the on-site wine bar) and travel from Hobart by camouflaged ferry. Summer is a good time to drop in for a vino, with live music on the lawns Thursday to Monday. moorilla.com.au or mona.net.au
