TAMAR VALLEY WINE TRAIL

Welcome to the Tamar Valley

Tasmania’s oldest and largest wine-growing area pairs good drinking with fine food and a bucolic landscape of vineyards, dotted across the riverbanks and hillsides.

The Tamar Valley has more than 30 cellar doors centred around kanamaluka / River Tamar in Tasmania’s north. The area is renowned for its cool-climate terroir, with the stable weather creating ideal grape-growing conditions. Tamar Valley wines are internationally regarded with abundant accolades. In fact, in 2020, a locally produced drop was named the world’s best sparkling wine, with House of Arras’ 2004 E.J. Carr Late Disgorged taking out this highly prestigious honour at the Decanter‘s Wine of the Year awards.

From Launceston, the Tamar Valley Wine Trail stretches along both sides of the river, from Beaconsfield in the west to the renowned sparkling-wine region of Pipers Brook in the east. It also encompasses Relbia, south of Launceston. Take a day to drive the loop, or break it up with a separate riverbank each day for full cool-climate wine immersion.

Stop at cellar doors along the way for tastings, meet the winemakers and learn about their craft on behind-the-scenes tours, or relax and indulge in charcuterie or local cheese. Some wineries have onsite restaurants, while others offer picnic platters to enjoy among the vines.

Whatever your tastes, this trail is your guiding line around the Tamar.

Josef Chromy Wines

With a cellar door adjacent to the lake and vines, and a popular restaurant, Josef Chromy makes an excellent starting point for any Tamar Valley excursion.

The methode traditionelle sparkling house also produces pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling and sauvignon blanc. The vineyard is tucked among the rolling slopes of Relbia, south-east of Launceston.

Josef Chromy’s rise to success in the wine world is captivating. The Czech immigrant arrived in Australia after fleeing his war-torn home in 1950, escaping across guarded borders. He used his skills as a master butcher to build up a successful meat business, before turning his attention to Tasmania’s developing wine industry. Josef’s name is linked with a number of well-known Tasmanian wineries, including Jansz, Heemskerk, Rochecombe (now Bay of Fires) and Tamar Ridge. He launched Josef Chromy Wines in 2007, aged 76.

Wander across the shaded garden to the cellar door for a tasting flight or delve into the process of making sparkling wine on an Art of Sparkling Tour. Taste the wine at its different stages, then craft a bottle to your own tastes, before relaxing over lunch at the estate’s restaurant.

The restaurant highlights seasonal local produce, with two or three-course meals available from the a la carte menu. The light-filled eatery buzzes with the chatter of patrons and clinking glasses, while the delicate aromas of the carefully crafted meals linger in the air. For something a little lighter, take a cheese platter out into the gardens and unwind among the trees.

Seated wine tastings are available daily. The restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Monday.

Clover Hill Wines

The east bank of kanamaluka / River Tamar is the region’s sparkling side, literally, with a raft of sparkling winemakers, including Jansz, Pipers Brook Vineyard and Clover Hill Wines.

Set above the vines with an outlook towards Bass Strait, the elegant Clover Hill Wines cellar door at Lebrina is perfectly positioned to allow visitors to appreciate both the wine and the serenity of the rural setting.

The impressive cellar door has been crafted to maximise its position on the property, with distinctive rammed earth walls made from the property’s rich red soil. Inside, the atmosphere is muted and refined, perfectly aligned with the premium methode traditionelle sparkling wine produced here.

The cellar door is open Wednesday to Sunday. Book ahead for guided sparkling tastings and savour the gentle fizz as you learn about the distinctive flavours of each wine. On weekends, opt to add a multi-course dining experience from Clover’s Kitchen, offering a small plate menu featuring regional produce in conjunction with wine tastings. On pleasant afternoons, visitors flock to the umbrella-covered outdoor tables to bask in the sun’s warmth.

For those wanting to delve deeper, bespoke vineyard tours and masterclasses offer insight into the grape growing, harvesting and wine-making processes.

Holm Oak Vineyards

Across the water on the west bank of kanamaluka / River Tamar, Holm Oak Vineyards is a family-owned producer of estate-grown cool-climate wines, specialising in pinot noir and chardonnay.

Set among pretty gardens, the relaxed cellar door in Rowella is open Monday to Friday for pre-booked wine tastings. Explore the gardens and soak up the down-to-earth atmosphere before heading inside and selecting your tasting flight.

In the cooler months, cosy up by the fireplace or under the heaters on the covered deck with a glass of pinot. If the sun is out, head to the cellar door’s providore and stock up on cheeses, smallgoods, crackers and condiments to create your very own picnic. Grab a picnic basket and blanket and find a quiet patch of grass.

Holm Oak has a rustic and friendly charm, led by owners Bec and Tim Duffy. They have created a delightful sensory garden to help translate some of the characteristics found in wine, by highlighting different aromas, flavours and textures. The garden is sorted by wine variety and visitors can wander among the plantings, tasting the fruits and herbs, and touching the foliage. Sensory Garden Tours are conducted on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays commencing at 10am. Group sizes are capped at six to ensure an intimate and interactive experience, so be sure to book ahead.

While you’re there, be sure to visit the resident pigs, including Pinot, who keeps a close eye on what’s happening around the vineyard. Throw the pigs some apples to make instant new friends.

Accessibility

Josef Chromy Wines is in Relbia, just a 15-minute drive, or 11 kilometres, south-east of Launceston. Clover Hill Wines, at Lebrina on the eastern side of kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a 35-minute drive, or 28 kilometres, north-east of Launceston. Holm Oak Vineyards, on the western bank, is a 45-minute drive, or 46 kilometres, north of Launceston. Dog guides are welcome at these wineries.

For those without a car, limited bus services to the area are operated by Redline and Manion’s Coaches. There are several private tour companies offering half- and full-day guided experiences stopping at select wineries throughout the wine region – call ahead to book, or to arrange any additional assistance. These tour companies generally provide expert audio commentary based on extensive local knowledge and insights, as well as offering complimentary hotel pick-up and drop-off at your Launceston accommodation by prior arrangement.

Taxi and Uber services are readily available in the Launceston city centre.