Wineries in Tasmania by Lynne

“PARLEZ VOUS TASMANIAN?”   This tongue in cheek approach to the making of a superb range of sparkling wines in the “methode champenoise” is typical of the Jansz winery attitude to their wine making. They know their wine is good, they know they are good at what they do – so they poke a little bit of fun at the French who so jealously guard the rights to the name “champagne”.

We visited Jansz on a perfect Tasmanian February day of blue skies and a mild 25C.  They specialise in the field of sparkling wine and have been in operation in the Tamar Valley since 1975. In 1986 they enlisted the help of a Frenchman who found the climate in this part of the world to be very similar to the Champagne area of France and the results have been outstanding.

Not that this was the only vineyard or cellar door we visited during our 12 days in Tasmania. There is a multitude of excellent wineries and cellar doors to be found across the north, east and south, ranging from small family operations to grand scale centres, with first class cafes, B&B’s, function centres and so on.

The mission for our party of 4 after the first few visited was to find a wine we didn’t like. Having been used to local wine tours where the great wines were interspersed with some not so great, we found Tasmanian wines to be consistently good, whether we tried the area favourites the Pinot Noir and Riesling or the wines we mostly think of as the New Zealand specialties, such as the Sauvignon Blanc.

Another positive for the Tamar Valley wineries was their innovative solution to the posting off of wine purchases. They have a system whereby a visitor can pick up a box at the first winery and then continue to fill it as they go along the signposted ‘Wine Route”. When the box is full, no matter how many wineries it takes to fill it, the winery being visited at the time undertakes the responsibility of posting off the box. All the visitor has to do is pay the extremely reasonable postage cost and complete the form with the designated address.

The vineyards themselves were seen at a perfect time, green and lush against the backdrop of a stunning blue sky. Kodak moments at every turn, especially when we are so used to seeing vines in the dead of winter in our own Granite Belt!

All in all, Tasmania in February was a welcome break from the heat and humidity of South East Queensland and a fascinating and enjoyable travel destination just a short plane flight from home.  So much more than their vineyards to see but still for a wine lover a great way to while away a summer’s day or two.

Travelscene Samford would like to thank Lynne for this lovely travel article.  Don’t forget that only Travelscene American Express lets you travel anywhere, any time and pay with your membership rewards points so contact us on 3289 3700 and let us help you turn your American Express membership rewards points into your next trip.