Tasmanian wine, less is more

Hong Kong wine trade is overwhelmed with trade tasting and we just cannot go to all of them. I am glad that I made an effort to Tyson Stelzer’s recent Tasmania tasting, which turned out to be one of the enjoyable events.

The walk-around tasting was generous in time with a five hours duration and there were only 32 sparkling wines and Pinot Noirs that Tyson said were the best of Tasmania. This meant we could tasted in a relaxed and focused environment. Less is more.

Tasmania is not your typical Aussie wine. Being the southernmost wine growing region of Australia, it has a cool maritime region capable of producing elegant wine with finesse, very unlike the majority full-bodied jammy Australian wines from the mainland. Tyson explained that Tasmania has two distinctive subregions, the cool dry south and the cool humid north. The cool dry climate gives more tannic wine because the vines are more stressed by low moisture. On the other hand, cool humid climate wine is in general softer and more delicate. This difference is particular evident in Pinot Noir because of its thin skin, and this showed well on the three Pinots from Darlymple where two came from Piper’s River in the north and one from Coal River Valley in the south.

Tyson is a huge fan of Tassie’s sparkling wine, which he believes, together with English sparkling wine, can rival some of the fine champagne. Again, the humidity factor plays a significant role. Sparkling wine from the wetter north is shaped by acidity while those from the dryer south is marked by phenolics with a more grippy texture, similar to champagne made in dry, warm years.

Because of its isolation, wine production in Tasmania is niche and boutique. This island state only represents 0.9% of the total Australia’s wine yet it makes up more with its value. The price of grapes is more than five times its counterpart from the mainland. According to Wine Tasmania, 100% of its wine is sold above A$15, as opposed to only 7% in the mainland. This firmly put Tasmania in the Australian wine map as the leading premium cool climate wine growing region, another demonstration of less is more.

A whopping 2/3 of the vineyard planting is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and nearly 30% of the island’s production is made up of sparkling. Tyson’s tasting showcased pretty much the best of Tasmania. Luckily for us is that most of these wines are available in Hong Kong.

My favourites include Pressing Matters Point Noir 2014 and Norton Sparkling NV, both from Coal River Valley, and Dawson James Pinot Noir 2014 from Upper Derwent Valley, all available from Pinot Shop Hong Kong, a shop dedicated to cool climate New World Pinot Noir. Check out their exciting portfolio.

Another must try is Jansz, a producer of only sparkling wine where the fruits come from Piper’s River, Tamar Valley and Coal River Valley. Their wines are available from Watson’s Wine.