Regional profile: Tasmania plus 40 top wines to seek out

Australia’s island state of Tasmania has long been earmarked as a wine region of great potential, largely for the distinctive quality of its pristine cool-climate fruit. Now there is proof on the table of potential realised.

Popping open the House of Arras’ 2001 Blanc de Blancs, you can only marvel at the freshness and vitality of a 20-year-old wine just entering maturity. Extraordinary grapes have been caressed and framed masterfully in the winery in a way not seen on the Australian mainland, nor rarely elsewhere in the world.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for a selection of the best wines from Tasmania

Tasmania at a glance

Producers 184
Area planted 2,000ha
Proportion Represents 1% of Australia’s total harvest volume but 4.2% of national sales by value
Wine regions Seven in total: North West (near Davenport), Tamar Valley and Pipers River hugging the north coast; East Coast (from St Helens to Freycinet); in the south, Coal River Valley, Derwent Valley and Huon/d’Entrecasteaux Channel
Climate Temperate maritime, cooled by westerly winds off the Southern Ocean; daily mean average is 9°C-12°C
Key varieties Pinot Noir (48%), Chardonnay (25%), Pinot Gris (9%), Riesling (6%). Note that 76% of Chardonnay and 45% of Pinot Noir is allocated to sparkling wine production

Source: Wine Tasmania