The Winery St. Matthias of Tamar Valley of Tasmanie

Discovering the wine region of Tamar Valley

Tamar Valley is a wine-producing region on the Northern coast of Tasmania. It occupies an area around Launceston, Tasmania's second largest city, and follows the course of the Tamar river for approximately 30 miles (50km). Like much of Tasmania, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling are the most important grape varieties planted here, making balanced, premium wines in the area's cool maritime Climate. Sauvignon Blanc has also become important in Tamar Valley, as has Pinot Gris, which is also labeled here under the guise of Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer.

Cabernet Franc has also proved useful, and has been responsible for some of Tamar Valley's most prestigious wines. The region also produces top quality Sparkling wines using the traditional method. The Tamar Valley has a very Long histroy of wine production, with the first commercial vineyards appearing around the town of Windermere in the mid 1800s. The valley was even the source of cuttings for the first vineyards in Victoria">Victoria and South Australia.

The industry did not grow significantly, mainly due to labour being lured to the Victoria Gold mines. However, today the valley accounts for around 40 percent of the island's wine output. The valley Lies at a latitude of around 42° south, and has similar cool climate chracteristics to the Côte d'Or in Burgundy. The vineyards are mostly located close to the Tamar river itself, particularly on its southern side to the north and south of Exeter.