A short flight from Sydney or Melbourne, Hobart is a favourite among AUS tourists. Surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and bustling with one of Australia’s best culinary scenes, there is just so much to do, see, eat and drink in this charming seaside city. And let’s not forget the world-famous MONA (which, by the way, actually has one of Australia’s most cutting-edge wineries attached), easily Australia’s coolest museum!
But food, museums and nature all play second fiddle to our top reason to visit Hobart – namely, some of Australia’s most notable wines. Sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc – you’ll be hard pressed to find better anywhere else. And remarkably, many of the foremost wineries producing these varietals lie a short half hour out of Hobart. Access to such fabulous wine is nowhere as facile as it is in Hobart!
In our first article on Hobart, we covered four of the area’s best wineries. Today we round out the list of stops you simply cannot miss when you visit.
For us, Craigow Vineyard represents everything we love about wine hunting – finding that rare place that fully captures the gravitas and wisdom of wine. A chat with owner, Dr. Barry Edwards as you are sipping his immaculate wines is priceless. He is generous in sharing his time and knowledge and the result is a feeling of having been taken into some wine academy where the secrets of the craft are revealed to the worthy. This place is what real wine is all about. Glorious wines (a stunning Rosé and a hallmark Coal River Riesling for starts, and on our last visit, we couldn’t get enough of the Pinot Noir or “moonlight in a bottle” Sauvignon Blanc) and true reward for anyone who shows real interest. Not to mention a beautiful cellar door that absolutely blooms alive in spring.
Riversdale Estate is Hobart’s most stunning winery. Outside, visitors enjoy a glorious bay view framed by mountains in the background. Inside, it’s all mahogany and oak accents with plush leather chairs and candelabras – it is hard to contemplate feeling much fancier in any other setting. But as our readers will be well aware, beautiful exterior trappings are all fine and good, but we’re ultimately typing these words because Riversdale offers up some of Tasmania’s most exquisite wines. What they have captured with some of their Syrahs, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays is sublime. You’re missing a real trick if you haven’t visited this place.
Frogmore Creek is a pillar of the Hobart wine (and food) scene and has one of the region’s most diverse ranges of wines. A polished cellar door that contains a small but inspiring museum upstairs, a stunning restaurant with glorious views, impeccable and friendly service, and a list of wines that would light up any wine hunter’s eyes – what’s not to love?!? Frogmore offers a great starting point for your exploration of the region’s wines. Don’t miss the sparkling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Shiraz!
Puddleduck Vineyard is an adorable affair in every sense of the word. The story itself is heartwarming. High school drop-out (Darren Brown) finds his passion working among vines and wines. During his employment at a prominent Hobart winery, he meets his wife-to-be. Eventually, while working at another winery, they buy land, and Puddleduck is born. 20 years later, they run a cute and bustling cellar door, seemingly floating at the edge of a pond. (Although from the giant (and we do mean giant!) wicker duck’s perspective from the other end of the pond, it may well look more like a puddle 
Adorable all around, and maybe that’s why the place is always so busy. Or maybe it’s the fantastic Tasmanian wines that Darren is making. On our most recent visit, we loved his deep and mysterious sparkling wine as well as the complex Puddleduck Pinot Noir. And his Fume Blanc is refreshingly different – just what the Hobart wine scene needs. In all, you can’t help but feel good after a visit to Puddleduck.
Adorable all around, and maybe that’s why the place is always so busy. Or maybe it’s the fantastic Tasmanian wines that Darren is making. On our most recent visit, we loved his deep and mysterious sparkling wine as well as the complex Puddleduck Pinot Noir. And his Fume Blanc is refreshingly different – just what the Hobart wine scene needs. In all, you can’t help but feel good after a visit to Puddleduck.And finally, Pooley Wines is one of Hobart’s most acclaimed wineries – probably considered one of the region’s top two on wines (and specifically, Riesling & Pinot Noir) alone. The cellar door is stylish and always staffed by friendly professionals. The tasting list is exceptional, but for us, it’s when you get into the formidable range of Pinot Noirs that the place shines brightest. Take, for instance, their 2019 Jack Pooley Pinot Noir … with its beautifully dense but balanced nose … an extraordinary palate that sequentially offers everything you want in a Pinot Noir … dark and brooding but not overbearing … in short, a wine that justifies its premium price. That’s what you can expect at Pooley (and something not seen near enough!)
Hobart offers magical wine experiences that are not to be missed – the kinds of experiences that capture #WhyWeLoveWine
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