Tell us your story / where are you in Tasmania and why?
Moorilla is an aboriginal word that means a rocky place by the water. The vineyard is now famous as the home of Mona. It’s built on the estate, ten minutes from Hobart, on a small Peninsula that juts out into the Derwent River. You can catch a ferry to get here from Hobart.
We love cool climate wine. It’s why Claudio Alcorso, founder of Sheridan, chose to make wine here and not in the Barossa. He knew it would have be both distinctive and high quality to deserve a place at great reataurants for it would never be a cheap proposition. David Walsh bought Moorilla, in part, because he liked the Pinot noir. We continue the original love affair. We love cool climate wine and a life devoted to making it.
What are three things we need to know about Tasmaniana wine? What makes it unique?
The people are dedicated to making small amounts of interesting, fine wine. Each year the wines change a little; we are surrounded by an ocean that gives a level of consistency yet also vintage variation. When honey presents in our wine, there can exist a distinctive note of our native flora.
What is unique about your region (in general) and what’s impact does that have on your wines?
Tasmania’s cool climate ripens grapes at a pace that preserves perfume. Spices and floral aromas can collaborate with fine tannin. Elegance and finesse are possible.
Tasmania is a special place. What is the absolute ‘must do’ when people visit? (aside from seeing you!).
Find a mountain tarn where your company is a stand of pencil pines instead of people. It’s a different sense of time that has an ancient feel as well as the present
Picking one of your wines, what is the best Tassie food match with it?
Moorilla Muse Chardonnay 2015. It’s an excellent wine for late winter and would like gnocchi with burnt sage leaves and butter!