Winery & Vintage Info
Nestled perfectly on North facing slopes which run down to the Derwent River in Tasmania, the vineyard has a perfect aspect for the production of cool climate wine grapes. Prevailing Westerly winds keep good airflow through the vines and air circulation is critical in keeping the vineyard disease free. At Derwent Estate they do not use any Insecticides or nasty Pesticides at all. They prefer a softer Integrated Pest Management approach to disease control.
From humble beginnings in 1992 of one variety and block, stage 1 of our planting was increased to 4 varieties and over 4.5 hectares by 1997. As Derwent Estate and Grantons reputation grew for producing stunning fruit, keen interest was attracted by several major wine companies for us to grow small parcels of super premium fruit for them. This saw stage 2 of the vineyard development commence in 2003 as a 5.3 hectare planting which supplied grapes for the Bay of Fires Wines and the Penfolds Yattarna label.
On a north facing bank of the Derwent River this 30-year-old cool- climate vineyard in Southern Tasmania has its Riesling block on the uppermost slope. The soils are shallow, permeable loams over limestone that allow this variety to develop intensity and definition while retaining delicacy.
Fruit for the 2021 Derwent Estate Riesling was hand picked on three separate picking days to capture three different flavour profiles; lean and tight, citrus and soft. Pressed under inert gas. The juice is fermented within 24hrs of harvest, without being chilled or reheated. The fermentation takes place using cultured yeast at extremely cool temperatures (below 10˚C), over 30-35 days. The wine is stabilised, lightly fined, filtered and bottled. All within 90 days from harvest.
