Tolpuddle Vineyard | Tasmania

Situated in the Coal River Valley, in Tasmania’s south-east corner, the Tolpuddle Vineyard was first planted in 1988 by Tony Jordan and Garry Crittenden and has since established a reputation for growing exceptional quality grapes, with the focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The cool but relatively dry climate allows the grapes to ripen slowly in autumn, without the disease pressure that heavy rainfall can bring.

The vineyard took its name from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who were transported to Australia in 1834 for starting an agrarian union in Tolpuddle in Dorset. The leader of the group, George Loveless, served part of his sentence working on a property near Richmond called GlenAyr, part of which is now the Tolpuddle Vineyard. In 2006, it won the inaugural Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year award, reflecting the performance of this distinguished site.

In 2011, the Tolpuddle Vineyard was purchased by Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith and their goal is to make this one of the finest single vineyards in Australia for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A goal achieved by the Chardonnay, with the 2018 being named the International Wine Challenge’s Champion White Wine in 2020 and the 2019 featuring in James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines of 2020.