Home Hill Winery, Tasmania: Tasting Huon Valley pinot noir
The Home Hill Winery in the Huon Valley offers tastings of award-winning Tasmanian pinot noir at its cellar door in Ranelagh. You can also eat high quality Tasmanian produce in the Home Hill restaurant.
Australia wines are generally big, bold and red. But in the south of the country, cool climate wines are the big thing, and Tasmanian pinot noir has become very highly regarded.
The Home Hill Winery in the Huon Valley, south-west of Hobart, has a particularly strong reputation for Tasmanian pinot noir. And you can taste some at the Home Hill Winery’s cellar door in Ranelagh near Huonville.
Home Hill winery cellar door in the Huon Valley
The Home Hill Winery cellar door is open seven days a week, between 10am and 5pm. Wine tastings at this Ranelagh winery are free.
Home Hill was once an apple farm, but Rosemary and Terry Bennett decided to plant six rows of vines in 1992. What started as a hobby has become an award-winning vineyard. It is still family-owned and run, but now the vineyard covers six hectares.
The original 1992 planting at this Huon Valley winery was of pinot noir, chardonnay and sylvaner grapes. The high clay soil and reliable rainfall is a good fit for these varietals.
Bordeaux-style wines in Tasmania
The Huon Valley is on the same degree of latitude as Bordeaux in France, and has a similar climate. It’s logical that grapes that do well in Bordeaux will also do well in the Huon Valley.
The restaurant at the Home Hill Winery in Ranelagh is also highly regarded. It’s open five days a week at lunchtimes, from Wednesday to Sunday. There’s a heavy emphasis on Tasmanian produce, with trout and salmon from the Huon Valley and Bruny Island oysters. Home Hill’s restaurant menu also uses the herbs grown in the on-site garden.
More things to do in Tasmania
Drive to Cockle Creek in the very south of the state.
Walk the Cape Hauy Track in the Tasman National Park.
Check the Devonport weather, then head to the beach in Northern Tasmania.
Take the Maria Island ferry and see lots of wombats.
Go on a Pieman River cruise.