So you’d like to drink Tassie wine. In Tasmania

So you are in Tasmania? You want to eat out and enhance your meal with some Tassie wine.

There are wines from big-name wineries that appear on lists throughout the state.

But you’d like to sample fairly priced wines from some smaller producers, many of whose wines do not make it to the mainland.

The Tasmanian Wine List of the Year awards, announced last night, offer a good guide to where wine lovers might find some rewarding choices

Tasmanian Wine List of the Year award recipients:
Hobart/Launceston + Overall Tasmanian Wine List of the Year: Black Cow Bistro
Best Small Bar Wine List: Stanley Wine Bar
Best Regional Wine List: The Old Bank of Geeveston
Peoples' Choice Tasmanian Wine List of the Year: Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village
Highly Commended: The Agrarian Kitchen, T42 Hobart, Grain of the Silos.

I was one of the judges for these awards, although a swag of biometrics and algorithms also hold sway.

I thought the list submitted by Aloft, in Hobart, was a very strong contender, but somehow it did not even merit a highly commended. I also liked the Peppina list, particularly, and Mudbar, much more than my bot mates.

That said, the winning list from Black Cow Bistro in Launceston is excellent and a worthy recipient.

Wine Tasmania also released the new 2025 edition of its Tasmanian Wine Trails publication at the Tassie Wine Stars event. 

This brochure, concierge map and accompanying online directory serves as the go-to guide for visiting Tasmania’s cellar doors across four parts of the state - the North-West, Tamar Valley, East Coast and Southern Wine Trails respectively.

With Tourism Tasmania this week launching a new campaign encouraging locals to get out and explore closer to home this summer, Wine Tasmania is encouraging locals and visitors alike to put the Tasmanian Wine List of the Year venues and experiences showcased in the 2025 Tasmanian Wine Trails publication on the bucket list.

"We Tasmanians are spoiled for choice when it comes to extraordinary local wine and food experiences. The word is definitely out, with 23% of all visitors to Tassie in the year to June 2024 calling into a cellar door during their stay, staying longer in our regional areas and spending more than other visitor segments,” Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies said.

See winetasmania.com.au