Clover Hill Wines

Clover Hill became Tasmania's first purpose-built, traditional method sparkling wine vineyard in 1986, when it was established by US-based John Goelet, then owner of Victoria's Taltarni Vineyards and California's Clos du Val.

The cool, elevated site at Lebrina – near Pipers River – was selected for its maritime climate, long growing season and distinctive topography that forms a well-protected natural amphitheatre suited to growing vines.

Goelet's French heritage underpinned much of Clover Hill's early viticulture. That included closely-planted arched canes, grown on trunks as short as 60cm. Deep, fertile volcanic soils conspired to make the vineyard a high vigour site that had to be worked hard to produce reliable crops of premium Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Mid-late May harvests were often challenged by cold, damp and fickle autumn weather. But by the time Clover Hill was named the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania's inaugural Vineyard of the Year in 2005, much of the foundation viticulture had undergone radical change. It was no longer managed like a little piece of Champagne in northern Tasmania.

Clover Hill's first vintage – produced in 1991 – was released to rapturous acclaim and won the Trophy for Best Tasmanian Sparkling Wine at the 1994 Tasmanian Regional Wine Show, chaired by James Halliday. Brought to life at the company's Taltarni winery, the 'blanc de blancs' style revealed a certain strength of character and finesse that still runs true more than three decades later. Chardonnay excels on this picturesque 66ha property overlooking Bass Strait.

Successive Clover Hill releases made quantum leaps in wine quality as the viticulture and winemaking became better suited to the site. The 1994 Clover Hill was awarded Best Sparkling Wine in the 1997-1998 Penguin Guide Australian Wine Guide, authored by Huon Hooke and Mark Shield.

Some 38,000 bottles of 1999 Clover Hill were shipped to Copenhagen in 2004 to help with Danish celebrations of the wedding of Royal Crown Prince Frederik and Tasmanian-born Princess Mary.

When Queen Elizabeth II attended a State Dinner in Canberra in 2011, 2005 Clover Hill was among the four iconic Australian wines poured that evening.

In 2000, the company purchased land at Tea Tree in the Coal River Valley to complement crop production on its Lebrina site. When a 16ha vineyard commenced in 2008, the project was undertaken with the benefit of more than 20 years' industry experience. A ground-breaking 2015 case study authored by vineyard manager Alex Van Driel detailed 10 points of industry best practice being undertaken to reduce green house gases.

Clover Hill Tea Tree was named Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year 2016.

In 2017, Goelet Wine Estates demonstrated its continuing support for its industry-leading sparkling wine project on the other side of the world when it opened a striking, architecturally-designed cellar door facility at its Lebrina home base. Immersive tastings and a much-expanded product range made it an essential destination on the Tamar Valley Wine Trail.

In late 2024, WA-based Fogarty Wine Group purchased Clover Hill and Taltarni from the Goelet family, integrating the estate into an expansive national portfolio that includes Deep Woods Estate, Evans & Tate, Millbrook Winery, Smithbrook, Lake's Folly and Dalwhinnie.

Some 8ha of new plantings have since been added to Clover Hill's Lebrina site.

More recently, online digital platform Real Review included Clover Hill among its Top Wineries of Australia for 2025.

In January 2026, Clover Hill's Rosé d'Assemblage MV won the top gold and Trophy for Best Non-Vintage Sparkling Wine at the 36th Tasmanian Wine Show.

The perfect way to celebrate a 40-year commitment to quality-driven, bottle-fermented sparkling wine production.

Key principals:

• Robert Heywood: chief operating officer and chief winemaker, Taltarni Clover Hill
• Ben Howell:  senior winemaker, Taltarni Clover Hill
• Barry Morris: vineyard manager/viticulturist Taltarni Clover Hill

Vineyard/cellar door address:

60 Clover Hill Road, Lebrina, TAS 7254

Telephone:

+61 (3) 6395 6114

Email:

info@cloverhillwines.com.au

Website:

www.cloverhillwines.com.au

Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.

Climate data* for sites in the North East highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Consider: Apogee (MJT 17.2°C; 975 GDD) and Dalrymple Vineyard (MJT 18.1°C; 1204 GDD).

Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.

South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Victoria's Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective states.

Climate data* for Clover Hill Road, 1995-2024:

• Total annual average rainfall: 956mm
• Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 429mm
• Average autumn rainfall: 215mm
• Mean January temperature: 17.2°C
• Growing degree-days: 983 GDD
• Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
• Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 24

*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.

Last page update: August 2025