Evenfall
Richard Winspear knows a thing or two about growing cool climate fruit. The managing director of Berried in Tasmania was making plans to expand the company's production base at Carrick when he discovered historic Elmslie at Legana listed for sale. He liked the property so much he contacted his business partner, Ben Gourlay.
Near the end of 2021, they bought its renovated homestead, function centre and 7.1ha vineyard. After just a handful of months, Winspear and Gourlay were harvesting their first crop from the excellent 2022 vintage.
The vineyard on the 18.5ha property has a long and significant history. It was first planted in 1972 by one of the West Tamar's pioneering vignerons, Ralph Power. Within two years of establishing the vineyard, Power became a foundation member of the Vineyards Association of Tasmania, forerunner of today's industry body, Wine Tasmania.
The first vines on Upper McEwans Road were trial plots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and the rare, multi-purpose hybrid, Baco Noir. The latter two were soon grafted over to Chardonnay and joined by Pinot Noir.
The vineyard lies on deep brown dermosols, rich in ironstone gravel and dolerite pebbles. A heavy clay sub-soil facilitates water retention, reducing vine stress over summer. A small creek at the bottom of the site connects the vineyard to the kanamaluka/Tamar below. This creates a natural breeze way that brings cooling air to vineyard rows and vine canopies.
Growing seasons are characterised by long, mild ripening conditions. Very cool nights prior to harvest favour wines with elegant structures and fine natural acidity.
Power learned his viticulture and winemaking craft on the job. In favourable vintages, he enjoyed remarkable success with his Cabernet Sauvignon, especially the 1984 release that received rave reviews from luminary critics including James Halliday.
Initially Chateau Elmslie, the venture became known as Powercourt until its founding family sold the property to the French family in March 2000.
Owners and operators of Frenchpine Scottsdale and Auspine, the Frenches expanded plantings from 1.5ha to 4.0ha with the addition of more Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with new Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. Further expansions to 7.1ha were joined by the construction of a new 300-tonne winery, in time for the 2006 vintage.
Homestead renovations duly followed. Then came the launch of a very attractive café, hospitality and function centre that enjoyed stunning panoramic vistas of the nearby kanamaluka/Tamar.
Indeed, the site was briefly known as 3 Mountain View, but then actively traded as Elmslie Wines until its sale to the current owners.
Winspear and Gourlay's Evenfall received rapturous acclaim for its 2022 wines, made under contract by Liam McElhinney, head winemaker at Tasmanian Vintners (formerly Winemaking Tasmania). Neighbouring winemaker and viticulturist Matthias Utzinger directs vineyard management on the site.
The Evenfall label honours the site's east-facing slopes and soft natural beauty as each day heads into twilight.
Within a year of taking occupancy of the site, Winspear and Gourlay were joined by Natalie Fryar (Bellebonne Wines) and husband Hugh McCullough (Wellington & Wolfe) in a long-term lease arrangement that now provides the couple with an operational winery and shared vineyard cellar door facility. The latter opened in late 2023.
Single vineyard wines – grown on the property and shaped by the seasons and those that work there – lie at the heart of the Evenfall cellar door experience. A beautifully styled and updated vineyard restaurant gives the wines table space in a boutique dining room setting.
The powerhouse triumvirate – trading online as the Tasmanian Wine Collective – makes this a Tamar Valley cellar door destination par excellence.
Key details:
- Richard Winspear: co-owner/operator
- Ben Gourlay: co-owner/operator
- Matthias Utzinger: contract viticulturist/vineyard manager
- Liam McElhinney: contract winemaker, Tasmanian Vintners
- Leeroy Gorman: Evenfall cellar door manager
Vineyard/cellar door address:
2 Upper McEwans Road, Legana TAS 7277
Telephone:
+ 61 (3) 6724 3726
Email:
info@evenfallwinery.com
Website:
www.evenfallwinery.com
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the Tamar Valley highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Consider: Grey Sands (MJT 17.3°C; 899 GDD) and Holm Oak Vineyards (MJT 18.1°C; 1234 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 Upper McEwans Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 743mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 346mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 164mm
- Mean January temperature: 18.4°C
- Growing degree-days: 1230 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: 18
*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: December 2025