Sparkling future

Young Einstein might well have been the first Tasmanian to put bubbles into beer – should you believe Hollywood folklore – but there's no doubting who was the first in the in the current era to put bubbles into Tasmanian wine. That honour clearly rests with Heemskerk Wines founder, Graham Wiltshire. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the conception of the sparkling wine we know today as Jansz. 

Named after the skipper of the vessel that accompanied Abel Tasman on his voyage of discovery in 1642, Heemskerk's Jansz was born of a long-held conviction that the State possessed great potential for the production of bottle-fermented wine.

What followed was an eight-year, French-Australian venture between the famous Champagne House of Louis Roederer and a syndicate of local investors. That lasted until mid-1994, when leading local businessman Josef Chromy bought Heemskerk and literally took back the farm.

Decades earlier, Chromy had fled his homeland of Czechoslovakia, two years after the country came under Soviet occupation in 1948. As a penniless immigrant, he'd made a new start in Tasmania, creating his own flagship smallgoods operation, Blue Ribbon Meats. His move into the Tasmanian wine industry came last year with acquisition of Rochecombe and Heemskerk Vineyards.

"I saw that Tasmania had potential to make great wine," Chromy says.

"Wine that will not only be nationally best, but will be among the best in the world."

Not surprisingly, Chromy is enthused with his company's attempts at forging a strong local industry based on sparkling wine production.

"Jansz is an absolutely beautiful sparkling wine. It can stand up to any sparkling wine in Australia, even the best ones. It can stand up internationally as well."

While conceding that small is beautiful, Chromy intends to quickly address problems of supply that could hinder his company's pursuit of its goals.

"When we heard that there were not enough vines to produce quantities to promote the wines nationally and internationally, we started another vineyard," he adds.

"We've opened a new vineyard on the West Tamar. It's being developed in record time and we still have to put in more vines. Then we can offer to people dealing with our wines 12 months of the year supply. We cannot live with offering our wines for only three months of the year."

Tied in with the company's recent expansion is a new phase in Jansz's development – the appointment of Steve Goodwin as new general manager of Tamar Valley Wines, Heemskerk's parent company.

Goodwin a highly respected winemaker, formerly from the north-east Victorian producer Baileys Wines. He is also an accredited national wine show judge who regularly takes part in the Royal Hobart Wine Show.

Goodwin joins the company early next month. It's an appointment that prompts a sense of great expectation in the company's owner.

"Steve Goodwin has tremendous experience in wine judging and winemaking," Chromy says.

"He would be one of Australia's best palates. He will have a senior winemaker and a winemaker with assistants under him, as well as a viticulturist, too."

Goodwin should be suitably impressed by his new employer's rapid rate of progress.

Developments at Rochecombe Vineyard already include new roads and several large dams connected to massive diesel pumps and a vast network of spray irrigation. Frost is a major risk on the Pipers River site.

Extensions to the Rochecombe cellar door restaurant are already underway, along with erection of a new greenhouse and installation of an ultra-modern computer network.

Goodwin's arrival is likely to set off more than just champagne corks in the company's boardroom.

First published 26 January 1995: The Advocate