Vision of sparkling future

Gone are the days when historic Richmond and the surrounding Coal River Valley were known for little more than low-intensity farming and their rich convict heritage. Janet and Bill Casimaty have helped to change all that.

Buoyed along by a steady trickle of successful investments and abundant water from the nearby Craigbourne Irrigation Scheme, the couple today are partners in business ventures as diverse as wool-growing, essential oils production, and Strathayr Instant Lawn.

Since 1975, they've also been pioneers in Tasmania's cool climate wine industry.

"It's been two decades since we planted our first experimental vineyard," recalled Bill Casimaty at a recent open day at Tolpuddle Vineyard.

Owned jointly with Victorian wine luminaries Gary Crittenden (Dromana Estate) and Dr Tony Jordan (Domaine Chandon), Tolpuddle marks the pioneering exploits of the district's early convict settlers.

Numbered among them was one George Loveless, leader of the so-called Tolpuddle Martyrs. A Methodist preacher from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle in England, Loveless was one of six agricultural labourers wrongfully transported to the colonies in 1834 for their dissident attempts at 19th-century trade unionism.

"Loveless lived on our GlenAyr property while he was in Tasmania," Janet Casimaty said.

"It was while he was living here he found out he'd been freed and would be allowed to return to England... We thought it would be good for this new vineyard project to have a name with a bit of an historic background."

The couple's first foray into cool climate viticulture began at GlenAyr with a small trial plot spanning one-hectare. It was established with the advice of John Purbrick, then managing director of Victoria's renowned Chateau Tahbilk in the Goulburn Valley.

Purbrick recommended a cautionary approach, with seven grape varieties being planted on the east-facing site outside Richmond. It was an eclectic selection: Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

In 1988 - more than a decade later - Tolpuddle Vineyard sprang into life nearby. Today, the multi-million dollar joint venture occupies 14ha of hillside slopes overlooking GlenAyr.

Somewhat ironically, the site was formerly known in the district as Poverty Point.

"We started to research this area about 24 years ago," Casimaty noted.

"There's no doubt that had we gone commercial at the time of our first planting we would have made quite a few mistakes."

Far from being consigned to the scrap-heap of history, the Casimaty family believes those initial investigations opened their eyes to a sparkling wine future. Indeed, Tolpuddle Vineyard now looks set to become the jewel in the crown of the Coal River Valley's recent forays into wine production.

Its 50:50 mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines supplies Domaine Chandon with high-quality base wine material for bottle-fermented sparkling wine production. The Yarra Valley operation is an offshoot of the prestigious Champagne House of Moët and Chandon.

"Domaine Chandon is planning to make a flagship Cuveé Tasmania, just from Tolpuddle fruit," Casimaty added.

"If all goes well, it will be at the top of their range in Australia. It will have the same place here that Moët and Chandon's top wine - Dom Perignon - has in their country."

That's some vision.

First published 13 April 1995: The Advocate