Southern Lights

A cool climate and unique landscape set southern Tasmania’s wine region apart, writes ALIX DAVIS.

- Alix Davis

There comes a time in a woman’s life when she must seize control of her own destiny. For Charlotte Badger, that moment came in 1806 when she, along with another female convict bound for domestic servitude in Van Diemen’s Land, convinced the crew of the Venus to stage a mutiny. While the captain – who had a penchant for flogging the ship’s female company for entertainment – was ashore on Tasmania’s north coast, the ship slipped its anchor and set sail for New Zealand and freedom.

Badger’s story struck a chord with winemaker Greer Carland, who heard it and thought, “I want a bit of that.” And so she created a boutique wine label, Quiet Mutiny, in the convict’s honour. Already an accomplished winemaker for her parents’ vineyard Laurel Bank, and with experience in France, North America and Chile, Carland quietly released her first pinot noir, Venus Rising, in 2017 to rave reviews. It quickly sold out.

Based in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, less than 30 minutes from Hobart, Carland uses grapes from the Laurel Bank vines and the nearby Coal Valley to produce sparkling, riesling, pinot noir and syrah that can be found in boutique bottle shops and a select group of restaurants. Although she doesn’t grow her own grapes, she has long-term commitments with these growers.

“I don’t want to be a flash in the pan. I want customers to get familiar with my style,” says Carland, while pouring a glass of her award-winning 2018 pinot noir in a vineyard with an expansive view of the Derwent River. However, she adds, “we really feel the seasons in Tasmania, and that is reflected in the wine. I think it’s one of the charms of Tasmanian wine.”