Liberty Wines lists its first Tasmanian producer

Published: 05 February, 2013

Liberty Wines has been appointed as the exclusive agent in the UK and Ireland for Dawson & James from Southern Tasmania.

The range is the brainchild of Australian winemakers Peter Dawson and Tim James, who between them have 60 years of winemaking experience under their belts.

Dawson and James first met in 1976 when they were both working at Hardy & Sons, where they continued to work alongside each other for 20 years. They have since moved on to different projects, including Willunga 100 in McLaren Vale for James, before coming back together to produce a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the Dawson & James line.

The wines come from the Meadowbank Vineyard, situated around 60km north-west of Hobart. The vines were planted in the cool climate site in 1989, at 70 metres above the river level. The soil is a combination of sandy loams, structured clays and sandstone rock.

David Gleave MW, managing director at Liberty Wines, said: "Our Australian portfolio covers most of the country's premium wine growing areas, but Tasmania has always been a gap. With Dawson & James, I think we are beginning to see the great potential that Tasmania has for producing wines that combine superb fruit intensity and a brilliant balancing acidity."

The debut 2010 vintage releases of the Dawson & James Chardonnay (rrp £46.99) and Pinot Noir (rrp £54.99) will be available from next month.

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