Australia’s Winery of the Year celebrates family and the Apple Isle for its winning edge
Multi-award-winning Australian winery, including 2023 Halliday Australian Winery of the Year, Pooley Wines, continues to bolster its growing success and reputation, highlighting family values and its Tasmanian roots as major contributors to their finest triumphs.
As a three-generation family winery in the heart of The Coal River Valley in Campania, southern Tasmania, surrounded by post card scenery, including the picturesque town of Richmond, Pooley Wines emulates the best on what Tasmania has to offer – incomparable and industry-leading wine, coupled with an enviable family work ethic and unbreakable bond.
For the entire Pooley family, wine making was in their blood the moment Denis and Margaret Pooley set foot in Tasmania. And for nearly four decades, Pooley Wines has not only set the benchmark in creating superb, head-turning wines, especially with their award-winning Pinot Noir and in-demand Riesling, they have firmly cemented its place as a creator of premium Australian wine.
The tail end of 2022 will see Pooley Wines release a suite of majestic wines including Heritage Range wines (Flagship) 2021 Jack Denis Pooley Pinot Noir, 2021 Butcher’s Hill Oronsay Pinot Noir, 2021 Cooinda Vale Oronsay Pinot Noir and 2022 Cooinda Vale Pinot Rose – a magnificent end to an extraordinary year for Pooley Wines.
For each release, comes a huge responsibility to satisfy and succeed, and for Chief Wine Maker, Anna Pooley, the pressure of upholding the Pooley Wine legacy is a heavy, yet joyful one.
“From the very first drop created, Pooley Wines has been meticulous in the way we fine tune our wine-making craft. Our story is a humble one with my grandparents, Denis and Margaret Pooley planting seven rows of Pinot Noir and ten rows of Riesling on their 16-hectare farm at Cooinda Vale, Campania in 1985. It was supposed to be a side hustle for their retirement plan, but it soon turned out to be a full-blown love affair for all of us in the Pooley family,” Anna says.
“My grandparents instinctively knew they were in a special place to create extraordinary wines. From the microclimate here and the consistency of the fruit, they saw great results early in the journey.
“Dad (John Pooley) not only soaked up my grand parents’ vision, he and mum (Libby) ran with it with vigour. And fast forward 37 years, Pooley Wines now boasts two vineyards, including Butcher’s Hill, Richmond which was established in 2003, as well as a stunning heritage listed Georgian home, Prospect House, which is now a private hotel and restaurant.”
For 42-year-old Anna, she enveloped herself in the wine-making process at Pooley from an early age, experiencing the daily rituals as the norm.
However, for Anna, it was critical that for her to master the winemaking craft, she then ventured out of the Tasmanian cocoon, study winemaking in South Australia and work extremely hard in a suite of wineries in Australia and overseas including in Tuscany, Italy, to build her experiences and knowledge. Meanwhile, Anna’s brother Matthew and father John, expanded the vineyards to 12 Ha and planned the building of their own winery.
“Coming home to Pooley Wines in 2013 was a pivotal and perfect time for me. I was firmly ready to take on the huge responsibility as winemaker that my family had worked on so successfully three decades before me. Now, more than nine years in the job as Chief Winemaker, Pooley Wines continues to grow from strength to strength, expanding our repertoire of offerings, as well as fine tuning our flagship drops,” Anna says.
“At Pooley Wines, we don’t want our reputation to proceed us. We want every glass of our Pooley Wine to be an experience for our customers. Each drop of Pooley Wine is a taste of Tasmania – the purity and surrealness of a location that captivates your heart and your palette.
“Our recent award as Winery of the Year from the Halliday Wine Companion Awards, was not from being an overnight success – far from it. I think it is a testament to my grandparents’ vision in the mid 80’s when the first 17 vines were planted. That is why we are here today – their work and dedication in creating stunning wines back then is why we are still here now, thriving in this perfect cool-climate to produce exceptional and finessed wines that will remain with you.
“Pooley Wines is in such a unique position – with a very close and focussed family and the winery in such beautiful and bountiful location, these two key ingredients form a sound and unbreakable foundation to create extraordinary.”
