Small Wonder gets a lot bigger

Overstory, owners of Tamar Valley wine brand Small Wonder, has announced the acquisition of a 24-hectare vineyard in the Coal River Valley. 

The strategic acquisition just east of Richmond and 20 minutes from Hobart marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth and expands its footprint into another of Tasmania’s most celebrated cool-climate wine regions.

Small Wonder, known for its premium organic wines and formerly known as Goaty Hill, recently opened a new state-of-the-art winery in January 2024. 

The acquisition of the Marengo Road vineyard in the Coal River Valley will enable Overstory to double its production volume in Tasmania over the next three years, allowing for portfolio expansion and growth in both domestic and international markets.

Fruit from the vineyard has previously been used by premium producers including Bubb and Pooley.

"We are thrilled to broaden our presence in Tasmania and take this next step in enhancing the quality and variety of our wine offerings,” said Paul McArdle, CEO at Overstory.

"Consistent with our approach at our Tamar Valley location, we are committed to achieving organic certification for the Coal River Valley vineyard over the next three years, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable, high-quality winemaking practices."

The recently acquired vineyard, planted between 2017 and 2019, features a diverse mix ofbcool-climate varietals, with predominantly pinot noir and chardonnay along with small amounts of shiraz, riesling, pinot gris and viognier.  

Overstory says the purchase cements “the company’s position as one of Tasmania’s leading producers of cool-climate wines”. 

I co-incidentally tried two excellent Small Wonder pinots this week. The future looks bright. 

Small Wonder Wines unveils big plans

Small Wonder, a relative newcomer to the wine scene in Tasmania, is taking big steps. 

The Tamar Valley producer, formerly known as Goaty Hill, has begun construction on an on-site winery at its organic vineyard that will be ready for vintage 2024.

Until now, the Small Wonder wines have been made at a contract facility in Hobart.

The new facility has been driven by a desire to curate their own winemaking story. 

The winery will allow for 100% of the winemaking process to be performed on site, reducing transport costs and emissions, and providing complete control over every aspect of the operation.

In bushland just behind the Small Wonder cellar door, the winery will encompass three buildings. 

Winemaker Andrew Trio says: “We wanted the winery to be a calm and well-organised space, even during the busy peak of harvest when large volumes of grapes are being processed. An efficient layout minimises double handling and allows more time for attention to detail in the wine. 

"It’s exciting to know we will be in the winery for the 2024 vintage. Making our wine on site will provide a deeper understanding of the expression of our fruit and more opportunities to explore techniques to bring our vineyard’s unique qualities to life in the wine.”

Small Wonder CEO Paul McArdle commented that “the winery construction will be the culmination of three years’ detailed consideration and design". 

Using 100% green energy, the winery has been designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind. The buildings are being constructed using native spotted gum and steel cladding manufactured and installed by a local company. 

The Small Wonder vineyard consists of twenty hectares of  pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris with an additional four hectares of vines soon to be planted. 

Once complete, the new winery will have the capacity to produce 250 tonnes/16,000 cases of wine each year.

For more info see www.smallwonderwines.com.au

Meet Tasmania's newest wine brand

Goaty Hill was one of the Tamar Valley's standout producers, making excellent wines across the board, among them one of Tasmania's consistently finest rieslings.

Goaty Hill was sold a while back and in its place has emerged Small Wonder, a new brand with experienced operators at the helm.

CEO Paul McArdle and winemaker Andrew Trio are transitioning the former Goaty Hill vineyards to organic practices and have released their first wines - along with opening a refreshed cellar - in time for spring.

The Small Wonder wines have launched ahead of their sister brand - Wayfinder Wines, which is due to debut in mid 2023 in Margaret River, Western Australia.

Trio will split his time between the two states. He was head winemaker at boutique winery Corliss Estates in Walla Walla, Washington state, for decade, returning to Australia in 2018.

Small Wonder's publicity blurb says it will focus on "responsibly made, small-production wines that come from a vineyard with a focus on sustainability and growing exceptional fruit".

These first releases include riesling, pinot noir and chardonnay with 2022 rosé, sauvignon blanc, and pinot gris just coming onto the market.

CEO McArdle has worked for several leading Margaret River producers, as well as with Must Wine Bar in Perth.

“Small Wonder is committed to making everything we touch better," he says.

"With the rare opportunity to build two wine businesses from scratch, we feel it’s an obligation to be committed to better practices, better vineyards, better processes, and better wines.

"Ultimately we want to make small local efforts that connect us to the movement that brings global change; and that connects us to our community - all while creating interesting wines that celebrate the vineyards.”

Currently in transition to becoming certified organic, Small Wonder is working towards achieving carbon neutral status and using 100% green energy.

Small Wonder wines are available to purchase now from www.smallwonderwines.com.au. I will be doing a tasting over the next few weeks to see how they stack up.