A lifestyle change seven years ago paid dividends for Winter Brook Vineyard owners Nicole and Frank Huisman.
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The Loira couple are celebrating after winning a gold medal for their sparkling 2013 Blanc de Noir Pinot Noir wine at the Australian Small Winemakers Show.
Winter Brook also won a silver medal for its 2016 cider at the Australian Cider Awards and picked up a bronze medal for 2016 chardonnay at the National Cool Climate Wine Show.
This was the first year for Winter Brook’s sparkling wine and cider releases, so to win medals for them is significant, Mrs Huisman said.
“We’re pretty stoked. We are a boutique vineyard and there are some big players out there,” Mrs Huisman said.
“It’s competitive, but everyone is happy for you,” she said.
“[The awards] all came in one week, so that was funny,” Mr Huisman said.
The couple moved to the Tamar Valley in July 2010 to get away from their busy commuter lifestyle in Amsterdam.
Mrs Huisman worked at the European Space Agency and Mr Huisman as a soil engineer, which he continues to do in Tasmania.
Winter Brook was a 0.6-hectare hobby vineyard when the couple bought it, but they have since expanded it to 3.25 hectares, growing pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay, riesling and sauvignon blanc grapes.
They also built a cellar door and winery and planted two new Euopean grape varieties: dornfelder from Germany and blaufrankisch from Austria.
“We are pioneering these grapes in the Tamar Valley and expect them to really take off,” Mrs Huisman said.
The couple are hoping to have success with their new grape varieties, but will continue working with vineyard favourites.
“Every vintage is different. You just have to negotiate with Mother Nature,” Mrs Huisman said.
“We use minimal intervention and make local wines from local vines,” she said.
“We take it as it comes. We just make the wine from the fruit as we get it,” Mr Huisman said.