stefano lubiana wines tasmania 2010

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES


Stefano Lubiana Wines is a small, family-owned wine company located at Granton, outside Hobart, in the cool climate winegrowing region of Tasmania.

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Tasmania is a wonderfully rewarding place to grow grapes and make wine. It’s cool, the light here is great, and there are four distinct seasons. ”

Steve Lubiana,

owner Stefano Lubiana Wines


42°50’ S

TASMANIA NEW ZEALAND

Hobart 42°50’ S Arthur’s Pass 42°50’ S

1°00’ latitude ~ 111km

230km south of Hobart Cromwell, CO 45°01’ S


42°50’

“If you try to make climatic comparisons with Europe, they don’t work. We have many different influences here.” Steve Lubiana


42°50’

“In theory, our latitude makes us warmer than Burgundy. We’re actually cooler because we’re more maritime.” Steve Lubiana


Granton Vineyard

Total area under vine is 18ha


“Our vineyard overlooks the river. The site has great cold air drainage. That helps us remain frost-free in spring.” Steve Lubiana


“Our lower slopes contain lots of coarse, well-drained gravels. Heat accumulation promotes early vine activity.” Steve Lubiana


“Our upper slopes have finer, more silty/loamy gravels than lower down the hill. They’re ideal for Pinot Noir.” Steve Lubiana

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Tasmania has a wonderful, relaxed lifestyle for bringing up a young family. It’s small and there are very few real pressures. It’s much the same for everyone around our vineyard and winery.”

Steve Lubiana,


STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Being a stiff close soil, it is perhaps adapted to the growth of grape vines rather than grain.”

Lieutenant George Bass,

Journal describing the Derwent River estuary

December 1798


“Monique and I first came to Tasmania on our honeymoon in 1989. We fell in love with the orchard and berry fruits we found growing here. We’d never before experienced such intensity of aroma and flavour.”Steve Lubiana,



“We bought our Granton property in 1990 and began planting vines there in the spring of 1991.”Steve Lubiana,



“Today, we have 18ha of vines, mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Nebbiolo making up the remaining plantings.”Steve Lubiana,


STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Right now, we also have an additional 7ha of Pinot Noir being planted on the site.”Steve Lubiana,


STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“It’s pretty much conventional cool climate viticulture at a glance… laying down the right number of buds; maintaining good shoot density and getting them nice and straight and vertical; making sure there’s no overlap in the canopy. All our blocks are on VSP trellising. The vines are cane-pruned.

Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines


“Since 2009, biodynamic practices have been used throughout the vineyard.”Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Composting is a very important part of our vineyard management. Compost is applied directly to the soils on all our vineyard sites. Rates vary according to plant needs.”Steve Lubiana,


STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Each compost brew is made using a mix of organic waste products, including grape marc, vine prunings, and organic fish waste. The compost is treated with a full range of biodynamic preps. They help with the creation of a rich and biologically diverse bacterial soup.” Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“When we combine good compost with Preparation 500 – created from the horn of a cow filled with cow manure – we get really good microbial activity going on in the vineyard.Steve Lubiana,


STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“According to biodynamics, the calendar follows the passage of the three moon cycles and the planetary paths through the 12 different constellations. Each constellation exerts its own unique elemental influences of either water, earth, air and fire and is reflected in a plant’s leaves, roots, fruits and flowers.”Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“For each sign of the zodiac shown on the calendar, there are subdivisions referred to as leaf, root, fruit and flower days. When vineyard activities are timed on ‘fruit’ days, you get real improvements in aroma, flavour and vitality of the fruit.” Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines


“The idea that the planets or stars might affect soil and vines may seem odd, but growers all over the world have begun to look for kinder, gentler ways of working within their environments.”

Steve Lubiana, owner Stefano Lubiana Wines

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STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“In 2009, we bought our first babydoll sheep. We’re using them for de-suckering and under vine weed management.”Steve Lubiana,



“Low inputs isn’t what’s driven us into biodynamics. It’s about respect for the land and producing top quality fruit in an Earth-friendly environment.”

Steve Lubiana,



In May 2010, Decanter's Andrew Jefford named Steve Lubiana as one of Australia's ten bravest winemakers: “their wines accurately, uncompromisingly and sometimes beautifully reflect their origins. They are like nothing else on earth.”

STEFANO LUBIANA WINES“Winemaking courage requires three strengths. First, a pursuit of the highest quality ideals. In wine, these are usually founded on a respect for terroir. Second is the readiness to take risks in pursuit of these ideals. Third, you need single-mindedness to resist fashions, fads, compromises and cliches.” Andrew Jefford, Decanter, May 2010


For more information, log on to www.slw.com.au


For images, log on to http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefano_lubiana_wines/


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stefano lubiana wines tasmania 2010

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