“Wines from Peter Dredge are refined in their proportions. Flavour is always at the forefront, yet it’s the purity, structure and length of the wines that make them truly outstanding.” Toni Paterson MW, Gourmet Traveller WINE“Meadowbank’s vineyard is one of the most important in Tasmanian wine; a whole host of the best quality and most interesting Tasmanian wine brands source fruit from it. The label and winery itself has had a bit of a hiatus but renowned winemaker Peter Dredge has teamed up with the Ellis family to kick things back into life.” Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front Earlier this year we saw the first releases from the Meadowbank-Dredge Sparkling program. Our petition for a public holiday to mark the occasion has yet to be answered. Hot on the heels of the 2018 Blanc de Noirs, we’re delighted to offer the new vintage, a wine described by its colourful maker as “bloody delicious”. Unlike its predecessor, the 2019 was vinified in stainless steel, a decision made off-the-cuff, but the results of which Dredgey is delighted with, “I like the snappy freshness in this bottling… I might just do it like this again”. The 2017 Blanc de Blancs will be released early next year, so for now we have a very small amount of the 2016 still available (anyone with a keen interest in Australian sparkling wine would do well not to miss it).Moving onto the still wines, the tales of good fortune for vintage 2022 have made their way down south. Although the east coast of Tasmania “had an absolute shocker” and took the brunt of the rain, the Meadowbank site (nestled in the Derwent Valley) managed to steal through significantly less scathed. Yields were down some 25% but, from listening to Peter—and from what we have tasted thus far—the wines are in dangerously good form.When it comes to Riesling, Pete concedes that his vintage in the Mosel Valley in 2005 was a game changer. “German Riesling winemaking was effectively the opposite of what we learnt at University. In Germany it was effectively oxidising everything and making it in a bathtub. But the Rieslings were absolutely stunning. It threw everything I’d learned out the door.” Pete swears his 2022 is the best Riesling he’s made at Meadowbank, declaring “you and I will be dead before this wine is”. Macabre predictions aside, the 2022 Meadowbank Riesling is an outright triumph.Finishing with the limited-release Gamay: this year, only Meadowbank’s oldest-vine Gamay fruit was put through carbonic, whereas the younger vine material was destemmed to highlight the cool year and capture all the vibrant fruit intensity from the long ripening period. It’s the kind of disarming drink that wine bars were invented for. For full information on Meadowbank and to see the full range, click here.