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Huon Valley Wine and Cider Trail

• Kate Hill Wines - Huon Valley

The Huon Valley in southern Tasmania is a region renowned for its picturesque landscapes and flourishing agricultural industry. One of the highlights of the region is the cool climate Wines and Ciders. 

Huon valley wine & cider trail.

Whether you’re a connoisseur of fine wines and ciders, or simply appreciate the beauty of the countryside and the pleasures of good food and drink, the Huon Valley Wineries and Cider Trail is an experience not to be missed. Read on as we delve deeper into our favourite places, and explore some top destinations along the way.

1. Willie Smith’s Apple Shed

Willie Smith’s Apple Shed at Grove in the Huon Valley is an easy (and scenic) 25-minute drive from Hobart and offers a wonderful experience. An old apple packing shed built in 1942, The Apple Shed is the home of Willie Smith’s award-winning cider.

Taste their delicious cider, have a stickybeak at the distillery, and kick back with a scrumptious meal showcasing local, seasonal and sustainable produce.

Pop into the museum to discover the history of apple farming through the eyes of the Smith family and check out their Saturday morning produce market. Open year-round except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

2. Kate Hill Wines

Kate Hill Wines

Established in 2008, Kate and her husband Charles converted a historic 19th-century apple shed into a winery and tasting room. They then later incorporated a second site, where they established a four-hectare vineyard and cellar door. The cellar door is an intimate tasting room adjacent to an 1800s heritage-listed cottage.

Kate Hill is no stranger to the world of wine and has been a winemaker in some of the world’s premier wine-making regions including South Australia, France, California and Chile with a number of gold medals and trophies to her credit.

Take your time and relax in the Kate Hill Wines gardens and enjoy a bottle of wine while staring up the valley at the majestic Sleeping Beauty or Hartz Mountains National Park . And there is plenty of room for the kids to run around. 

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am – 4pm and at other times by appointment. Groups of 8 or more need to pre-book.

3. Home Hill Vineyard and Winery

Home Hill Winery reckon they’ve found and created the perfect place to enjoy the finer things in life, and we think they’re spot on.

Winning the most prestigious award, the Jimmy Watson trophy, in 2015 with their Kelly’s Pinot Noir, has cemented their position as one of the leading producers of Pinot Noir in Australia. Other cool climate wines include Chardonnay, Sylvaner, Sparkling Wine, and a Dessert wine are also available for tasting at their stunning rammed earth cellar door.

Views from the Restaurant are stunning. This Ranelagh country paradise boasts stunning views of the surrounding vines, pastures, livestock and the Sleeping Beauty and Wellington Mountain Ranges.

Enjoy the peace and quiet while sipping their award-winning wines and partaking in a delicious lunch, with the restaurant’s menu reflecting their proud Tasmanian heritage.

4. Frank’s Cider Bar & Cafe

Frank’s Cider Bar & Cafe

Let us be frank – you won’t want to miss this one! 

You’ll find Frank’s Cider Bar & Cafe in the former St John’s Church Hall (built in the 1870s) near the picture-perfect Franklin waterfront, just 40 minutes’ drive south of Hobart, overlooking the Huon River. 

With apples, pears and cherries all turning to liquid magic in Frank’s award-winning range, choose your favourite or taste them all!

Free tastings of Frank’s multi-award-winning ciders complement the Huon Valley country-style menu full of locally grown produce. Prepare to feast on seasonal delicacies such as smoked salmon from the pristine Huon River and fresh Tasmanian scallops. Seasonal fruits are the focus of the dessert menu, with cider featured in many dishes, such as Frank’s famous apple cider scones.

Franks Cider is made from apples and pears grown on the Clark family orchard in Franklin where they have been farming since 1836. Naomie Clark-Port, the families fifth generation apple and pear farmer started making Franks Cider, naming it in honour of her grandfather Frank Clark, which has won National awards and sold Australia wide.

Discover the family and regions apple growing history as you wander through their Museum. After lunch take a stroll along the banks of the Huon River and drop into the Wooden Boat Centre or take a cruise along the Huon River.

5. Harvest and Light

Harvest and Light is a unique combination of photo gallery and small-batch picklery. It is also the only tasting house in the Huon, showcasing a wide range of Tasmanian wine, spirits, cider and craft beer. The gallery includes both local landscapes and macro photographic artwork. 

The picklery sources and preserves the best of local, seasonal fruit and vegetables. You can choose to sit and enjoy a grazing platter highlighting the preserves made and sold on-site or enjoy a tasting flight of locally produced wine and spirits.

6. Pagan Cider

Pagan Cider is a boutique Tasmanian cider producer, located in the picturesque Huon Valley, about four kilometres north of Cygnet. A cruisy 45-minute drive south of Hobart, their intimate little tasting room is the southernmost cider cellar door in Australia, and the only one set in a working cherry orchard.

Pagan Cider is a ‘whole-fruit’ cider. This means they only use real, whole fruit to make our cider, as you would expect, without adding sugar, at any production stage. All you’ll taste in their refreshing ciders is the natural lushness of real Tasmanian fruit.

The Pagan Shed is their spiritual home, nestled next to a cherry orchard in the heart of the Huon Valley. Here you can sample their entire range of ciders in their intimate little tasting room. As well as their signature apple, pear and cherry blends, you’ll find four or more special small-batch ciders of the season. Stay a while and enjoy a glass or two in their sunny courtyard, or in the family-friendly event space. During summer, the occasional food truck cools its wheels in their courtyard on weekends.

7. Elsewhere Vineyard

Always wishing you were elsewhere? Well, now you can be. Elsewhere Vineyard is a family-owned vineyard specialising in cool-climate Pinot Noir, Rosé, Chardonnay, Riesling and the less common Gewürztraminer. Just a short drive from the picturesque town of Cygnet . Elsewhere is situated in Glaziers Bay, overlooking the stunning Huon River in southern Tasmania.

Elsewhere is not just a vineyard, it is also a working farm with an assortment of friendly animals including miniature sheep, chickens, pigs and cows, providing an interesting distraction for those looking for more than just wine tasting.

At the very relaxed cellar door, Owen will take you through the wines available for sampling, as well as provide some history about the vineyard, explain how the wine is grown, and what life is like owning a vineyard and farm. So whether it’s sampling superb Pinot or patting Patsy the pig, be sure to come and visit this tranquil part of the beautiful Huon Valley.

8. Two Bud Spur Vineyard

Two Bud Spur is a boutique vineyard nestled in the heart of Gardners Bay in Tasmania’s Huon Valley winery region. First established in 1996, they are one of Tasmania’s southernmost vineyards, producing cool climate wines of exceptional quality.

Their wines use traditional wine-making practices, small-batch fermentation and minimal intervention. They recognise that good wine starts in the vineyard hence their focus on viticultural practices that ensure low yields and intensely flavoured grapes, resulting in high-quality wines. 

The Two Bud Spur, eco-friendly winery and cellar door are open each weekend through summer (December to March, inclusive) from 11am to 5pm, or other times by appointment.

9. Hartzview Vineyard

Hartzview Vineyard at Gardners Bay is multi-talented, offering a range of wines, ports, liqueurs, mead and cassis for you to sample. Spectacular views, wherever you look, are a feature at Hartzview, looking across vineyard slopes and Port Cygnet to the Hartz mountains.

Enjoy tastings from estate-grown, hand-picked Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and chardonnays. Tastings also of unique preservative-free fruit fortified wines and liqueurs. 

All are made from 100% high-quality Tasmanian fruit. Ranging from the dryer Blackcurrant Port (similar in style to a Tawny Port), Blackberry, Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Tasmanian Cassis and Spiced Apple Liqueur Mead.

The Hartzview Wine Centre incorporates the Cafe, Gallery and Providore. You can also treat yourself to a night in their self-contained spa accommodation. 

History buffs will particularly enjoy the self-guided walk to the sensitively-restored fruit picker’s huts , home to workers and their families and Italian Prisoners of War in the early 1900s.

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We acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their enduring custodianship of lutruwita / Tasmania. We honour 40,000 years of uninterrupted care, protection and belonging to these islands, before the invasion and colonisation of European settlement.

As a destination that welcomes visitors to these lands, we acknowledge our responsibility to represent to our visitors, Tasmania’s deep and complex history, fully, respectfully and truthfully.

We acknowledge the Aboriginal people who continue to care for this country today. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We honour their stories, songs, art, and culture, and their aspirations for the future of their people and these lands. We respectfully ask that tourism be a part of that future.

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Tasmanian Cider Trail

It’s the people that make Tasmanian cider special. Discover these characters, the stories, the love and the passion that goes into crafting every bottle of Tasmanian cider.

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In a truly unique and captivating adventure, explore Tasmania’s ciders and meet the passionate people behind them on a guided ‘cider tour’ trail. Meet the makers and uncover the stories, the dedication and the passion of Tasmania’s cider makers. Pair your favourite Tasmanian cider with world-class local recipes as you discover the simplicity and freshness of local produce.

While learning about the varieties of ciders you can even get a history lesson on the state itself. Like how did Tasmania become known as the Apple Isle? It seems obvious in retrospect – how could somewhere nicknamed the Apple Isle not be amazing at making cider? But it actually took Tasmania over 100 years to become renowned for fermenting its fruit. Whether traditional drops made from honest-to-goodness cider apples, or sweeter, bubblier new varieties that draw from Tasmania’s existing dessert and culinary apples, this unique bunch of ciders is made with passion, love and natural ingredients.

For more information on tours and the history of Tasmanian cider click here.

Image Credits: Tourism Tasmania, Jonathan Wherrett, William Smiths & Sons & Ali Nasseri

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Drink Tasmania Signature Full Day Tour (wine, cider, beer & spirit)

Our Signature Tour allows you to sample the finest of Tasmania's cider, wine, beer and spirit all in one fabulous day. Designed to experience the best of Tasmania's award-winning craft beverages.

• Duration: 8 Hours (approx.)

Cider and Wine Half Day Tour

Our Cider and Wine Half Day Tour takes you on a journey to the Huon Valley to taste award winning cider and wine from the heart of the Apple Isle. This is the morning half of our Signature Tour.

• Duration: 4 Hours (approx.)

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Our Tasmanian Whisky Tour gives you the opportunity to visit 3 distilleries in a single day, taste up to ten Tasmanian single malt whiskies, meet the whisky makers and go behind the scenes of the distillation process.

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Visit 3 Tasmanian Gin Distilleries on Tasmania's first dedicated Gin Tour! Smell, touch and taste unique botanicals that make up the many varieties of world class Tasmanian gin. Gin tastings, Lunch and Wine Tasting included.

Drink Tasmania Premium Wine Tour

Be introduced to 4 of southern Tasmania’s best wine experiences on our full day wine tour.

Drink Tasmania Great Eastern Tasting Tour

On our full day wine tour, we will visit 5 iconic producers/providers of some of Tasmania’s best wines and some gin and whisky on the side. Guided by experts, you will taste a wide range of award winning, hand crafted, cool climate wines.

• Duration: 9 Hours (approx.)

Drink Tasmania Pinot in Paradise

On our full day Pinot in Paradise Tour, we will visit 5 iconic producers/providers of some of Tasmania’s best wines and some gin and whisky on the side.

• Duration: 10 Hours (approx.)

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Frank’s Ciderhouse & Café

Cellar door, free tasting, apple museum and orchard tours.

Frank’s Cider was established in 2012 by Tony Port and Naomie Clark-Port, who is the 5 th generation of the Clark Family to farm at “Woodside”, Franklin. The ciders are named after Naomie’s Grandfather Frank, who farmed in Franklin all his life. They are 100% Tasmanian fruit, and the apples and pears are grown by the family. Cherries are sourced from the Huon Valley, and raspberries from the Derwent Valley. Frank’s multi award-winning ciders are medium sweet and sparkling. They are naturally fruity and have no added sugar or gluten. The range includes apple, pear, cherry/pear and raspberry pear blends. The apples and pears include heritage varieties, and many of the trees were planted by Frank, and still yield well. The ciders are produced at Vintners Tasmania in Cambridge, as the family do not have the capacity for their own factory.

The Experience

Frank’s Cider House and Café in Franklin, is the cellar door of Frank’s Cider. It is located in the former St John’s Church Hall, which is now a cosy heritage space with wood fires and Huon Valley produce, featured on the menu. Tony and Naomie are very keen to support other local producers and use Huon Valley dairy products, locally raised meats, and Tassal salmon. They also grow as much produce as possible (including their own beef) and produce award-winning preserves to complement the dishes offered. There are also items such as local honey, woodcraft, soaps and small artwork for sale.

Frank’s Cider House and Café also has a museum room displaying vintage apple industry memorabilia, and many old photos of Franklin and the Clark Family, who were pioneer settlers in the 1830s.

Naomie has a keen interest in local history, and is continually upgrading the museum room.

She also operates tours of the heritage “Woodside Orchard”. These leave from Frank’s Cider House, and take visitors on a guided walk around the orchard, where they can pick fruit (in March or April). They will learn about the apple industry in the Huon Valley, and the history of the Apple Isle. As there is a great interest in farm animals, Tony and Naomie make sure there are always some cattle close by for hand feeding, and Oscar the Kelpie is always a great companion!

There are several companies who bring tour groups in the warmer months.

These sometimes include both Frank’s and the Wooden Boat Centre in their itinerary, or lunch, cider tasting and orchard tour with Naomie as the guide.

Tony and Naomie have recently purchased St John’s Church and Cemetery which are located on the hill just behind Frank’s Cider House and Café.  They are in the process of restoring the colonial headstones and renovating the church. They have received grant funding for cemetery repairs, and to install an interpretive signage walk through the cemetery, as an added attraction for Franklin. Naomie is very excited with this project, as her great great great grandfather is buried in the cemetery, along with the 4 successive generations of the Clark family.

More information on Frank’s Ciderhouse & Cafe

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