The name Jansz pays homage to Tasmania’s namesake, the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman who first sighted the island in 1642. In fact, when it was established in 1975, the Jansz vineyard was originally named after Tasman’s ship, the Heemskerk. In 1986, esteemed Champagne house - Louis Roederer partnered with the owners of Heemskerk Wines to produce Tasmania’s first premium vintage sparkling wine. They saw the similarities between the climate here and the famous wine region of their homeland. In 1997, the Hill-Smith family purchased the vineyard and began the journey that has seen Jansz Tasmania become the most highly regarded sparkling wine house in Australia.
Location of Vineyard
The Jansz Tasmania vineyard sits to the northeast of the island state within the Pipers River region of the Tamar Valley. This cool little corner is colloquially known as ‘Sparkling Tasmania’. Temperatures here are moderated by close proximity to Bass Strait. The ocean breezes keep the temperature up during winter – minimising risk of frost, and down in summer – allowing our grapes to ripen slowly and develop intense, delicate and refined flavours. Resting on a bed of pure, red, free-draining basalt soils, the Jansz vineyard truly is the perfect site to grow grapes for world-class sparkling wines.
Winemaking Philosophy
The climatic conditions of the Jansz vineyard rival the famed French wine region of Champagne. In fact, it was originally with French contribution that Jansz became Tasmania’s first sparkling made using the traditional Méthode. Today we call it, Méthode Tasmanoise. It’s the essence of a partnership between the environment and our winemaker. Just as the cool Tasmanian climate creates spectacular beauty in nature, it is also instrumental in the creation of art in bottles. At Jansz, our focus is on the vineyard. We believe the vineyard is where the wine is born. Every day during the growing season, our winemaker walks the vines and tastes the grapes to gain an intimate understanding of each of our twenty three one-hectare blocks. This experience informs every decision we make from picking to fermenting. Our focus on the vineyard has been instrumental in establishing Jansz Tasmania as Australia’s sparkling wine specialist.