One of the first things winemaker Sam Connew did when she moved to Tasmania almost a decade ago was to enjoy lunch with friends at Fat Pig Farm at Cygnet.
Connew loved the way celebrity chef Matthew Evans shared food and wine with guests around a communal table, where conversations and interactions with strangers were just as important as the meal itself.
So, when it came time to design and build her own Stargazer tasting room at Palisander Vineyard at Tea Tree, that communal table feel was at the forefront of Connew's mind.
Her newly-opened venue, designed by McGuire and Devine Architects, is a modern mix of timber and glass that offers views of the surrounding vineyard and kunanyi/Mt Wellington in the distance.
Hour-long guided tastings are held three times a day, Friday to Monday - visitors can see the 11ha property's chickens, sheep, bee hives and olive grove, appreciate the 5ha of vines where the wine grapes are grown, meet Connew's beloved chocolate labrador, and be introduced to the seven wines Connew makes under her Stargazer label, which include pinot, chardonnay, two rieslings, a shiraz/pinot blend, a pinot meunier/pinot noir/gamay blend, and Tupelo - a pinot gris/riesling/gewurztraminer/pinot blanc blend.
Connew says she wants visitors to feel comfortable and welcome, like they're "walking into someone's really lovely living room or dining room".
"The whole idea is that we have a beautiful, custom-built, bespoke communal table which seats 12 people," Connew explains.
"It's very much about having a chat about wine, about Tasmania, and about Stargazer obviously - but also trying to makewine accessible. We're not about being intimidating or scary. That's the whole idea, being seated around a table with like-minded people. What I love is that we've had complete strangers striking up conversations, it's a good opportunity to chat to the person next to you while drinking some great wines around a beautiful table in a cantilevered building that feels like it is suspended above the vineyard."
Originally from New Zealand, Connew began an arts/law degree in Christchurch after leaving school, but her part-time job at a wine bar sparked a passion for fine food and drinks and prompted her to change paths and study winemaking and viticulture instead.
She worked in Italy, Spain, the US, and Australia, including stints in the McLaren Vale and Hunter Valley wine regions, before packing up her dog and wine collection and moving to Tasmania in early 2016 to set up Stargazer in the Coal River Valley.
While living in the Hunter Valley, Connew had been sourcing fruit from Tasmanian vineyards and could see that Tasmania was the perfect place to live and make wine.
Connew was recently named the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology's 2025 Winemaker of the Year, in recognition not only of the wines she produces but also of her broader contributions to the wine industry, including as a wine judge and a member of various boards.
"When I started Stargazer... it was a solo project driven by a deep conviction that Tasmania's Coal River Valley - with its unique soils and cool, bright climate - had the potential to produce world-class, site-specific riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir," she says.
"Over the past decade, this has grown from a fledgling idea to the stunning little vineyard we call Palisander, and now our newly opened tasting room."
With her small team of dedicated staff Connew says she's "more inspired that ever" to continue her "pursuit of purity, txture, and elegance" making small-batch wines in her perfect little patch of Tasmania.
