We speak to winemaker Samantha Connew about the latest Stargazer release, as well as her brand-new tasting room which is set to open on her vineyard in the Coal River Valley in late October. See how Dave Brookes scored the wines below.
There’s a bit going on right now for Samantha Connew. Between chairing interstate wine shows and overseeing the construction of her brand-new tasting room (thankfully in its final stages), she’s gearing up to release the latest vintage from her Stargazer label.
Sam established Stargazer in Southern Tasmania because of the similarities in climate and lifestyle to her native New Zealand, and because it was the only place in Australia where she could make pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling “at the level I want to do them at,” she says.
Although she still sources a little bit of fruit from the Brinktop vineyard in nearby Penna as well as the Marengo Road vineyard, which was purchased earlier this year by Overstory, fruit for the seven wines in her range mostly comes from the now-5ha Palisander vineyard she bought in Tea Tree in the Coal River Valley in 2016 – although only the Palisander Pinot Noir and Palisander Riesling are 100 per cent estate-grown.
“Over the past almost 10 years, we’ve gained an understanding of our site and what works and what doesn’t, and how each season is going to play out,” says Sam.
“A big transition for me with Stargazer, as opposed to some of the other positions I’ve held in larger wine companies where it’s all about consistency and uniformity, is that we want the wines to reflect the vintage. It’s about celebrating the variation and the quirks of each vintage, getting that into bottle and telling people that story.”
Until Fogarty acquired it earlier this year, Sam also worked as consultant winemaker for Pressing Matters. But for her, the takeover “is actually a good news story,” she says.
“For the first time [since my label was established in 2013], I’m able to give Stargazer 100 per cent of my attention. It’s also underlined how important it is to be resilient, and how doing things for yourself is always the best path. That’s the dream, isn’t it?”
It’s also given her time to focus on the tasting room she’s set to open later this month. Built into a hillside with a cantilevered front half, the cosy, timber-lined space features a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows that provide unfettered views over the Palisander vineyard. Three guided tastings will be held per day at the single, long table with space for 12, and the tasting room will also host events, including collaborative dinners.
The latest Stargazer wines – including the 2024 Palisander Pinot Noir, 2024 Palisander Riesling, 2024 Tasmania Chardonnay, 2024 Kura Shiraz Pinot Noir, 2025 Coal River Valley Riesling, 2025 Tupelo Pinot Gris Riesling Gewurztraminer Pinot Blanc, and 2025 Rada Pinot Meunier Pinot Noir Gamay – will be released in September and October. See how Dave Brookes scored them below.
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