BRL Hardy has bought the old Rochecombe vineyard and winery from Pipers Brook, becoming the first of Australia’s large four companies to own a winery facility and cellar door presence in Tasmania. When it went public in 1998 Pipers Brook also purchased Rochecombe and Heemskerk, re-establishing the Rochecombe facility as the Ninth Island winery and cellar door. Now, since it really no longer needs the additional processing facilities and wishes to reduce its gearing, Pipers Brook has sold the 120 ha property, which includes 22 ha of vineyard, to BRL. Pipers Brook will continue to lease back part of the winery for a year, during which time it will still be called Ninth Island. It is logical for BRL Hardy to extend into Tasmania, since its winemakers Ed Carr and Steve Pannell have encouraged the introduction of Tasmanian fruit into some of the company’s leading brands such as the Arras sparkling label and the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay. It will now be able to exert full control of the processing of this fruit that in the past it has subcontracted out. Pipers Brook has more than offset its loss of vineyard with new arrangements from 90 ha of vineyard around Pipers River and Relbia.
