What an adorable place!…read more My nickname is 'Puddleduck', so of course on the way back to Hobart from visiting Richmond I had to stop in and visit this winery. And I'm so glad we did! The first thing that welcomes you is a giant sign letting you know you're welcome to 'Reverse BYO' - that is that you bring the food and they'll provide the wine. A great idea and muchly appreciated, as if you're on a budget you'll have more to spend on wines! The setting for this winery can only be described as idyllic - the main building sits on the edge of a dam and has a deck outside. We happened to visit on a perfect day and sat for a while in the sunshine on the deck watching the various water birds. There's a beautiful grassed area with chairs and tables and even a children's playground and a big area for the kids to run around and let off steam. There were a few families enjoying lunch and a few drinks and I love that they cater to families so well. We opted for the $5 wine tasting at the bar - there is also an option for a $15 sit down tasting or a $25 one which includes a cheese platter. All of those costs are deducted if you choose to purchase a bottle. My favourite was the Pinot Noir which smelled and tasted amazing. They also have all these options available as a cider tasting too! The guy who was serving welcomed us enthusiastically when we arrived and told us a bit about tastings etc. He also apologised and told us that the service may be a little slower because he was running the show on his own. This is a family business and his mum had an appointment so was unable to help out that day. I appreciated the forewarning and preemptive apology but it was not needed - the service was great. When we went to pay for our tasting he even offered them for free as he felt like he had not been able to be as attentive to us as he wanted to be! I absolutely loved my time at Puddleduck and will endeavour to visit whenever I am back in Hobart. It's well worth the drive from the city!

I absolutely love Puddleduck to bits. My first visit was their first weekend open with essentially…read morejust a little hut by the pond and the paint still drying - I've been coming back ever since and watching the place grow into the wonderful business it is now. The 'shop' is still a fairly small building by the pond (major extension coming this year) but with a lots of outdoor seating around the water either under umbrellas on the grass or under the marquee. The Puddleduck wines are great (do NOT miss out on trying Bubbleduck) and you can kick back whilst working through the wine list with a cheese platter made up of 'wicked' cheeses produced just down the road. Don't want cheese? No problem! Puddleduck allows 'reverse BYO'. You bring whatever picnic food you want and they supply the wine! Puddleduck makes a great wine tasting stop along the Coal Valley route, but if the weather is good I recommend putting aside an afternoon and relaxing - the whole business is a family affair and it feels like it, with warm friendly service that makes you feel instantly like old friends. Other important notes about Puddleduck; you can meet internationally famous 'wine dog' Basil and his cohorts Polly and Sybil. You can also meet Lucky the duck (and all of his friends if they are feeling sociable and you can adopt your very one vine!

Take a table with views over vineyards, Pitt Water and out to sea, and you are immediately…read moretransported to a pastoral paradise. Excellent service from the wait staff and delicious wines. The main event at Frogmore Creek is the food; make no mistake, the menu here is worthy of multiple hats. An expert construction of local produce, attention to detail is the order of the day here and I feel the chefs deserve a huge amount of praise.

Had a wonderful lunch here in a beautiful setting. We grazed…read moreon several delights paired with wine from the winery and had a wonderful experience.

Great spot. Make sure you go there in season, as they are closed during the cooler months. We have…read moretried to get there a few times and every time we drive passed they were closed. Maybe too early in the week? Not sure. Our host was the son of the owner and he allowed us to have a small taste of all the list they have with a few more expensive selections. Our Favourite is the Sparkling Merlot and it's the only one produced in Tassie. Bought 1/2 dozen and love it. It's an interesting place as they have a reverse BYO policy. How many people know about that?. We will definitely do it next time. The idea is you can bring in your own food and buy their wines to sit out the back in a nice area and enjoy!

Our port of call was Hobart, Tasmania, and we had selected this less active shore excursion…read more(History Hobart, Countryside & Winery) because my eldest sister was joining us. It was a good thing we chose this one because my sister was experiencing back and foot pain and was scheduled to have a massage on board that evening. Our coach bus drove us past the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, which we would visit later, and across the bridge over the River Derwent to Cambridge's Coal Valley Vineyard. I was amazed how this coach bus effortlessly negotiated the unpaved vineyard road up to the Tasting Room. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the stunning property and views before settling down at the vineyard's tasting table. We were seated at a community table with two wine glasses (one for white and one for red) and a list of Coal Valley Vineyard's five varieties in front of us, as the host gave us background on the vineyard, the types of grapes grown, production, and more. He went around pouring tastes and even threw in a few "Dad Jokes" to lighten the mood. It was interesting to watch others' facial expressions during each pour as most agreed he saved the best for last (TGR Riesling and Pinot Noir). It was a bit odd that this tasting didn't offer any savory palate-cleansing snacks alongside each pour, aside from plain water to rinse your glass and mouth, as at other vineyards. But, oh well, we still managed to purchase two bottles of wine to pair with at least two gourmet dinners onboard our ship.

Such a pretty property... but the young, shaggy headed guy running the wine tastings was a complete…read morejoke. I should have just bought a glass of wine and bypassed the tasting - might have had a better experience. Tiny pours - tasting pours are supposed to be small but these were about a quarter the size of a standard tasting pour. No explanations on what he was pouring. He couldnt really answer any questions we had. We were the only ones in there and he kept leaving the tasting area to mess with a delivery that was brought in. Most the time I was there, I was standing there with a empty glass waiting for him to pour the wine. My husband (who got a glass instead of a tasting) says he was proud of me for not completely losing it on him while I was in there cause he would have. I showed some patience today. They need to get someone behind the bar that knows what their doing. If you go there... don't do a tasting!!! Just get a glass of wine. Save yourself aggravation.

If you've got a car, make sure to visit Pooley for a fantastic introduction to traditional…read moreTasmanian winemaking. The tasting experience was lovely and the winery is really very picturesque. It was such a lovely day!

Pooley Wines was the first stop for my friends and me on our DIY wine tour of the area, and what a…read morebar it set for the rest of the day! Our wine tasting guide was friendly and fun, and no wine question of ours was too silly for an answer. All three of us left with a different bottle and a chunk more knowledge about the wines of the region, and I left with a bonus craving for Thai curry (after picking up a bottle of late harvest riesling). The site itself is quite picturesque, with gorgeous stone buildings sitting on the side of a hill. We steered past the cafe corner and hid in the little showroom, but I wouldn't mind a return visit perched on the cafe deck in the sun with a nice glass of Margaret Pooley Tribute (of course my palate likes the more expensive bottles, curse it).