You don’t need us to tell you Tassie is a foodie’s paradise. The Apple Isle’s reputation for deliciousness is legendary. But how do you narrow down an itinerary when everything sounds so mouth-wateringly, tummy-rumblingly tempting? Easy! Just make sure it includes some of these foodie must-dos and you’ll know you’re getting a taste of the best.
SOUTH
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Fat Pig Farm
As seen on SBS’s Gourmet Farmer, Fat Pig Farm is a gorgeous farm-based cooking school and lunch spot run by Matthew Evans and Sadie Chrestman. Visit the pigs, raid the garden (with permission, of course), then bring the bounty back to cook up a storm for your sit-down feast. And don’t worry about the harsh-sounding name – the piggies know they’re beautiful.
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Frank’s Cider
If you haven’t had Frank’s, you haven’t had cider. Made from 100% real Tassie fruit – tree-ripened apples, cherries, and pears picked from decades-old orchards, to be exact – it’ll knock your socks off. Frank’s Cider Bar and Café is housed in an 1870s church hall in Franklin and offers free cider tastings – score!
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Home Hill Winery
Fancy a little French? No, that’s not a come-on – I’m talking about Home Hill Winery. Making the most of the Huon Valley climate (which is similar to the Bordeaux region in France), this former hobby farm produces some seriously tempting pinot noirs, roses, sylvaners, sauv blancs, chardonnays, and cuvees. The on-site restaurant is pretty spesh too, with French-inspired dishes featuring local oysters, cider, trout, and, of course, Home Hill’s own wines.
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Tasmanian House of Whisky
Love whisky, but (sadly) don’t have time to visit every Apple Isle distillery? Then the Tasmanian House of Whisky is a must-do. At this Bruny Island tasting house, you can sample all of Tassie’s incredible single malts – yep, all in one place. Enjoy a tasting, then fill your tum with some of Bruny Island’s famous gourmet fare.
EAST COAST
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Devil’s Corner Cellar Door
Wine and design lovers, this one’s for you. Named for an especially treacherous bend of the Tamar River (it’ll act all nice to your face, but talk massive trash behind your back), Devil’s Corner Cellar Door’s stylish modern design complements the stunning natural landscape, while its visitors compliment the delish range of chardonnays, pinot noirs, pinot grigios, rieslings, and sauv blancs. Or, you know, just drink them.
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Milton Vineyard
With its sweet old country house (complete with a wrap-around verandah), Milton Vineyard feels like home, except more awesome. Maybe it’s the amazing wine matched to tasty Tassie-inspired tapas? Make sure you try a Milton Iced Gewürztraminer and Milton’s back vintages. They even pour half-sized glasses for designated drivers, so everyone can join the fun.
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Priory Ridge Wines
Just ten minutes from the Bay of Fires (which should be on your non-foodie bucket list anyway, because WOW), Priory Ridge Wines is a boutique vineyard using its perfect microclimate and unique Devonian granite soil to produce fantastic pinot noirs, sauv blancs, chardonnays, and pinot gris. The grapes are handpicked and graded, then fermented in their own natural yeasts (trust me, it’s tastier than it sounds). Priory’s cellar door is housed in a rustic 1920s shearing shed. Tres shabby chic 😉
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Melshell Oysters Farm Gate
Sitting on a riverbank, slurping fresh (like, super fresh. Just-caught super fresh) oysters while admiring gorgeous Great Oyster Bay views – you’re sold already, right? Come to Melshell Oysters to scoff a dozen; stay to learn about the growing process and watch a live shucking demonstration.
NORTH
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Valleybrook Wine on Wheels Tour
Beer, wine, cheese, and chocolate toursin the heart of the Tamar Valley? Yes, please! Learn all about this delicious corner of the world while sampling award-winning red, white, and sparkling wines from local cellar doors.
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Cocoabean Chocolate
Chocolate. CHOCOLATE! Need I say more? OK, fine. Cocoabean is a hole-in-the-wall Launceston storethat’s well and truly earned its rep as the city’s own chocolate institution. The recipes are Swiss secrets, the techniques handed down from an expert school of chocolatiers, and the couverture sourced from Swiss chockie gurus Felchlin. So, yeah. Pretty tasty 🙂
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Hubert & Dan at Tamar Ridge
Get ready for some of the prettiest nibbles you’ve ever seen! Every day, Hubert & Dan serve up fresh seasonal platters made with local and house-made cheeses, and fresh salmon and charcuterie, all designed to partner with yummy Tamar Ridge and Pirie wines. On Thursday nights, (6pm onwards) they also do a pop-up restaurant with a rotating menu of gourmet French cuisine. At $65 for three courses, you can’t go wrong.
NORTH WEST
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Ghost Rock and Hundred Acres Cooking School
Ghost Rock pride themselves on soil-to-bottle wine making and paddock-to-plate food,using only the best local ingredients for their mouth-watering platters and light meals. Take a wine-tasting or cooking workshop to learn about the special connection between the land and its produce (or just to taste something AMAZING).
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Hursey Seafoods
For some of the freshest seafood in the world, you’ve gotta check out Hursey Seafood. Delicious local crayfish are available for purchase within hours of them being caught and unloaded at nearby Stanley Wharf. But if you don’t want to spend your holiday cooking (who does?), head to Hursey’s dining room for delish seafood, tender Cape Grim beef, and local free-range chicken. Yum!
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Prickly Mo
Prickly Mo’s cellar door has everything – the deck, the views, and, mostly importantly, the vino. Bag a retro armchair, lay back in a cowhide sun lounger, pull up a velvet floor cushion, or spread a rug out on the lawn, then chillax with gourmet woodfired pizza and free live music.
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Blustery Banks Vineyard and Squibb’s Orchard Shop
Heads up: The wind at Blustery Banks will literally blow your hat off. But you’ll be too busy enjoying free wine tastings to care. Located on a hill with awesome views of the Bass Strait, Blustery Banks produces award-winning pinot noirs, chardonnays, blanc de blancs, and roses. Check out Squibb’s Orchard Shop for fresh local produce and yummy gourmet hampers.