A brave step
Mewstone Wines, Australia
The Hughes & Hughes winery was founded in Tasmania in 2016. It is located in the Channel region in an area that has not necessarily been known as an outstanding wine region until now. Jonny Hughes, one of the founders, is all the more pleased that their wines under the Mewstone brand are now in great demand and that Hughes & Hughes was named Australia's best new winery in 2019.
The Hughes brothers planted the first vines in 2010 and, according to Hughes, it was very nerve-wracking for them to wait five years and see how the grapes would develop. The experiment has been more than successful, with nearly 4 hectares of land now under cultivation.
Tasmanian wines have a good reputation, especially Pinot Noir. Thus, the most important wine of the Mewstone brand is, of course, a Pinot Noir. Jonny Hughes tells us, however, that his Riesling is the real insider tip. When some gourmets visited the winery a few years ago, they were thrilled by the special aroma of the Riesling and made this Mewstone wine popular.
The reason for this distinct flavor is the special climate of this corner of Tasmania. Cooler and unstable weather requires more work with less yield. But the interaction of climate, effort and the know-how of the brothers also ensures a particularly high quality of the grapes.
»It was important to us that the winery fit in well with the natural surroundings and take up as little space as possible. Speidel's space-saving rectangular tanks are ideal for this.«
Hughes relied on Speidel tanks from the very beginning. As is often the case, the decision in favor of Speidel was based on personal recommendations. Winemaker friends have had Speidel tanks for some time and are very satisfied with them. That's why Jonny Hughes bought two small 1000-liter tanks from Speidel at the very beginning, and immediately he too was impressed with the craftsmanship.
The tanks have fewer welds and the few welds are of high quality, making them easy to clean, he enthuses. Plus, the quality of the manhole doors is excellent, Hughes says.
When it was time to expand the winery, Hughes found out that Speidel also made rectangular tanks, something that is very rare in Australia. It was immediately clear to him that these space-saving tanks were a must. The smaller space requirements meant that smaller dimensions were sufficient for the winery building, and landscape consumption could be minimized. Jonny Hughes is very pleased about this, too.