These images were moments taking it all in at the opening Gala Dinner for Effervescence Tasmania, hosted at the perfectly picturesque Josef Chromy winery and restaurant.
I had just spent the day in the company of the Josef Chromy team and fellow wine journalists from around Australia, with an informative “Dosage Vineyard Experience”: an opportunity to explore the difference dosage makes to sparkling wines, while being surrounded by the slopes of the Tamar Valley. Lunch was a relaxed chance to taste the full Josef Chromy range over local produce assembled by talented Chef Nick Raitt, and a chance to discuss the history and philosophies of the estate with the viticulture, winemaking and commercial team Yael, Teresa, David and Kellie.
The ideal Tasmanian day ended with the black tie Gala Dinner to officially open Effervescence Tasmania, the annual, three day festival and celebration of world class Tasmanian Sparking wine. A highlight at the dinner was meeting founder of the estate Josef Chromy, now in his mid-nineties. He has a remarkable story of determination and resilience, having fled to Australia from his war-torn home of Czechoslovakia as a penniless 19 year old; a story told eloquently and proudly by his grandson Dean.
Josef Chromy was born on the 18th of December 1930 in the town of Nové Veselí before moving to Žd’ár in Czechoslovakia. Throughout his early life, Josef grew up under 11 years of successive Nazi and Soviet occupation in Czechoslovakia between the ages of eight and nineteen, gaining experience in meat and smallgoods through assisting his father in their family’s butcher shop from the age of 10. He started a butcher apprenticeship at 13 and became a qualified butcher at 16, before enrolling in a master diploma of meat technology at the national smallgoods technical college in Prague. Josef saw no future for himself in Czechoslovakia and decided to leave on 8 June 1950, carrying only a small suitcase containing all his belongings and accompanied by two friends.
After travelling by train to Vienna, Josef obtained assistance from an Austrian man who was smuggling refugees out of Vienna and the Russian occupied zone of Austria, who helped him board a train to the US occupied zone in Austria. He disembarked on the 13th June and walked west for eight consecutive hours to Steyr, before walking and hitchhiking from Linz to Salzburg that week after arriving in US occupied territory. He was then granted a visa by US authorities, which allowed him to apply to emigrate to Australia, where he arrived after a 38-day journey on the overcrowded Hellenic Prince listing ship. Once he arrived in Australia, Josef took up two jobs – one at an asbestos sheeting factory and the other at Heinz vegetable plant at Quoiba – working seven days and almost 96 hours a week. After one year, he had saved up enough money to leave these jobs and start working in his trade as a smallgoodsman. He established Blue Ribbon Meat Products with his wife Ada in 1957, which expanded to have a dozen butcher shops around Tasmania and over 70 employees by 1972.
Josef’s interest in wine had existed alongside his work in the meat and smallgoods industry since he left Europe in 1950, however wine was not fashionable in Australia at the time he arrived. He developed a particular interest in Riesling and how its character changes over time after purchasing 100 dozen of one notable Rhine Riesling and 50 dozen of another in Europe in 1978, which he then consumed over 20 years to observe their development over this period. This interest in Riesling then led him to develop a regard for other European cool-climate varieties including Champagne, Sekt sparkling wines, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, recognising Tasmania’s potential to develop high quality cool-climate wines. Josef and Ada established a group of investment and development companies called the JAC Group, which established Tamar Ridge Wines in 1998 at Kayena. After selling Tamar Ridge in mid 2003, Josef went on to establish his third wine business and namesake Josef Chromy Wines at Relbia south of Launceston.
Today, Josef Chromy Wines is not just a winery, but a celebration of the commitment Joe had to the region. The 61 hectare vineyard, set in the cool climate Tamar Valley, produces both sparkling and still wines of exceptional quality. The estate also offers a rich culinary journey, with Chef Nick Raitt at the helm. As explained to me over the course of the weekend, today at the Estate Joe’s values, driven by love and allegiance to his adopted homeland of Tasmania, are still echoed in every glass of wine and every dish served.
Thank you to the Josef Chromy team for an extraordinary weekend at your estate and at Effervescence Tasmania.
Our tip:
Mark your calendars for Effervescence Tasmania in 2025!
