Native Point Wines

The story of Tim and Sheena High's adventure might well have been written by Hans Christian Anderson, complete with happy ending. In 1993 they decided to establish a vineyard and start producing wine in Tasmania. What made that decision out of the ordinary was that they were living in Denmark at that time. Born in the UK, they had relocated to Melbourne in 1987 for Tim's work in the dairy industry, but drank more wine than milk. Tim's career took them to Chicago, London, Minneapolis, Amsterdam and Auckland for extended periods. But the seed had been sown, and Sheena, with a degree in biology, began a four-year distance education applied science degree course in winemaking through CSU. It was a chance visit to Launceston for a dairy conference, and a drive along the eastern side of the Tamar Valley, that led to their '94 purchase of a 40ha cattle grazing property that had previously been an apple orchard. Tim has now retired from the dairy business, and the pair devote themselves to Native Point Wines and the local community, having planted pinot noir, riesling, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc. -JAMES HALLIDAY