The Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania is the largest premium wine producing region in the state. Visitors to Artisan Gallery & Wine Centre can taste and purchase wines from some of the smaller independent vineyards of the area. Varieties include crisp, cold climate Rieslings, wooded & unwooded Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and rich, full-bodied Cabernets Sauvignon from the oldest vines in the Tamar Valley.

The fertile banks of the Tamar River have long been recognised as an excellent farming area. At the beginning of the 20th century apples were the favoured crop with vast acreages planted with orchards. By the 1970s however the apple trees were being taken out as export markets for Australian apples were no longer profitable. Some enthusiastic vintners had already planted small plots of vines but the majority of the land lay fallow until the 1990s. Now the banks of the Tamar River are once again alive with planting and harvesting, but this time the crop is grapes.