What Does Tasmania Taste Like?

Cape Grim — the northwestern point of Tasmania, Australia

Trade Tasmania

Tasmania is an island state roughly the size of West Virginia dangling below the southeastern shores of Australia. Here in the US, little is known about this far-flung destination save for perhaps the fact that its home to a rambunctious, carnivorous marsupial of Looney Tunes lore. But ‘Tassie’ (as the land is known to locals) would love to introduce itself in a more meaningful—and flavorful way. And so its tourism and trade board just launched a novel campaign to give Americans an explicit sense of what it actually tastes like.

‘Experience Tasmanian’ began in earnest this March with the delivery of 147 boxes of native produce disseminated amongst selected chefs, and other assorted culinary personalities across the USA. The professional tastemakers were introduced to popular delicacies including Cape Grim beef—often regarded as Australia’s highest grade grass-fed offering; an assortment of local cheeses; the island’s celebrated-yet-underrated sparkling wine, as well as its world renowned ocean trout.

All of it meant to highlight the pristine nature of this largely undeveloped wilderness. It is a stunning landscape cloaked in crisp, ocean air—some of the world’s cleanest. It’s rich and fertile soils lay an enviable foundation not just for fruits, vegetables, and grazing livestock, but for a bounty of grains going into rye and malt-based spirits. No surprises then that some of the most compelling examples of “New World Whiskies” are also coming out of Tasmania these days. And while we’re still not currently able to be there in person, eating and drinking our way through this scenery affords a small measure of reprieve.

TO GO WITH Australia-lifestyle-whisky-drink,FEATURE BY GLENDA KWEK This photo taken on November 19, … [+] 2014 shows a bottle of the award-winning Sullivan’s Cove single malt whiskey sitting on a cask at their distillery in Cambridge on the outskirts of the Tasmanian city of Hobart. Made with barley and fresh water and matured in barrels in Tasmania off Australia’s southern coast, Sullivans Cove is among a new breed of whisky makers in the country’s smallest state that is making waves on the international stage. AFP PHOTO/William WEST / AFP PHOTO / William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

To learn more about the genesis of this campaign, and—more importantly—where to find these flavors here in the US, I talked with Mark Bowles. The Tassie native works for the Business and Trade bureau in his home state and helped spearhead Experience Tasmanian.

How did you conceptualize the Experience Tasmanian campaign?

As an island state, COVID-19 presented hurdles for us in utilising our traditional methods of reaching new markets and expanding existing ones, such as the US. When our 2020 Tasmanian trade mission to the USA had to be postponed we were hearing that buyers and consumers in the US were still eager to try Tasmanian products, closed borders or not.

The Experience Tasmanian campaign gave us a way to showcase some of Tasmania’s leading producers and premium produce to a network of potential customers and top chefs across the country. What we are hearing is that those we reached out to have a whole new appreciation of just how good Tasmanian gourmet products are.

What are some of the most relevant points food lovers should know about Tasmania and it’s ingredients?

Tasmania has always produced premium food and beverages. As consumers around the world have developed a growing appetite for the finest quality products, recognition of our island for the world’s best produce has also grown.

While our traditional sectors of seafood, meat and dairy are still recognised as being among the best in the world, recent years have seen wines, fruit, vegetables, berries, gin, whiskies and ciders further strengthening the Tasmanian reputation for quality.

What makes Tasmania one of the richest epicurean ecosystems on the globe?

It’s quite simple. Tasmania has the world’s cleanest air, most pristine oceans, rich and fertile soil and an irrigation system that complements an abundance of natural rainfall. We are completely GMO free with some of the world’s strictest biosecurity controls.

With these ideal growing conditions, a commitment to quality over quantity and investment in production soaring, we are seeing producers bringing innovative ideas to both traditional and new products and taking the premium experience people expect from Tasmanian produce to a whole new level.

How can people best support Experience Tasmanian and enjoy these products at home or within local restaurants?

Tasmanian premium products are becoming much more widely available across the US as demand for quality grows. Brands like Cape Grim beef, King Island Dairy cheeses, Jansz sparkling wine, Petuna seafood and many more are already available through local US distributors and can be found in retailers and restaurants across the nation.

Commercial buyers and distributors looking to source Tasmanian products can contact Trade Tasmania to connect directly with suppliers. For the discerning American with a taste for the best, try asking for Tasmanian products at your local restaurant or supermarket and you might just find they’ll stock it.

Cattle graze in an idyllic Tasmanian pasture

Trade Tasmania