200 years of tradition: the story of Gala Estate’s farm and vineyard

INNOVATION and developing for the future drives the custodians of one of the East Coasts’ oldest farming properties. 

Long-time Merino sheep farm and more recent vineyard, Gala Estate, has a rich 200-year history. 

It is the second-oldest family run farm in the region, originally founded by two Scottish brothers, John and Adam Amos, who were among the first settlers granted land on Tasmania’s East Coast. 

Over the past two centuries the estate has evolved, and today, it is run by the seventh generation of the Amos family, Adam and Grainne Greenhill. 

The story of Gala Estate began in the early 19th century when the Amos brothers, tenant farmers struggling to make ends meet farming in Scotland, were given the opportunity to farm on new land by rich landowner George Meredith who arranged for the brothers and their families to sail to Tasmania onboard “The Emerald.”

In 1821, John and Adam, along with their families (including 15 children) arrived in Tasmania with their livestock in tow. 

Their initial land grant was 680 hectares, but after receiving additional grants over the next decade, the family’s holdings grew to 2500 hectares. 

Gala Estate has undertaken a variety of farming operations over the 200 years including growing grains, various crops, running sheep and even starting a mill to make flour for bread. 

“The family has always been really good at diversifying and taking risks because, being so isolated, you have to make your own luck,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

Gala Estate has been running sheep since day one but after dealing with drought in 2007 the family made the move to diversify further by planting wine grapes. 

“We knew that we needed to do something that was more sustainable and give our land a rest because you can’t continue to crop the way we were and not give back to the land,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

This was when the family first planted 4ha of vines which slowly increased to 11ha before planting another 17ha at a different property down the road. 

Their first vintage was released in 2011, marking the beginning of what would become a vineyard that now produces more than 5000 cases of wine annually, with plans for further growth. Grainne handles the cellar door, marketing, branding, and administration, while Adam manages the farming and production side of things.

The estate’s cellar door is in a rustic, historic building, that was once home to the Greenhill's grandparents. 

Gala Estate welcomes visitors for wine tastings. Mrs Greenhill says it is a place of connection and storytelling through wine tastings.

“We don’t make our wine for shops. It’s not kind of what we do. 

For us, it’s about connection with the people and having conversations,” Mrs Greenhill said.

“We take an enormous amount of pride about actually having a finished product and having full control, that’s why you won’t see us in big bottle shops. We try to keep it really cellar door and relationship based.” 

They also use the wines to share the family’s rich history. 

“On the back of each of the wines we’re trying to story-tell a little bit.”

For example, their syrah wine that recently won gold at the 2024 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge is named the “Emerald” as a tribute to the ship that brought the Amos brothers to Tasmania and their “Constable Amos,” is their award winning pinot noir which has been awarded five trophies and is their most celebrated wine. 

“Constable Amos was when we kind of knew we were on the money with what we were doing, that was in 2015,” Mrs Greenhill said.

Mrs Greenhill said the vineyard’s success was due to a combination of factors, including its unique location.

“We’ve got a fantastic site; the vines are on a north-facing slope in iron stone soil so the vines have to work really hard to get their roots down.” 

Over the years of diversifying into grapes the Greenhill's have invested in expert advice and attentive farm workers to ensure that they are producing wine of the highest standard.

“If you’re going to do top-end wine, you need lots of people there walking through those vines each day and making sure you’re not missing something,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

They grow riesling, pinot gris, pinot noir, chardonnay, petit meunier, sauvignon blanc and syrah. 

Since their first vintage Mrs Greenhill says she has noticed the east coast is becoming an incredible place for pinot noir. 

“All of a sudden it felt like anyone that knew anything about wine realised the East Coast can make really good pinot so that made us serious about how to make the best of what we’ve got,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

The Greenhill's are committed to being sustainable and using what they have to support the farm, such as making their own compost. 

“You have to be self-sustainable because out here you can’t always access what you want when you want it,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

The family’s dedication to sustainable practices extends to their Merino sheep farming, where they pride themselves on producing superfine wool. 

They currently have about 10,000 multipurpose Merinos and they usually produce some 5000 bales of wool. 

This wool is used for making their own superfine throws and is sent to Waverley Mills in Launceston and to New Zealand brand Icebreaker who specialise in outdoor gear. 

While Gala Estate is primarily known for its sheep and vineyard, the Greenhill's are constantly innovating and one of their future projects is the restoration of a church on the property, which will serve as a premium, private wine tasting experience. 

“The church project will be our bookable cellar door experience, targeting a top-end tasting,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

The tasting will incorporate the history of the farm, with historical objects and fabrics from the estate, offering a guided, intimate experience for wine lovers. 

For the Greenhills, farming is not just about producing high-quality wine and wool; it’s about supporting the community in their cellar door. 

“Everything in here has to be from a farm or have a farm connection, so it makes it really easy to decide what we’re going to put in the cellar door,” Mrs Greenhill said. 

The Greenhills are committed to helping to grow the region and fostering collaboration with other local producers, seeing it as a way to “grow the pie” for everyone. 

Mr Greenhills parents Bob and Pat both still work on the farm and are an important part of keeping the family farm running.

“We want the farm to be in a better place for the next person, and we want to leave it in a better position for the next generation,” Mrs Greenhill said.