Loira Vines

Loira Vines is a boutique, husband-and-wife operation on the West Tamar Highway at Loira, just north of Exeter, running wine, cider, gin and pale ale from a 5.5-acre property where everything is produced on-site. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor courtyard and garden area, which is where you will be sitting anyway given the small indoor cellar door.

The dog setup

Dogs stay on-lead and settled in the rustic outdoor courtyard, the standard seating arrangement with pets. Check in with the owners on arrival about where best to settle, and bring your own water bowl, as dedicated dog water stations are not a given. The grounds are compact and working-vineyard rather than parkland, so keep the lead short near the vines and other guests.

Worth knowing

Open Friday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, closed the rest of the week. Tastings cover cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Shiraz, and the range extends well past wine into craft cider, gin and pale ale, so a mixed-taste group has options. Local produce platters, including vegan platters, make it easy to turn a tasting into a slow afternoon without leaving the dog in the car.

Max: keep your lead short near the vines and other guests. A working vineyard is not the place for a long-line.

Getting there and parking

The vineyard is at 1275 West Tamar Highway, directly on the main run north of Exeter, with on-site parking at the cellar door. It is an easy stop on any West Tamar loop, roughly half an hour from Launceston.

Make a day of it

Burn off energy first at the Exeter Fenced Dog Park, or grab a coffee at The Cabin before your tasting. If one cellar door is not enough, Moores Hill Estate at Sidmouth and Small Wonder Wines at Kayena are both short drives along the valley.

More options are on the Tasmania wineries guide and the Loira destinations page.