The brothers behind Hughes & Hughes and Mewstone Wines, Matthew and Jonny Hughes have swung, or rather gently rolled, their giant glass doors open to the public with the recent opening of their new cellar door.

Set among farmland in Flowerpot, a picturesque 45-minute drive from Hobart finds you on the banks of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel where the always-stunning vineyard outlook is even more striking than usual. Beyond the vines, views over Bruny Island and a stunning side profile of the Wellington ranges make this outlook glorious on grey days, and even more stunning on a rare sunny blue afternoon that I was very happy to be graced with.

A boofy, excitable Slovakian Pointer Magnus is a keen doorman in the carpark, and escorts guests to the front door where he resumes bathing in the sunlight or wandering around the vines. While the venue has a glorious outlook, inside is just as inter­esting. Industrial high concrete walls, timber features and an extended galley-style bar for tastings are brightened by sunlight pouring through the floor to ceiling windows facing towards the channel.

Keeping the operation simple, cellar door hosts Matt and Zofia are operating through booked wine tastings only. They are wanting to keep things intimate for now, with the focus on being able to talk all things wine with keen connoisseurs. Admittedly, I am no wine bible of knowledge, but Zofia keeps the tasting accessible for those with little idea (me) or those with a lot. This approach keeps the venue friendly and calm, with no more than maybe a dozen or so other guests coming through the doors at once. I have no doubt Magnus is a big fan of this, leaving plenty of time for pats in between welcoming guests.

We began with the Dunkel Spritz from the Mewstone Living Wines range before moving to the always gorgeous, blushing Pinot Gris from Hughes & Hughes. Zoe eagerly talked us through the different varietals and processes that separated the Rieslings across their three ranges and although a Tassie Pinot never goes astray, it was the plush, inky purple Dornfelder (if my memory serves me right!) that was my pick of the day.

Upon booking, the offer of a cheese board was hard to refuse, and the little voice inside my head thought something to soak up the tipples would be a welcome addition before driving back to town. With contents sourced as close to the vineyard as possible, pieces of aged Ashgrove cheddar and Tongola goats’ cheese were fixed with bread and butter pickles (made by local maker Bruce Kemp), pinot paste, and Bruny Island smoked trout. All arriving on Ridgeline Pottery vessels and a large two-foot-long wooden board.

While normally Mewstone allows an hour or so for the tasting and plenty of opportunity to laze about on the lawn, we may have overstayed our welcome by a few hours. After some belly scratches for Magnus and a bottle of the Hughes & Hughes Riveaux Rd Vermouth stashed in my handbag (paid for of course!), we were feeling very content upon our drive back to the city for some happy hour oysters.

Bookings are a must. Head to mewstonewines.com.au for more information.