Small Island Wines is a small southern Tasmanian producer founded by winemaker James Broinowski, known for a tight range of expressive, small-volume wines. This Gamay comes from the single Saltwater River vineyard on the Tasman Peninsula, a cool, maritime site where sea breezes and a long, gentle ripening season suit the variety. After a two-year gap - the 2022 crop lost to hail and 2023 affected by rain - the 2024 season allowed the Gamay to return. Unaffected by early heatwaves, Saltwater River enjoyed a warm, extended and unhurried ripening period, letting the fruit hang for weeks to build flavour while retaining the vibrant natural acidity typical of Tasmanian reds.

To preserve the delicate, perfumed fruit, the Gamay was made with no whole-bunch inclusion, fermented with wild yeast and given no time in oak. Colour extraction during fermentation was intense - the must staining deeply purple - producing a wine of surprising depth for the variety. After fermentation and pressing it was bottled without oak influence, keeping the focus on violet, raspberry, mulberry and fresh-herb aromatics and a bright, sour-cherry acid line. Only 936 bottles were made. Young examples benefit from a decant, and the wine is expected to settle and improve over the year following release.