Tasting Tasmania - Australia's stunning island state is home to stellar cool-climate wines, a vibrant dining scene, and the freshest air on earth.

Australia's stunning island state is home to stellar cool-climate wines, a vibrant dining scene, and the freshest air on earth.asmania smells fresh. Parks and wilderness cover 40% of the island, and much of the rest is farmland. Swept by the Roaring Forties-intense westerly winds that buffet the southern hemisphere- the atmospheric station at Cape Grim in the state's northwest corner regularly records the earth's most pristine air. Down here in Australia's southernmost state, not far from Antarctica, simply taking a breath is delicious. But that's not all that's delicious. Grapes retain mouthwatering acidity in the chilly, maritime climate of Tasmania (or Lutruwita, as it's called in palawa kani, the local Aboriginal language). Having loved Tolpuddle Vineyard's earthy Pinot Noirs, full of cranberry and orange-peel flavors, back in New York, I'd made a pilgrimage to the island for its wine.

- By Betsy Andrews

I noticed it when i stepped out of the airport in Launceston: Tasmania smells fresh. Parks and wilderness cover 40% of the island, and much of the rest is farmland. Swept by the Roaring Forties-intense westerly winds that buffet the southern hemisphere- the atmospheric station at Cape Grim in the state's northwest corner regularly records the earth's most pristine air. Down here in Australia's southernmost state, not far from Antarctica, simply taking a breath is delicious. But that's not all that's delicious. Grapes retain mouthwatering acidity in the chilly, maritime climate of Tasmania (or Lutruwita, as it's called in palawa kani, the local Aboriginal language). Having loved Tolpuddle Vineyard's earthy Pinot Noirs, full of cranberry and orange-peel flavors, back in New York, I'd made a pilgrimage to the island for its wine.

It was Saturday, so I headed to Launceston's Harvest Market, a showcase for the regional abundance that's made Tasmania's second-largest municipality, with its Victorian homes and quiet, leafy downtown, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Amid the berry and potato farmers, I found a vendor selling Tassie scallop pies-a snack unique to the island-and scarfed down two of the flaky, seafood-filled pastries before driving north along winding roads lined with eucalyptus trees. I was on my way to Pipers River, the island's northernmost wine region. There, the eponymous waterway meanders around rolling hills covered with vineyards and forests before it spills into the Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from the mainland.

Havilah wine bar in Launceston