AUS: South Australia Flashcards
1st year that production of dry wines overtook sweet wines in Australia
1970
Australia’s largest export market by value?
US - 20% of export value
Australia’s leading auction house?
Langton’s
Australian drought vintages in the early 2000’s
2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009
Australia’s 5 most planted varieties?
1 Shiraz
#2 Cabernet Sauvignon
#3 Chardonnay
#4 Merlot
#5 Semillon
Australia’s Label Integrity Program
1990 vintage on
* Stipulates 85% min for vintage, variety, origin
* if blend is listed, all varieties to 85% must be on label and must be in descending order
Year for 1st Aussie GIs?
1994
*reaction to signed agreement with EU which included phasing out European names
Wine Australia’s definition of Regions and Sub-regions?
Single tracts of lands
At least 5 vineyards at least 5ha each
At least 500 tonnes output/yr
*doesn’t have to be within single zone or single state
What year did Aussies lose the use of traditional Euro names?
2011 on
Southeastern Australia Zone - why?
Entire states of Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales with wine growing areas of S. Aus, Queensland
Response to EU law requiring varietally labelled wines to carry a specific origin. This was a favor to mass-market varietal wine.
New Aussie name for Tokay?
Topaque
New Aussie name for Sherry?
Apera
regulated deficit irrigation
*Aussie irrigation technique developed in the 80s/90s
*creates water stress during key times in the vine’s life cycle. Useful for red grapes
*marginal water use savings, not great for aromatic varieties as water stress slows development of monoterpenes in ripening
Partial Rootzone Drying
*developed by Aus in 80s/90s
*more effective at reducing water (up to 50%) than RDI
*alternates irrigation from one side to the other, keeping one side dry and the other wet at all times
Chaptalization in Aus?
No
Capital of South Australia?
Adelaide
3 factors that led to South Australia’s dominance in production?
- avoided phylloxera: 1874 ban on imported vine material when Victoria succumbed to the pest
- 1901 cessation of interstate trade duties let SA be competitive in NSW and Victoria
- development of irrigation systems for Riverland
Phylloxera in South Australia
None, thanks to strong biosecurity regulations
* 1874 quarantine legislation prohibited movement of vine material
* Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act (1995) updated those regulations and led to formation of VineHealth Australia
Phylloxera-free Australian states
Western Australia
Tasmania
South Australia
Adelaide Super Zone
Barossa
Fleurieu
Mount Lofty Ranges
Barossa’s 1st commercial winery?
Orlando Wines
* planted by Johann Gramp, 1847 along the banks of Jacob’s Creek in Rowland Flat
World’s oldest Shiraz vines?
Langmeil’s Freedom Vineyard, 1843
Barossa
World’s oldest Grenache vines?
3ha plot owned by Cirillo, planted in 1850
Barossa
World’s oldest Mourvedre vines?
Koch Family’s “Old Garden”, planted 1853 - bottled by Hewitson
Barossa
World’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines?
Penfold’s Block 42 in Kalimna - 1888
Barossa
Barossa Old Vine Charter
*based on Yalumba’s internal system
Old Vines: 35+
Survivor Vines: 70+
Centenarian Vines: 100+
Ancestor Vines: 125+
Barossa Valley GI climate vs Eden Valley GI?
Both Mediterranean - but Eden is more “temperate”. Cooler, wetter, rainier. Higher elevation.
Barossa zone GI’s? (3)
1) Barossa Valley GI: lower elevation (100 - 300M) and a few degrees warmer.
2) Eden Valley GI: 400 - 600M, cooler, sparsely planted and lacks water access. More quartz/rockier soils.
3) High Eden GI: southernmost/highest area of Eden Valley. Riesling area
(Mountadam championed this area)
100 Year Old Para
- producer
- grapes/style
- 1st vintage
- bottling size
Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley GI
* Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro -fortified with brandy
* 1st vintage 1878
* sold in 100ml only, due to scarcity of the wine. Previously it was available in 375ml, but no longer
“TAWNY” - fortified Port-like
Penfolds Grange
- OG winemaker
- Bin #
- fermentation vessel
- assemblage
- last vintage for “hermitage”
- GI
1st vintage 1951 by Max Schubert
* Bin 95
* ferments in new 300L American oak hogsheads
* primarily Shiraz with some Cab - usually less than 5% and never more than 14%
* dropped the “Hermitage” from 1990 on
* South Australia label
$750 to $900ishowned by Treasury.
Elderton’s Command
Barossa
100% Shiraz- single vineyard bottling from vines 125+ years old
Retails for bout $110
What producer popularized Australia’s Sparkling Burgundy?
Best’s Great Western (Victoria) - though the style was first made in Adelaide Hills, 1888
*Rockford and Peter Rumball make respectable versions
Runrig, The Laird
Barossa Shiraz by Torbreck
*Laird is more expensive than Penfolds Grange
“Margaret” bottling from Australia
Peter Lehmann
Semillon planted in 1929
Barossa Valley GI
Eden Valley’s 1st vineyard?
Pewsey Vale, 1847
Hill of Grace
- top wine/status
- grapes planted
- where
Eden Valley GI; Henschke Shiraz
Langton’s 1st Classified
- planted in 1860; 1st vintage in 1958
- 7 of 8ha are Shiraz. Mataro, Semillon, Riesling also planted
- 400M
Mount Edelstone
Eden Valley GI Shiraz; Henschke
Langton’s 1st Classified
* planted 1912, 1st vintage in 1952
* Australia’s longest continually made single vineyard wine (probably)
GI’s of Fleurieu?
McLaren Vale GI
Langhorne Creek GI
Currency CreekGI
Kangaroo Island GI
Southern Fleurieu GI
McLaren Vale GI climate?
Warm Mediterranean with substantial variation
*Region 3
*warmer than Barossa overall.. 200 more growing degree days
*windy, warm = great for organics, biodynamics
*drought is biggest threat
McLaren Vale soils?
Sandy to clay loamy common
* Deep sands, cracking clays and shallow soils over calcareous materials are widespread
Scarce Earth
Ran 2009 - 2015
McLaren Vale project
*select wines from select producers, highlighted terroir
best spots for Grenache in McLaren Vale?
Sandy soils around Blewitt Springs and Kangarilla
Key McLaren Vale producers?
Chapel Hill
Clarendon Hills
d’Arenberg
Wirra Wirra
Kay Bros
Mitolo
Yangarra
Hickinbotham
GI’s around Lake Alexandrina?
Langhorne Creek GI (north)
Currency Creek (west)
What year was the most recent Langton’s Classification?
2023
3 GI that touch the Gulf of St. Vincent?
Adelaide Plains
McLaren Vale
Southern Fleurieu
Mount Lofty Ranges GI’s? (3)
- Clare Valley (most heavily planted)
- Adelaide Hills
- Adelaide Plains
5 unofficial subregions of Clare Valley?
Watervale
Polish Hill
Sevenhill
Clare
Auburn
Clare Valley climate?
Moderate to Warm Continental
* 400 - 600M with larger diurnal shifts
* S/SE areas (Polish Hill, Auburn, Watervale) are cooler w/ more frost threat
* dry
Armagh
Jim Barry - 100% Shiraz
First release - 1985
Clare Valley GI
Clare Valley GI Langton 1st Classified? (2023)
Wendouree Shiraz
Eden Valley GI Langton’s 1st Classified (2023) (2)
- Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz
- Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz
Penfolds Langton 1st Classified (2023)
Bin 95 Grange
Bin 707 Cab
Bin 389 Cab-Shiraz
*all South Australia GI
Yattarna Chard (Southeast Australia GI)
Clare Valley GI soils
blue slate similar to Mosel’s Devonian slate (Polish Hill)
terra rossa over limestone (Watervale)
Adelaide Hills’ most planted variety?
Sauvignon Blanc
(70% of plantings here are white)
Adelaide Hills sits in what mountain range
South Mount Lofty Ranges
Adelaide Hills sub-GI’s?
Piccadilly Valley: region’s 1st commercial plantings here in 1976. Chardonnay is the most planted
Lenswood GI: Sauv Blanc is most planted
Important Adelaide Hills wineries?
Petaluma
Shaw + Smith
the Lane
Ashton Hills
BK Wines
Adelaide Hills climate
Coolest/rainiest in Adelaide Superzone
John Riddoch
The person: planted Coonawarra’s 1st grapes in 1891
The wine: Cab Sauv, Coonawarra GI
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
*they dominate Coonawarra plantings
*only Coonawarra Langton’s 1st Classified
Limestone Coast GI’s? (6)
Wrattonbully, Robe
Padthaway
Coonawarra
Coast: Mount Benson, Mount Gambier
Inland: Benson, Robe, Gambier
Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, Padthaway
Coonawarra Testa Rossa - soil type?
friable clay loam, tinted vivid red by iron oxide, over soft limestone
*the key to quality with this soil is actually mostly the drainage/water retention capabilities of the fissured limestone underneath
Most planted grape in Coonawarra GI?
Cab Sauv
Padthaway GI
- location
- most planted grape
- climate
Limestone Coast Zone, South Australia
“Good Water”
* TERRAIN: flat. Terra rossa soils.
* CLIMATE: maritime (no mountains to block ocean)
* MOST PLANTED: Shiraz, 1/3rd of area
* 4067 ha: heavily cultivated - big houses here: Seppelt (1st vines here), Orlando Wines, Hardys, Lindemans, Wynns
Wrattonbully GI
Limestone Coast zone, South Australia
* MOST PLANTED: Cab Sauv
*young region with young vines
*terra rossa soils like Coonawarra - at a cheaper price
Mount Gambier GI
Limestone Coast zone, South Australia
*biggest in size, not big in plantings
*borders Victoria’s Henty GI
*Pinot Noir, Sauv Blanc - reflection of the cool maritime climate
South Australia GI’s where Shiraz isn’t most planted (6)
- Mount Gambier: Sauv Blanc, PN
- Coonawarra: Cab Sauv
- Wrattonbully: Cab Sauv
- Adelaide Hills, Lenswood: Sauv Blanc
- Piccadilly Valley: Chard
Riverland GI
Lower Murray Zone
South Australia
*production leader
*Murray River is the essential irrigation source
*Shiraz, Chardonnay = most planted
What are the subregions of the Adelaide Hills?
Piccadilly Valley GI
Lenswood GI
Name a key producer of the Eden Valley GI?
Henschke
Mountadam
Pewsey Vale
Yalumba
Name 3 key producers of the McLaren Vale GI?
Hickinbotham
Chapel Hill
Clarendon Hills
d’Arenberg
Wirra Wirra
Mitolo
Yangarra
What major river flows through the Riverland GI?
Murray River
Name a key producer in the Clare Valley GI.
Wendouree
Grosset
Kilkanoon
Jim Barry
Taylors
Sevenhill Cellars
Barossa Valley GI’s Langton’s 1st Classified? (2)
Torbreck RunRig Shiraz
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz
origin of term “basket press Shiraz”?
Traditional vinification technique typical to Barossa
* vinification method: large basket filled with the crushed grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit. The mechanism to lower the plate is often either a screw or a hydraulic device. The juice flows through openings in the basket.
Dead Arm Shiraz
D’Arenberg
Shiraz, McLaren Vale
*Eutypa Lata is the causal agent of Eutypa Dieback
Treasury Estates’ Australian Brands - name 3
Penfolds (South Australia)
Pepperjack (Barossa)
Wynns Coonawarra Estate
Seppelt Wines (Victoria)
Wolf Blass (Barossa Valley)
Lindemans
1 Australian Wine company for:
- vineyard area
- total revenue
- total production
- sales of branded wine
Accolade Wines #1 for sales of branded wine, total wine production, and wine grape intake
Treasury Wine Estates #1 for biggest vineyard area owned and total revenue
What is Treasury Wine Estate’s best selling brand?
Beringer, 9th in the world overall
Pernod Ricard in Australia
Jacob’s Creek brand - #1 bottled brand in Aus by value and volume
South Australia’s warmest GI?
Riverland
High Sands
McLaren Vale Grenache; Yangarra Estate
* Blewitt Springs
* Planted in 1946; 3 feet of sand over silica clay
VineHealth Australia
Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act 1995
* responsible for biosecurity
Living Icons
McLaren Vale old vine program - Shiraz vineyards planted in the 1800’s
- Kay Bros Block 6
“Spiritual home” of Penfolds?
Magill Estate
* est 1844 by christopher and Mary Penfolds. Chris was a doctor.. this was to make “wine tonic”
* sits in eastern foothills of Adelaide. This plus another vineyard was Max Schubert’s “choice area” for his 1951 Grange Hermitage)
* Max Schubert went to Europe to study fortified, but ended up staying in BDX
Key Eden Valley producers
Henschke, Pewsey Vale, Yalumba, Mountadam
Eden Valley GI
- where
- major producers
- climate/elevation
- geographic features
- subregions
Barossa GI in South Australia
“Garden of Grapes and Gums”
* ALTITUDE: 219 - 632M, sweet spot @ 380 - 500M. Rolling hills of the Barossa Range.
* Temperate Mediterranean (cooler, wetter, more humid than Barossa)
* High Eden GI nested
* SOILS: variable clay loam/sand loam with quartz and gravel
Henschke, Pewsey Vale (1st vyd in 1847), Yalumba, Mountadam
Eden Valley GI’s most planted
- Shiraz (820 ha)
- Riesling (526 ha)
- Cab (336 ha)
- Chardonnay (220 ha)
2,292ha total (2024) - reds 51%, whites 49%
Barossa Valley GI
- lay of the land
- climate/elevation
- top grapes
- top producers
Barossa Zone, South Australia
TERRAIN: Gently rolling hills and valleys - Barossa Ranges. 112 - 596M. Variety of microclimates.
CLIMATE: Mediterranean. Drought is #1 hazard.
GRAPES: 94% red, 6% white. Shiraz (60%+), Cab, Grenache, Chardonnay
SOILS: clay loams, sandy loams
11,609 ha. Est 1997.
Seppeltsfield, Torbreck, Peter Lehmann, Penfolds, Two Hands, Wolf Blass, Turkey Flat
Barossa Grounds Project purpose
established in 2008 to explore variation in terroir across Barossa Zone
McLaren Vale GI
- location
- climate/terrain
- soils
- top producers
Fleurieu Zone, South Australia
CLIMATE: Mediterranean; Adelaide Hills, Gulf of St. Vincent cooling.
TERRAIN: Mount Lofty ranges in the north; Sellicks Hills to the south. Varied aspects. 50 - 250M avg, 350M max.
SOILS: red brown loam dominates, but 7 total “terranes” have been identified
7173 ha
Chapel Hill, Clarendon Hills, d’Arenberg, Pirramimma, Rosemount Estate, Wirra Wirra, Kay Bros. Amery, Mitolo, Yangarra, Hickinbotham
McLaren Vale “terranes” (7)
- The Ancient Rocks: Ancient bedrock
Sand and Sandstone: This terrane includes the subtypes Maslin Sands, Pirramimma Sandstone, Ochre Cove Formation (red and yellow sandstone), and Semaphore Sand (beach sand) - Limestone Country
- Clay Plains of Aldinga
- The Piedmont: Alluvial deposits
- Talus Slope: Variable soils near the Willunga Fault
- Alluvial Flats
McLaren Vale major geographical features
- Gulf of St. Vincent (western boundary)
- Sellicks Hills (south)
- Mount Lofty Ranges (north)
- Adelaide Hills (east)
Coonawarra GI
- location
- climate/terrain
- soils
- top producers
Limestone Coast Zone, South Australia
- TERRAIN: flat. 51 - 127M
- CLIMATE: Temperate Mediterranean with maritime (Southern Ocean). Coldest region in Aus to ripen Cab this successfully.
- SOILS: terra rossa
5,784 ha
Majella, Penley Estate, Balnaves of Coonawarra, Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Zema Estate
McLaren Vale most planted
1 Shiraz 56.23% 4,152 ha
7,375 ha (2024)
#2 Cabernet Sauvignon 17.54% 1,295 ha
#3 Grenache 6.93% 512 ha
#4 Chardonnay 3.46% 256 ha
#5 Merlot 2.38% 176 ha
Clare Valley GI
- location
- climate/terrain
- soils
- top producers
Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia
- TERRAIN: hilly, northern end of Mount Lofty Ranges. 400 - 500M
- CLIMATE: Mediterranean with cooling maritime influence
- SOILS: 11 types - from terra rossa to slate
4,994 ha. Reds dominate.
Grosset, Kilikanoon, Jim Barry, Taylors, Wendouree, Sevenhill Cellars
Clare Valley most planted
- Shiraz
- Cab Sauv
- Riesling
* 80% of harvest
** Riesling leads in tonnes crushed
Which vineyard aspects in the Clare Valley are the warmest?
N, NE, NW
