South Australia Flashcards
What island lies off the coast of South Australia?
Kangaroo Island
Is Penfolds Grange a site-specific wine?
No
It’s a blend of vineyards from across several regions - a testament to the Australian style
Who produces Hill of Grace?
Henschke Single Vineyard Shiraz
- 8 ha planted in the 1860s
- 1st vintage 1958
What was the 1st vintage of Mount Edelstone?
1952
Who produces Astralis?; when was the winery’s 1st vintage?; who’s the winemaker?
Clarendon Hills - Shiraz
- 1st vintage for the winery 1990
- in 1994, Roman Bratasiuk rebranded his Shiraz as Astralis
Who produces RunRig?
Torbreck
- Shiraz/Viognier
- 120-160 year old vines
- 1st vintage 1995
- RunRig was the 1st wine to be produced by Torbreck
Who produces Octavius?
Yalumba
- Old Vine Shiraz
- Called Octavius because of the small octaves (100L) it is aged in
- 1st vintage 1990 (Shiraz)
- Single release of Cabernet in 1988
What is Seppeltsfield’s most famous wine?
100 year old Para Liqueur styled wine
- Released 100 years after the 1st vintage
- 1st release 1978, of the 1878 vintage
What was the 1st Australian wine to list for $100/btl?
Clarendon Hills Astralis, 1994
What is the climate for the Limestone Coast zone?
cool and maritime
What GI is known for its Terra Rossa topsoil?
Coonawarra
What other GI contains patches of Terra Rossa?
Padthaway
What grape are Coonawarra and Padthaway most known for?
Cabernet Sauvignon
What is terra rossa?
iron oxide-rich friable clay loam over limestone
What grape are Coonawarra and Padthaway most known for?
Cabernet Sauvignon
What is Fleurieu’s most famous GI?; what is it known for?
McLaren Vale
- Known for GSM blends
What is the local synonym for Mourvèdre?
Mataro
Who produces ‘Dead Arm’?
‘Dead Arm’
- D’Arenberg
- Shiraz (some with Eutypa?)
Who produces ‘Eclipse’?
Drew Noon‘Eclipse’
- GSM
- biodynamic, dry-farmed
Who produces ‘The Laird’?; what is it?; what was the first vintage?
Torbreck‘The Laird’
- Shiraz from the Gnadenfrei Vineyard in the Marananga subregion of Barossa
- First vintage 2005
- “Price tag surpassing even Grange”
Who produces the ‘Command’?
Elderton‘Command’
- 100% Shiraz, centenarian vines (vineyard planted in 1894)
- 1st vintage 1984
What are the unofficial subzones of Clare Valley?
(N to S)
- Clare
- Sevenhill
- Polish Hill River (slate)
- Watervale (limestone)
- Auburn
What South Australian GI produces great Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and sparkling?; why?
Adelaide Hills
- Because, of the high acidity preserved by the region’s cooler maritime climate
What is Australia’s most important region for premium Shiraz?
Barossa
Where does Barossa rank in production?
It is the largest fine wine region in the country, and the 4th largest overall (behind Riverland and Murray Darling)
- South Australia 65,200 ha 50%
- New South Wales 33,600 ha 25%
- Victoria 22,700 ha 17%
- Western Australia 8,900 ha 7%
- Tasmania 1,400ha 1%
- Queensland 500 ha .4%
Barossa
Climate, Aspect, Soils
Climate: Hot, very dry in summer
Aspect: 100-300 M in elevation, facing the heat of the outback
Soils: Deep, loamy clay
Eden
Climate, Aspect, Soils
Climate: Cooler than Barossa, especially in the south; viticulture tends to be divided btwn more red grapes in the north, more white grapes in the south
Aspect: 400-600 M elevation (vs 100-300 M Barossa)
Soils: Granite outcrops w/ thin red clay
Who is the sole producer in High Eden?; what are they known for?
Mountadam
- 1st commercial Chardonnay producer in Australia
What two iconic wineries were founded in Barossa in 1847?
- Orlando Wines by Johann Gramp in Barossa, which would grow into Jacob’s Creek
- Pewsey Vale by Joseph Gilbert in Eden Valley
What is the Barossa Old Vine Charter?
- Self-regulated classification of vineyard age in Barossa
- Based on a model developed internally by Yalumba
- Formalized in 2009
What are the age categories of the Barossa Old Vine Charter?
Old Vines: 35 yrs +
Survivor Vines: 70 yrs +
Centenarian Vines: 100 yrs +
Ancestor Vines: 125 yrs +
Barossa Vally
Unofficial Subzones
(clockwise from NW)
- Gomersal/Rosedale
- Western Ridge (Greenock/Seppeltsfield)
- Northern Barossa Valley
- Barossa Foothills (Vine Vale)
- Light Pass/Stockwell
- Southern Barossa Valley (Lyndoch/Williamstown)
- Stonewall/Central Tanunda
What range separates Barossa Valley from Eden Valley?
Barossa Ranges
What is the Adelaide GI?
Superzone covering the zones of Barossa, Fleurieu, andMount Lofty Ranges
Who produces ‘First Growth’?
Parker‘First Growth’
- Coonawarra Estate
- Cabernet Sauvignon from the Abbey vineyard (may blend Merlot or Petit Verdot, vintage depending)
- 1st vintage 1988
What are the zones of South Australia?
- Adelaide Superzone
- The Peninsulas
- Far North
- Lower Murray
- Mount Lofty Ranges
- Barossa
- Fleurieu
- Limestone Coast
What are the 2 regions of Barossa?
Barossa Valley
Eden Valley
What is the subzone of the Eden Valley?
High Eden
- Southerly, highest in elevation (obviously)
What is the region of Far North?
Southern Flinders Ranges
What are the 5 regions of Fleurieu?
- McLaren Vale
- Langhorne Creek
- Currency Creek
- Southern Fleurieu
- Kangaroo Island
What natural features create the boundaries of McLaren Vale?
Gulf of Saint Vincent (W)
Adelaide Hills (E)
What is the most heavily planted region within the Mount Lofty Ranges Zone?
Clare Valley GI
Where is Clare Valley in relation to Adelaide?; how long of a drive is it from Adelaide to Clare Valley?
North; 2 hour drive (75 miles north)
What is the northernmost GI in Mount Lofty Ranges?
Clare Valley
When did viticulture originate in Clare Valley?
around 1840, with the arrival of English settlers and the establishment ofHope Farms
What was Clare Valley’s 1st true winery?
Sevenhill Cellars
- Built by Jesuits as a source of sacramental wines (tradition maintained by the producer today) on a plot of land purchased in 1851
In what region will you find AP Birks Wendouree?; when was AP Birks Wendhouse founded?; what style of wine are they known for?
- Clare Valley
- 1892
- Classic, ageworthy reds
In 1900, about how many ha of vines were planted in Clare Valley?; how many ha are planted today?
1900 - 500 ha
Today - 4,500 ha
When were the following Clare Valley producers established?
- Jim Barry
- Grosset
- Kilikanoon
- Jim Barry - 1959 (arrived in the region in the 1940s)
- Grosset - 1981
- Kilikanoon - 1997
What is the average elevation in Clare Valley?
400-600 meters
Where is the official weather station currently recording climate data in Clare Valley located?
Clare High School
- Lowest points within GI, climate for vines much cooler
- ex. Polish Hill River area, 9 miles south of Clare, Region ll as opposed to Region lll
What is Clare Valley’s most planted variety?
Shiraz
Name a top internationally recognized Shiraz from Clare Valley?
Jim Barry ‘Armagh’ vineyard Shiraz
What is the 2nd-most planted red variety in Clare Valley?; what is it often blended with?; name a producer.
Clare Valley
- 2nd most planted - Cabernet Sauvignon; oftenblended w/ Malbec
- Wendouree Cab-Malbec bottlings
What is the general abv of Clare Valley Riesling?
12-13%
The better examples of Clare Valley Riesling emerge from what two areas?
Watervale
Polish Hill
What are the soils of Polish Hill?
blue slate
- Similar to Devonian blue slate of Mosel
Name a producer of Polish Hill Riesling.
Grosset
- Their top wine is named Polish Hill
What is South Australia’s wettest point?
Adelaide Hills GI
What is the dominant grape in Adelaide Hills’ central sub-region of Piccadilly Valley GI?
Chardonnay
Where was Adelaide Hills’ first commercial vineyard planted?; in what year?
Picadilly Valley GI; 1976
What is Adelaide Hills’ most planted variety?
Sauvignon Blanc
- Less aromatic and pungent than New Zealand
Lenswood GI is known for what grape?
Sauvignon Blanc
What region generally produces riper styles of Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley or Adelaide Hills?
Adelaide Hills
What are Adelaide Hills’ two largest wineries?; name four other producers from the Hills.
- Petaluma
- Shaw + Smith
- the Lane
- Golding
- Bird in Hand
- BK Wines (BK Wines becoming a favorite for sommeliers, energetic, good for the table)
What is the warmest, and nearly the driest, GI in the entire Adelaide Super Zone?
Adelaide Plains GI
- vs the Hills, the coolest and rainiest
What is considered the “spiritual home of Grange”?
Penfold’s historic Magill Estate, Max Schubert’s first experiments with “Grange”, now completely surrounded by suburban sprawl
- 5 ha Shiraz remain at Magill Estate
How many ha of Shiraz vineyards remains at Magill Estate?
5 ha
Is Adelaide Plains GI regarded as a quality wine region?
No, although it ishometoPenfold’s Magill Estate, “spiritual home of Grange”
