"Situated in the northern Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia’s Clare Valley was settled in the late 1830s, with the first vineyards planted and wines produced in the early 1840s. The same features that make the Clare Valley inherently beautiful are also the foundation of Clare’s famed vineyards. The climate features a warm to hot summer, but cooling afternoon breezes play a major role in slowing down the ripening process.
Some of Australia's finest Riesling is grown in the Clare Valley, and the region also produces many other wine styles, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. With a cornerstone of classic, traditional producers and a new era of winemakers’ keen to throw away the rulebook and try a new approach, Clare Valley’s reputation for quality and consistency looks set to continue...
The region enjoys a warm, moderate continental climate, with warm to hot summer days moderated by cooling afternoon and night breezes. This diurnal variation, where night temperatures plummet, helps keep the average temperature lower and gives vines respite from the heat of the day, slowing ripening and adding complexity – especially to aromatic vines such as Riesling.
The soils of the Clare Valley range from classic terra rossa red topsoil over limestone in the Watervale district to the broken slate of Polish Hill River. The vineyards at the northern end of the valley are planted in deep fertile alluvial ground, where there is little or no need for irrigation. Vineyards in the Skillogalee Valley, to the west of the main valley, are planted into sandy loams with varying amounts of degraded quartz." - Wine Australia
Map courtesy of Wine Australia
