Wine Tour
Australia

South Australia

Clare Valley
Dating back to 1852, this wine area is a high quality producer of long lived, intensely flavoured and strongly structured reds and intensely floral Rieslings. The climate varies within the valley but generally speaking, it is moderately continental, with cold nights and warm to hot summer days. Irrigation is necessary. Soils are generally red to brown grey in colour with a significant limestone content.

Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is certainly the most famous wine region of South Australia. The climate is characterized by a high average of sunshine, and low humidity and rainfall and thus offers ideal conditions for full bodied red wines, excellent fortified wines and robust white wines. There are two basic soil types, both low in fertility: brown, loamy sand to clay loam, and more sandy light grey brown soils. 

McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is one of the most richly varied and highly developed Australian wine-growing areas and produces powerful red and white wines. There is a wide variety of both climate and soil types but most are well suited to viticulture.

Eden Valley
The Eden Valley produces famous Riesling, Chardonnays and Shiraz. Growing season temperatures are considerably lower than those of the Barossa Valley, and the final stages of ripening and harvesting take place in much cooler conditions. The wind also has an effect in restricting both growth and yield. The most common soil type ranges in grey to brown colour and from loamy sand to clay loams. 

Adelaide Hills
This is a region of rapidly growing importance for the production of super premium table and sparkling wine. Altitude is the key to the climate, with Mount Lofty and the Piccadilly Valley being much cooler than Adelaide. Irrigation is necessary. The soils are predominantly grey to grey-brown loamy sands of low to moderate fertility. 

Padthaway
Located 85km north of Coonawarra, Padthaway covers relatively flat terrain a few meters above sea level. There are two main soil types: deep yellow duplex soils on the slopes and loamy red soils. The area has good natural drainage and requires irrigation. The stability of the climate allows for constancy between vintages.

Coonawarra
The Coonawarra wine-growing region dates back to 1890 and today boasts some of the most expensive viticultural land in Australia. It produces many of Australia's great Cabernet Sauvignons. Coonawarra is located only 60 kilometres inland and the influence of the ocean together with the dry and moderately cool summers ripen most grape varieties to perfection. The bright red terra rossa of Coonawarra is Australia's most famous soil.

Western Australia

Margaret River
One of the most popular wine regions in Australia, Margaret River boasts a wide range of attractions for visitors. It is most well-known for its elegant Cabernet Sauvignon but also enjoys a great reputation for all the classical varietal wines. More so than any other Australian region, the climate is strongly maritime influenced. The soil is predominantly gravelly or gritty sandy loam. Although highly permeable when moist the soils still need to be irrigated as water capacities are quite low.

New South Wales

Hunter Valley
With an unbroken history of winemaking stretching back to 1825, this is the oldest Australian wine-growing region. Long lived Semillon and Shiraz are its most notable products. Despite a warm, wet and humid climate theoretically unsuited for viticulture, the Hunter Valley succeeds magnificently. Most of the vineyards are situated on red clay or sandy soils on the lower part of the valley.
With a warmer but less humid climate, the Upper Hunter Valley produces soft and rich Chardonnays and quick maturing Semillons. The key to the region's viticultural success are the soils which are well drained, moderately fertile black silty loams. 

Cowra
this recently planted wine area is now specialised in full flavoured, modestly priced Chardonnay. The 'continental-type' climate is hot and dry with low relative humidity, yet the rainfall in the growing season is relatively high. The vineyards are generally situated on gentle slopes or river flood-plains of moderately acidic and fertile soils.

Griffith/Riverina
Dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, the Griffith/Riverina area grows 55% of New South Wales' varietal grapes and 15% of Australia's grapes. It's one great wine style is Botrytis Semillon. The vineyards are generally on flat land with sandy loam soils and produce a reliable constant quality. The climate is hot and dry with winter dominant rainfall.

Tumbarumba
In many respects, the climate is rather unsuited for wine growing. Frosts can be severe, rainfall is generally high and the summer temperatures are quite cool. Despite those weather conditions, Tumbarumba's expanding wine industry has achieved an enviable reputation for producing premium and super premium sparkling wines, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Young
The Young region display increasingly northern climatic influences with moderately high summer rainfall and relative humidities. The greatest problem for the district is frosts. During the ripening period, irrigation remains essential.  However, in spite of the climatic adversity and thanks to careful selection of sites, the Young district produces some excellent cool climate wines.

Victoria

Great Western 
Historically Australia's first region for sparkling wines, the area has a cool dry climate: summer daytime temperatures can be high but the night temperatures are cool to cold. Water is limited due to the region's moderate rainfall. The soil types consist largely of infertile yellow duplex soils on the flats and red duplex soil, of better quality, on the slopes. Topsoils are generally inclined towards being slightly acidic and salinity can be a problem.

Drunborg
50% of the vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier which are the three classic grape varieties of Champagne. This is the coolest of Australia's wine growing regions but it also benefits from a large number of sunshine hours. As it is quite exposed to wind, sheltered slopes are carefully selected wherever possible. The vineyards are most widely planted ona gravelly loam topsoil overlying red clay. 

Yarra Valley
Approximately 50km north-east of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley terrain is undulating. Rainfall is quite constant throughout the year with a peak in Spring. The soil is generally a grey sandy loam clay over a yellow loamy clay sub-soil. Irrigation is required and water is stored in a series of dams within the region.


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