2 AUSTRALIAN valleys produce more riesling plantings than anywhere except Germany.
Clare and Eden Valleys produce riesling plantings second only to Germany in number
In my last riesling column, the first of 12 this year that will be devoted to what I feel is the wine world’s most misunderstood and under-drunk grape, I wrote that my next column on the subject would focus on Germany. Well, seeing as all the wine suggestions that week were from Germany, I’ll save it for later in the year.
Instead, let’s start this year-long riesling tour in a country that few people associate with the grape: Australia. I bet many wine lovers have no idea that Australia makes riesling, let alone a style that I feel is both unique and excellent. Australia is second only — albeit a distant second — to Germany in terms of riesling plantings.
What is even stranger is that the premier growing area for this coolclimate-loving grape is in a region that is best known for its scorching heat and high-alcohol, powerful shiraz: the Barossa Valley. But the shiraz for which it’s best known grows in the floor of this expansive valley. It is on either end that you find riesling country: to the north, the Clare Valley, and to the south, the Eden Valley.
Well, they aren’t quite valleys — more like a series of hills and dales. Nonetheless, these two sub-regions have a long history of success with riesling; the earliest plantings date back to the mid-1800s. One of the Eden Valley’s most famous riesling vineyards, Pewsey Vale, was first planted in 1847. Clare’s first vineyards were planted even earlier, in 1840.
So what’s up here? While Clare and Eden are technically part of the Barossa, these bookend valleys have dramatically different climates and geography.
The first big difference is altitude. To the east of the Barossa, the Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the Southern Ocean right up to the Clare Valley. While we aren’t talking the Rockies here, the higher vineyards of Eden and Clare can be up to 550 metres above sea level.
This is key. While summer days can still be quite hot, the evenings tend to be quite cool because of the altitude. This is paramount for good riesling, as this difference between day and night temperatures, referred to as diurnal variation, allows the grape to keep its acidity. And as the growing season moves into autumn, the daytime temperatures can quickly get much cooler. This allows for the slower ripening that is needed for great riesling.
But altitude is not the only reason the region produces such great riesling. Soils also make a big difference. Riesling loves to struggle, and does best in rather meagre soils. The Eden Valley can be quite rocky and gravelly, with quartz and schist in the subsoils. The Clare Valley is much more diverse, but the best riesling vineyards are on limestone and shale.
When I was last in the Eden Valley, I visited one of Australia’s more famous riesling vineyards, Jacob’s Creek’s Steingarten, which translates as “stone garden.” Planting started here in 1963 on a very steep slope with so little soil, and so much rock, that they had to use dynamite to make holes for the vines.
When I looked at the vines — and I have seen my fair share — I asked why the hillside was being replanted. The vines looked to be at most 10 to 15 years old. I was told that they were the original plantings, and the vines were almost 60 years old. It was really windy that day, and I was told it’s like that quite often. No wonder the vines struggle.
And the final thing that Clare and Eden have going for them is that, as with a few vineyards in Germany, their riesling is still on its original rootstock. South Australia is still phylloxera free, so they haven’t had to graft their riesling on phylloxera-resistant rootstock. Perhaps that is another reason the wines show such purity. The dry style
What is most important to understand is how Clare and Eden riesling is different from other rieslings. That’s easy to explain: They are dry. So for those of you who are still wary of the fruitier style of riesling, where sugar is left in the wine to balance out the acidity, these rieslings are for you.
In many ways, they are a great entry point into the world of riesling. You can find very good dry styles in other areas, such as Alsace and Austria, but what I love about Clare and Eden is the purity of the fruit and straightforwardness of the wines.
In many ways, I find they can resemble sauvignon blanc, because the fruit tends toward citrus. The Clare Valley, because it is a touch warmer than the Eden Valley, tends to produce rieslings with a bit more fruit. You’ll find lime, passion fruit and grapefruit. In my first tour of Clare, I found subtle notes of sa- lami, of all things. Never quite figured out what that was from.
While many of them are very easy drinking, even in their youth, winemakers like Jeffrey Grosset make intensely nervy wines that require a few years to calm down. But in general, they are more weighty in texture, or richer, than Eden.
Because it is a touch cooler there, the Eden Valley’s riesling can be quite lean. The fruit tends to be more subtle than Clare’s, but is still along the citrus theme; the wines are more floral, and are dominated by minerality. Why dry?
As I mentioned in my previous column on the subject, riesling will tell the winemaker how it should be made. So while Eden and Clare are far cooler than the rest of the Barossa Valley, compared to truly cool growing areas like Germany and the Niagara, it is relatively warm and has a very long growing season.
These conditions are perfect for a true dry riesling. At harvest, the acids have decreased to levels whereby the winemakers don’t have to leave much sugar in the wines to balance out the acidity.
So there you have it. Remember: You have nothing to fear from riesling. These wines have remarkable complexity. They are refreshing. If you think all riesling is sweet, the ones I suggest below are not.
No excuses.