Clare Valley - The Quiet Achiever of Australian Wine
Clare Valley
Hidden away in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia, Clare Valley is a small wine region with a big reputation. Just 130 kilometres north of Adelaide, the first vines were planted here by European settlers in 1840, making it one of Australia's oldest wine regions. It's a place of contrasts: warm enough for powerful reds, cool enough for some of the finest Riesling in the world. And it gave Australia something else entirely, Clare Valley was the birthplace of Australia's screwcap revolution, transforming the way wine is sealed and preserved across the country.
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The Climate and Soils
The Clare Valley climate is moderate continental, with long warm summer days followed by cool nights, helping to extend hang time while retaining crisp acidity and structure, the hallmark of premium quality wines from the region. Many vineyards sit at 400–500 metres above sea level, with varying altitudes causing wide diurnal temperature variation, cool nights even in the heat of summer, allowing fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. Beneath the vines sits an intricate mosaic of ancient soils, from red loams over limestone in Watervale to slate-rich profiles in Polish Hill River that limit vigour and concentrate flavour.
The Wines
Riesling is Clare Valley's undisputed signature, dry in style with intense citrus and lime aromas, high acidity and the ability to develop honey and toast characters with age. The top wines can be cellared for 20 or more years. The Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling is sourced from one of the valley's most prized sites, consistently one of the finest expressions of Clare Valley Riesling produced each vintage. The Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling is equally impressive, complex, age-worthy and a brilliant example of what this region does better than almost anywhere else in Australia.
But don't overlook the reds. Clare Valley Shiraz is fragrant, powerful and structured, with a savoury complexity and natural acidity that gives it real aging potential. The Leasingham Provis Single Vineyard Shiraz 2016 collected a Trophy and two Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge in the UK, a serious result that speaks to the quality the region can achieve with its flagship red varieties.
