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WHY THE CLARE VALLEY?

Two hours north of Adelaide, the Clare Valley (33º 50'S and 138º 37'E), in South Australian winemaking history dates back to when English settler John Horrocks first planted vines at Hope Farm in 1840. His vision was followed by plantings at Sevenhill in 1852 and Spring Vale in 1853. The Clare Valley remains one of Australia's oldest and most famous wine regions as well as one of the most scenic.

Although the Clare Valley is set in the middle of the hot, dry mid north wheat belt of South Australia, with hot summers and little ground water it manages to produce wines that would appear to come from a considerably cooler and wetter climate. Said to rival the great Rieslings of Mosel in Germany and Alsace, the region also lends itself to some of Australia's top big, firm peppery shiraz's and elegant minty cabernets which display enormous structure and depth.

Producing only 3% of Australia's total grape crush, the Clare Valley wins 20% of the wine awards available to Australian vineyards every year, an exceptional statistic considering its size. The Clare Valley's peculiar characteristic in producing cool climate wines from what is seemingly a warm climate region is generally attributed to cool afternoon breezes that blow through the valleys in the warmer months courtesy of the St. Vincent gulf stream. The region contains a series of valleys with altitudes ranging from 300m to over 500m above sea level.