Southern Fleurieu
The Southern Fleurieu region is a diverse landscape offering beautiful hills, sandy beaches, wineries, cellar doors and award-winning restaurants. The undulating slopes and gentle hills pose no limitations to viticulture and enhance the beauty of the vineyards within a diverse landscape.
The Southern Fleurieu is also one of South Australia's favourite holiday destinations and is a popular retreat during summer.
Cabernet Sauvignon
In the warmer years the region produces a wine with a most attractive mix of gently herbaceous and tobacco characters, with sweeter red and blackberry flavours. The tannins are fine and supple, and the wine is medium bodied.
Merlot
This wine is sometimes made as a straight varietal and at other times blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. The variety appears particularly well suited to the climate and soil of the Peninsula, producing wines of vibrant varietal character. The flavours run through a spectrum of leaf, mint and red berry, with a fragrant bouquet.
- The climate is Mediterranean and very strongly influenced by the vast expanses of water surrounding the region.
- Temperatures are one to two degrees warmer than Adelaide in winter, but three to five degrees cooler in summer, with an average summer maximum of only 25°C (77°F).
- The Mediterranean pattern means rainfall is winter dominant and the minimal growing season rainfall makes irrigation essential.
- Spring frosts are simply not an issue, and the prevailing southerly winds seldom blow with sufficient force to inhibit growth.
- There are two soil types in the vineyard areas: a variable sandy to more clayey loam over limestone subsoil, and buckshot gravel, again over limestone.
- Both are suited to viticulture and support moderately vigorous vine growth.