Our Vineyards
At Rieslingfreak, we source grapes from Clare Valley, Polish Hill River and Eden Valley.
Each of these regions and specific vineyards are selected based on their own individual microclimate, the history of the vineyard and the grower’s commitment to their vineyards.
Clare Valley - White Hutt
No.3, No.5, No.6, No.7, No.9, No.33
Our Clare Valley vineyard is situated in White Hutt and is my family vineyard, owned by Richard and Anne Hughes. This is approximately 5.8 kms north of the Clare township, and is situated 500m above sea level.
On our Clare Valley property, we have five different Riesling sites. Each site has a different soil profile, and we use multiple clones on the sites. The majority of the sites have deep red clay, over limestone, providing a fruit driven style of Riesling. There is a different vineyard site for the No.5 which is made in the ‘off dry’ style. This site has shale grey soils over limestone. This is a compaction of silt and clay, providing a lighter soil that results in a delicate Riesling that is perfect for the ‘off dry’ style.
Clare Valley - Polish Hill River
No.2, No.8
Our Polish Hill River vineyard is owned by Robert and Lyn Jaeschke. This vineyard was originally owned by Penfolds before Lyn and Robert purchased the vineyard in 2010.
The vineyard is 4.7km south-east of the Clare township and is situated in the heart of the Polish Hill River. The vineyard is planted 460m above sea level and attracts an average of 625mm of rain each year. Planted on grey loam over sandy limestone and shale rock, these vines produce tight Rieslings, often with green apples and citrus, and a tight acid.
Clare Valley - Watervale
No.14
Eden Valley
No.4, No.44
Fruit for our Eden Valley Riesling is sourced from vineyards located across the Southern Ranges of Eden Valley; from Flaxman Valley in High Eden to the east, through to Springton in the west.
Three of our vineyards are located in Flaxman Valley in High Eden, a premium sub-region of Eden Valley. These vineyards are small, family-owned blocks that vary in age from 40-70 years old and produce wines of elegance and delicacy. Flaxman Valley is predominantly loam soil over light medium clay, with high quartz rock and gravel content. Situated 500m above sea level, the region has a rainfall of approximately 650mm per year.
We also source fruit from vineyards outside of the Flaxman Valley subregion. The Old Quarry vineyard and Avon Brae Vineyards, located on the outskirts of Angaston and Springton respectively, grow Riesling planted on a variety of soils and aspects. These vineyards produce Riesling that is typically rich and full-flavoured, adding texture and weight to complement the elegance and driving acidity of the wines from the higher-altitude Flaxman Valley vineyards.
Eden Valley - Flaxman Valley
No.11, No.12
Flaxman Valley is a premium sub-region of Eden Valley in the higher-altitude area of the region. This region is renown for producing wines of intense perfume and driving acidity, making it a highly regarded area for Eden Valley Riesling.
We work with three family growers in the region, with small plantings of Riesling that sparsely dot the rocky landscape.
Two of our vineyards, owned by Ben Zander and John Lienert, are directly opposite each other on the border of the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park. This wild terrain is typically too rocky to support grapegrowing, but the small gully where these vines are planted take full advantage of the deeper soils and cool evening breezes in this discreet pocket of arable land to grow some of the best Riesling in the region.
The third vineyard we source fruit from is owned by Mark Bartholomaeus and is situated on the outskirts of the Eden Valley township. The vines are over 70 years old and are among the oldest plantings of Riesling in the area. These old vines produce wines with intense flavour and exceptional natural acidity.
