South Australia is the historic heart of Australian wine, home to some of the most famous regions, best-known wineries and oldest vines in the country.

Australian Wine.com

This month the World Wine Travel group of bloggers, who explore the world virtually through wine, virtually travels to South Australia as part of our 2022 exploration of Australia and New Zealand. In particular, we are focused on white wines from the region.

I’m excited about re-visiting Australian wine. It was one of the regions that I explored at the beginning of my wine journey, but I haven’t purchased a bottle of Australian wine in at least ten years (though I did partake of a bottle of the fabulous Mollydooker Shiraz Carnival Of Love from the McLaren Vale region several years ago thanks to a friend)

About South Australia 

Our host Lynn Gowdy of Savor The Harvest provides excellent background including major grapes, climate, sustainability initiatives, etc. on the region in this invitation post.

South Australia is one of six states that constitute Australia. The state boasts 18 diverse regions. According to Australian Wine,it is the historic heart of Australian wine, home to some of the most famous regions, best-known wineries and oldest vines in the country. If you’re familiar with Australian wine, then you’ve likely heard of regions like Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McClaren Vale. As seen in the map below, all of in South Australia!

The Eden Valley

The wine I chose is from the Eden Valley, which is situated next door to its famous neighbor the Barossa Valley. But it is at a higher altitude. Together they make up the Barossa Zone. 

It is one of Australia’s top cool-climate wine regions. Its primary grapes grown in the Eden Valley include:

• Riesling
• Chardonnay
• Shiraz
• Cabernet Sauvignon

While researching for this post, I learned that it has a long tradition of making world-class Riesling.

2021 Pewsey Vale Vineyard Riesling Dry Riesling

This wine, which was first crafted in 1964, is a blend from most of the blocks on the vineyard with an intent to expresses the hallmarks of Eden Valley and the Pewsey Vale Vineyard. It is 100% Riesling fermented with the wild yeast that comes in on the grapes from the vineyard in stainless steel.

Tasting Note:

Very pale straw color with fresh pear, ripe peach, dried apricot, and dried herb aromas accented with a subtle hints of honey and dried rose. On the palate it’s medium bodied and dry with zesty mouthwatering citrusy acidity, and supple texture. It shows pear, green apple, lemon and lime flavors with savory dried herb notes. 12% abv|SRP – $18

Pewsey Vale Vineyard

The Pewsey Vale Vineyard was established in the Eden Valley in 1847, planted by Englishmen, Joseph Gilbert. It was the first vineyard planted in the Eden Valley.

The vines came from the Macarthur vineyards at Camden Park in New South Wales and from the collection of English glasshouse cuttings from the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Chiswick explains the Pewsey Vale website.

The Great Depression adversely impacted Australia and the vineyard fell into disuse. Vigneron Wyndham Hill-Smith acquired the vineyard in 1961, and the Hill-Smith family remain the owners of the vineyard.

Pewsey Vale is considered a “monopole” vineyard because it is planted to one grape variety – Riesling. It’s situated an an altitude between 450 and 500 meters above sea level. The vineyard covers 56 hectares (~139 acres), and all plantings in the vineyard are propagated from the original 1847 vines.

The 2021 vintage release of Pewsey Vale Vineyard has been formally recognized for its sustainable winegrowing credentials, being amongst the first wine labels in Australia to display the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark. Launched in July 2019, the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) program provides the opportunity for winemakers to benchmark their performance and communicate their social, environmental and economic credentials with consumers according to their website.

Food Pairing

This wine was lovely paired with a Chinese-Style Chicken Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing.

I invite you to read more about the white wines of South Australia discovered by my fellow #WorldWineTravel bloggers.

• Crushed Grape Chronicles (Robin) discusses “Jim Barry Wines – 3 Generations making Clare Valley Riesling”
• A Day In The Life On The Farm (Wendy) pairs “South Australian Chardonnay with Pesto Bruschetta Chicken
• ”Culinary Adventures with Camilla (Camilla) shares “Asparagus-Leek Velouté + Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020”
• Enofylz Wine Blog (Martin) digs into “Pewsey Vale – Eden Valley’s Original Riesling Monopole”
• AdVINEtures (Chris & Allison) is exploring “South Australia Riesling”
• My Full Wine Glass (Linda) discusses “Eden Valley Dry Riesling? Cool!”
• Wine Predator ….. Gwendolyn Alley shares “Eight at the Gate: Sustainable Chardonnay In Wrattonbully, South Australia”Savor the Harvest 
• Savor the Harvest (Lynn) discusses “Paxton Wines – Biodynamic Pioneer in South Australia”
• Food Wine Click! (Jeff) shares “Eden Valley Shines Among South Australia Whites“
• Wineivore (Deanna) shares “Brash Higgins Zibbibo Nautral Wine + Sashimi Plate”
• Our Good Life (Terri) tells us about “Tait Family Wines and a Family Tradition Meal”

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