Adelaide Plains

The Adelaide Plains wine region is situated just 30km north of Adelaide between the Mount Lofty Ranges and Gulf Saint Vincent. Its major towns are Gawler, Virginia, Angle Vale, Two Wells and Balaklava. Gawler is 40 kms north of Adelaide, or less than half an hour’s drive.

The local people of the Adelaide Plains region were the Kaurna. The Kaurna probably did not appreciate that South Australia was a more ‘planned’ colony than others in Australia as they were treated to much the same harsh impact. Nevertheless, the Adelaide Plains town of Gawler, like Adelaide itself, was planned by William Light, the son of Francis Light, the founder of Penang in Malaysia. Gawler was part of a syndicate led by Henry Dundas Murray and John Reid that acquired 4,000 acres in the area. Soon after, copper was discovered at nearby Kapunda and Burra, and Gawler became a major transport link between these and Adelaide.

The Adelaide Plains wine region is much in the shadow of its famous cousins the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills regions. In addition, it is a region that has usually sent it produce into other regions to be processed. For example, many of the grapes that went into the famous Penfolds Grange Hermitage were actually grown in the Adelaide Plains.

Italians rather than Germans provided many of the wine orientated settlers of the Adelaide Plains, and it is these or their descendants who first planted grapes. At first this was mainly for their own consumption and then increasingly in the 1970s and thereafter, to sell both domestically and internationally.

The Adelaide Plains is a very warm region, modified to some degree by the sea breezes off Gulf Saint Vincent, while its winters are mild and wet. While the Adelaide Plains region has many rivers and creeks, most run dry in summer, but this dryness and the high temperatures also means that vine pests and diseases are rare, and that irrigation is essential. The flatness of the plains also means that machine pruning and harvesting is relatively easy.

This warm, dry climate of the Adelaide Plains very much suits the creation of full bodied red and white table wines as well as excellent fortifieds. A good producer of high-yield, standard quality grapes in the past, increasingly growers in the Adelaide Plains region prefer to increase the quality of their grapes by focusing on low-yielding vines. In addition, Italian varieties are much favoured, such as Sangiovese, Moscato and Pinot Grigio.

Ceravolo Wines is a prime example of those with Italian heritage leading the wine production of the Adelaide Plains. Joe & Heather Ceravolo are descended of people who have been making wine and olive oil for generations. The Ceravolo’s planted many kinds of fruits on their land when they first arrived, including apples and cherries, as well as olive groves and vineyards. After growing high quality grapes that were sent to be made into wine by others for many years, Joe Ceravolo, like many around the Adelaide Plains region, has now decided to begin producing wines under his own proud family name.

Another great Adelaide Plains vineyard is Dominic Versace, established by Dominic Versace, whose father worked for many years at Wynns Wineries in Coonawarra.

Dominic and Marie Versace planted 14 acres in MacDonald Park with Shiraz, Grenache and Sangiovese in 1980. They do not use artificial chemicals and their grapes are sought after by many well-known wineries.

But not all wine growers in the Adelaide Plains need be of Italian background and the Andrews Road vineyards and olive grove, set on 50 acres, makes much of its Scottish connections. Nor does wine always need to be grown with chemical support, something which Wilkie Estate wines, established in 1984, has been demonstrating since 1997 when it began to convert to organic production. Wilkie Estate has now received certification as a fully organic operation.

An aspect of the making of organic wines is that they use natural sulfur in amounts well below that of conventional wines. This means that very careful handling during the fermentation and maturing process is required. Even weeds can be controlled using organic methods, such as mulch under the vines and native grasses between the rows. Using organic methods, Wilkie Estate produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Ruby Cabernet, Merlot, Colombard and Verdelho. Unfortunately the market for organic wines remains small in Australia and some 90% of the product of the Wilkie Estate is actually sold to the UK.

The Adelaide Plains has a number of interesting places to visit, such as Balaklava, which is famous as the home of the 100-year old Balaklava Cup as well as where the Adelaide Plains Festival is held annually. Another locality of interest is Two Wells, named after two wells used by Aboriginal people in the pre-European era and after by bullock teams. Once filled in and forgotten, they were rediscovered in 1967 and have been restored and surrounded with gardens. In Two Wells can also be found the Pudnarla Food, Craft and Medicine Trail.

Spicy Shiraz and rich Cabernet are prime products of the Adelaide Plains, also Merlot, usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Another popular blend is Sangiovese, generally with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Colombard is a specialty of the Adelaide Plains region, but many varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Grenache, Malbec, Ruby Cabernet, Alicante Bouchet, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio also do very well.