Robe

Robe is Australia’s newest official wine region, having been declared in 2006. Until then, Robe and the Mount Benson region immediately to the north usually had been spoken of in the same breath.

While there are obvious similarities between the two, there also are distinct differences in soil type and climate. Robe is less prone to frosts, for example, and because its vineyards are all planted to the east of the Woakwine Ranges wind is less of a factor.

The climate, like Mt Benson’s, is cool and strongly maritime, being influenced by the Southern Ocean to the west and lakes to the east. Winters can be cold and wet, but cool evening breezes at the right time of the year are conducive to gentle ripening.

The growing season is long, cool and dry, and while the summer temperatures are three degrees lower than the nearby Coonawarra, harvest is at much the same time.

Robe has a wider variety of soil types than either Coonawarra or Mt Benson, ranging from calcareous sand on the coastal dunes through rendzinas on the coastal plain to terra rossa on the limestone ridges. Its terra rossa is distinctly different to the Coonawarra’s, however, being essentially red-brown with no distinctive horizons.

The Robe region has a defined history in fishing, pastoral activities and tourism, with little or no viticulture before 1989. It has made up for lost time, however, and some observers believe its potential is as exciting as any region in Australia.

Southcorp purchased land for vineyards in 1974 and several independent operations soon followed. Most grapes are transported to major wineries in Mt Benson, Coonawarra or Padthaway, although small processing facilities are being established in the region. The first Robe wines were released in 2001.

The main grape varieties currently planted are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, followed by Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.