Riesling: Australian Benchmarks

What is riesling? A history.

An aromatic white grape variety that originated in the Rhine River region which runs throughout Germany, Austria, France & Switzerland. Likely to have originated in Germany, the first recorded sales of riesling vines were in 1435 to a German count.
In 1787 the Archbishop of Trier ordered that all bad vines be replaced with Riesling varietals.
By 1850’s riesling had become fashionable and was even commanding higher prices than Bordeaux and Champagne.

Common characteristics include: light body, citrus, stone fruit, white flowers & petrol and naturally high acidity.
The older the riesling the more prominent kerosene, gasoline, rubber aromas become.
That smell of gasoline actually tends to show the higher quality wines, as it is a direct result of sun exposure and water stress.
Riesling is known as a grape that is highly variable depending on where it is grown, as it will have a direct expression of terroir (terroir being soil, climate, nutrients etc)
Riesling loves cool climates & slate soils, it buds late so generally avoids spring frosts. Riesling trunks also have thicker bark than most grapevines so they often avoid damage in the cold winter.

First imported in 1817 by John Marcarthur and then in 1833 by James Busby who is considered one of the fathers of Australian wine. It is believed to be one of the first if not the first varietal planted in Australia.
Riesling ripens mid season and is a comfortable fit in a lot of regions around the country.
Riesling was the most planted white grape in australia up until the 90’s when chardonnay had its comeuppance.
3157Ha’s of riesling vines in australia!
Australian riesling grapes have 7 times thicker skin than those of german riesling grapes.

Started in 1973 by Ken & Judith, it is a family affair.
Based in Murrumbateman, Ken is a descendant of German vignerons. Seen as one of the pioneer winemaking familys in the Canberra district.
Extreme continental climate (so warm, long days and cool nights) Rain at harvest is not uncommon and 2021 helm lost a lot of their vintage due to storms.
Juice is direct pressed, fined prior to fermentation (so that he has a clear juice to begin with), fermentation takes place in insulated stainless steel tanks that are temperature controlled. The wine is inoculated, as opposed to wild ferment and then bottled at the start of winter.

Buried deep in the most isolated of Western Australias wine regions, 250km east of Margaret River and then inland from the Great Southern sits the family owned Frankland Estate.
The estate was founded in 1988 and received organic certification in 2009 after many years of work on sustainable farming.
Continental climate again (hot days and cool nights), perfect growing weather for riesling.
Wine is made from grapes grown in the familys estate vineyards. A selection of small ferments was made from of parcels of grapes harvested from younger vines that were planted in 2006. These parcels are co fermented with parcels from some of the original plantings on Frankland estate from 1988. The grapes are immediately pressed on arrival to the winery and then the juice is left to settle in tank over night before being racked. The riesling is fermented in stainless steel tanks at very low temperatures over 4-6 weeks with very minimal intervention. The wine is also left on its fermentation lees prior to bottling to add texture.

Provenance: Clare Valley, SA – 4 Clare Valley vineyards – centered around Mount Horrocks (protection) – all incredibly high in altitude
Winemaker: Founded by Jeffrey Grosset – completed both oenology and agriculture courses, worked in Germany and was a senior winemaker by 26 – wanted to start his own operation
Interestingly – part of the movement in CV to switch to screwcaps – ensure consistency and remove the possibility of cork taint
Established in 1981 when Jeffrey purchased an old milk depot in Auburn, Clare Valley
Polish Hill Soil (1996) : Silt and shallow shales over a thin crust of clay and gravel – overlayed by blue slate
‘Hard rock’ site – the vines struggle to draw nutrients from the soil, so the bunches and berries are small (acidity)
Clay soils tend to stay cooler and also retain water (rich structured wines)
Silt retains water and heat (somewhere between aromatic and rich/structured)
Australia has a warmer climate – therefore the altitude in the Clare Valley moderates the heat Certified organic and biodynamic
Site is gently sloping
Labour intensive vineyard – hand-picked depending on the fruit ripening process, relatively close-planted with low yield
Famous for their perfume, fruit purity and fine cut of acid

Provenance: Eden Valley, SA
Winemaker: Established by John Hughes (2009) – variety of Riesling expressions (making sure they’re representative of both region and style) – grapes sourced from Clare, Eden and Polish Hill River – 11 styles
Heavily inspired by Germany – dry, sparkling, fortified, sweet
Number assigned to the wine is representative of both the region and the style of Riesling
John grew up in the Clare Valley and thus has always lived and breathed Riesling
John is aided by Belinda (‘the Freakette’) who has worked in SA wineries for 15 years
Interestingly – name comes from the winemaker’s uni days where they always had a bottle of Riesling on hand and thus became dubbed the ‘Riesling freak’
Eden Valley – sourced from four vineyards – two of them in the premium sub-region of Flaxman Valley, third is situated in the heart of the Eden Valley township from over 65 year old vines (produce intense and acid heavy Riesling) and the fourth from Avon Brae in the West (adjacent to the Adelaide Hills)
Flaxman Valley – sandy loam and clay with quartz and gravel
2021 growing season – warm and generally dry, warm spring gave way to a cooler summer which eased the process of fruit set – cool days and cold nights made for slow ripening, giving the grapes exceptional flavour development

Provenance: Henty, VIC
Winemaker: Established in 1975 in South-West Victoria (contemporaneously outside traditional wine growing areas) by John and Catherine Thomson.
After soil explorations within an area of land originally settled in 1888 by John’s great grandfather for grazing
John studied Viticulture and Oenology
Now regarded as the best exemplification of Henty terroir
Today – its run by Belinda (daughter- winemaking, studied viticulture and oenology in NZ) and Fiona (daughter – marketing and sales)
Small batch, family-owned, sustainable farming – country’s premier producers
Vineyard – cool, southerly latitude together with the maritime influence, complex soil structure create a unique terroir (ancient risen seabed and volcanic plain – mineral-rich soil composition which boast intensity of flavour while maintaining acid balance and integrity)
Small influence of the Southern Ocean – cool the hot summer days and elongates ripening hours during the late Summer and Autumn ripening period
View to sustainability – organic – graze sheep in the vineyard after vintage which avoids pruning and additional tractor passes, whilst also naturally fertilizing the soil