Southern Flinders Ranges

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Southern Flinders Ranges
Wine region
TypeWine Region
Year established2003 [1]
Years of wine industrySince the 1890s
CountryAustralia
Part of Far North zone
Heat units 1611 heat degree days from Oct-Apr
Precipitation (annual average)556 mm (21.9 inches)
Varietals producedShiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling
CommentsHarvest Early Feb-Early Mar
Australian wine zones & regions Australian wine zones2.png
Australian wine zones & regions

Southern Flinders Ranges is a South Australian wine region, located east of Spencer Gulf. It is located to the east and north-east of Port Pirie. Though vines have been planted in the area since the 1890s, the Southern Flinders Ranges is a relatively new wine-growing region that began to emerged during the last 20 years of the 20th century. The term ‘Southern Flinders Ranges’ was registered as an Australian Geographical Indication under the Wine Australia Corporation Act 1980 on 19 August 2003. [1] [2]

South Australian wine

The South Australian wine industry is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the state to be able to produce a range of grape varieties–from the cool climate Riesling variety in the Clare Valley wine region to the big, full bodied Shiraz wines of the Barossa Valley.

Spencer Gulf A large inlet in South Australia between the Eyre Peninsula and the Yorke Peninsula

The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and Eyre Peninsula in the west to Cape Spencer and Yorke Peninsula in the east.

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors, may also apply before an appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced.

Contents

Climate and geography

It shares some geological features with the Clare Valley. Most of Southern Flinders vineyards are located between 40 and 500 metres (131 to 1640 feet) altitude. Despite its northerly situation, the climate of the region can be described as warm and dry, rather than hot, being assisted in its relative mildness by its elevation and the maritime influences of the Spencer Gulf to the south-west and southerly winds from Gulf St Vincent. Located along the Goyder's Line the area receives ample amount of rainfall and tends to harvest earlier than the neighboring Clare and Barossa Valleys. [2] Some vineyard still choose to irrigate using underground water sources. [3]

Vineyard Plantation of grape-bearing vines

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture.


Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used. As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context. Although the term altitude is commonly used to mean the height above sea level of a location, in geography the term elevation is often preferred for this usage.

Gulf St Vincent A large inlet of water on the southern coast of South Australia between the Yorke Peninsula and the Fleurieu Peninsula

Gulf St Vincent is a large inlet of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia. It is bordered by Yorke Peninsula on its west, the mainland and Fleurieu Peninsula to its east, with its entrance being a line from Troubridge Point on Yorke Peninsula to Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula.

The region is often split into two sub-zones-the Baroota Land System which includes the coastal plains to the west of the Flinders Ranges and the Wild Dog Creek Land System which includes the land to the east of the Ranges. The sub zones are distinct from each other in soil type with the Baroota having alluvial deposit of sandy loam and the Wild Dog Creek section being composed of more stoney-based loam and red clay. [4]

Flinders Ranges mountain range in South Australia

The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about 200 km (125 mi) north of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over 430 km (265 mi) from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna.

Sand A granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles, from 0.063 to 2 mm diameter

Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. It is defined by size, being finer than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of soil or soil type; i.e., a soil containing more than 85 percent sand-sized particles by mass.

Loam Soil composed of similar proportions of sand and silt, and somewhat less clay

Loam is soil composed mostly of sand, silt, and a smaller amount of clay. By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–silt–clay, respectively. These proportions can vary to a degree, however, and result in different types of loam soils: sandy loam, silty loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, and loam. In the USDA textural classification triangle, the only soil that is not predominantly sand, silt, or clay is called "loam". Loam soils generally contain more nutrients, moisture, and humus than sandy soils, have better drainage and infiltration of water and air than silt and clay-rich soils, and are easier to till than clay soils. The different types of loam soils each have slightly different characteristics, with some draining liquids more efficiently than others. The soil's texture, especially its ability to retain nutrients and water are crucial. Loam soil is suitable for growing most plant varieties.

Grapes and wine

While the Southern Flinders Ranges grows a wide range of grape varieties, the area has been very successful in recent years with its Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. [2] The majority of the region production has been in red wine varietals. [3] However, the first wine of Southern Flinders to make one of Australia top 100 wines list was a Riesling from the area which captured the honor in 2004. [5]

Cabernet Sauvignon Red-wine variety of grape

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawkes Bay, South Africa's Stellenbosch region, Australia's Margaret River and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341,000 hectares (3,410 km2) under vine worldwide.

Merlot dark blue-colored variety of wine-making grape

Merlot is a dark blue-colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.

Varietal wine made primarily from a single named grape variety

A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. Wines that display the name of two or more varieties on their label, such as a Chardonnay-Viognier, are blends and not varietal wines. The term is frequently misused in place of vine variety; the term variety refers to the vine or grape while varietal refers to the wine produced by a variety.

See also

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Mount Lofty Ranges zone (wine) Australian Geographical Indication

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In South Australia, one of the states of Australia, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coastline, desert or mountains. Alternatively, the characteristics may be cultural, such as common land use. South Australia is divided by numerous sets of regional boundaries, based on different characteristics. In many cases boundaries defined by different agencies are coterminous.

Baroota, South Australia Suburb of District Council of Mount Remarkable, South Australia

Baroota is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Spencer Gulf about 230 kilometres north of the state capital of Adelaide and about 29 kilometres (18 mi) north-east of the city of Port Pirie.

County of Frome Cadastral in South Australia

The County of Frome is one of the 49 cadastral counties of South Australia in straddling the Mid North and Flinders Ranges regions. It was proclaimed in 1851 by Governor Henry Young and was named for the former Surveyor-General of South Australia, Edward Charles Frome. The iconic Mount Remarkable in the Hundred of Gregory is at the centre of the county.

References

  1. 1 2 "Southern Flinders Ranges (AGI)". Australian Grape and Wine Authority. 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 578-581 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN   0-7566-1324-8
  3. 1 2 Wine Australia Southern Flinders Ranges Description
  4. Wine Divia "Southern Flinders Ranges" Description
  5. S. Grozzer "A FIRST FOR THE SOUTHERN FLINDERS RANGES" ABC West Coast SA 25 November 2004

33°01′24″S138°18′33″E / 33.023467°S 138.309194°E / -33.023467; 138.309194 Coordinates: 33°01′24″S138°18′33″E / 33.023467°S 138.309194°E / -33.023467; 138.309194

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.