Clare Valley Wine Region

The Clare Valley Wine Region in South Australia is located just over a hundred kilometres north of Adelaide. It stretches from Auburn in the south through the villages of Leasingham, Penwortham and Watervale and on beyond the township of Clare in the north.

Matriarch and Rogue produce a range of alternative varieties in this region, including Fiano and Vermentino

The history of this region is nearly as long as that of the nearby Barossa Region. The first vineyard, at Sevenhill, was planted by Jesuits in the 1840's and is still in production.

The Clare Valley region is really a series of north-south ridges and valleys with considerable variation in topography and microclimate. There are three unofficial sub-regions, the Polish Hill River region to the east, the Central Clare Valley, and the Skillogalee Valley to the west.

The region produces much better cool climate wines than its location and raw climatic data suggest. On paper the region looks to have a warm to hot viticultural environment.  In his book Viticulture and Environment, John Gladstones devotes considerable space to exploring the reasons why the various microclimates around Clare are much better for the production of table wines than for fortified styles.

The Clare Valley wine region is most famous for its crisp Rieslings and is now recognised, both in Australia and internationally as the premium region for dry wines from that variety. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec are used to make impressive dry red wines here as well.  As in many South Australian wine regions Grenache is used as a blending component of red wines and occasionally as a straight varietal. 

Over recent years, the Spanish variety Tempranillo as well as Sangiovese and many Italian varieties have been introduced with very promising results. 

Artwine, now based in the Adelaide Hills, are taking up the challenge of introducing new varieties with Tempranillo and Graciano from Spain and Fiano from Southern Italy.

To add to the regional diversity in 2010 Jim Barry Wines became the first Australian vineyard to establish the Greek variety Assyrtiko.

Pictures from South Australian WIneries

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Alternative varieties in the CLare Valley

Note some wineries located outside the Clare Valley use grapes grown here, but are not listed. 

• Adelina Wines Arneis, Nebbiolo
• Atlas Wines Fiano, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Black Stump Wines Nebbiolo
• Byrne Sangiovese
• Claymore Carignan, Cinsaut, Malbec, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Crabtree of Watervale Muscadelle, Tempranillo
• Eldredge Malbec, Sangiovese
• Erin Eyes Malbec, Sangiovese
• Gaelic Cemetery Malbec
• Greg Cooley Sangiovese
• Grosset Aglianico, Fiano, Nero d'Avola, Petit Verdot
• Hill River Estate Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Jaeschke's Hill River Clare Estate Tempranillo
• Jeanneret Wines Malbec, Moscato
• Jim Barry Wines Assyrtiko, Malbec
• Kirrihill Estates Arneis, Fiano, Montepulciano, Moscato, Nebbiolo, Nero d'Avola, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Knappstein Wines Malbec, Sangiovese
• Koerner Wines Cabernet Franc, Fer, Mammolo, Sangiovese, Vermentino
• Matchbox Wines Malbec
• Matriarch and Rogue Albariño, Arinto, Fernao Pires, Fiano, Lagrein, Malbec, Mencia, Montepulciano, Nero d'Avola, Pecorino, Prieto Picudo, Sangiovese, Saperavi, Shioppettino, Tempranillo, Vermentino, Zinfandel
• Mercuri Estate Malbec, Sangiovese
• Miss Zilm Fiano
• Mitchell Gruner Veltliner, Sangiovese
• Mount Horrocks Nero d'Avola
• Mr Mick Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Naked Run Wines Malbec
• Noble Road Dolcetto, Montepulciano
• O'Leary Walker Gruner Veltliner, Malbec, Pinotage, Tempranillo
• Paulett Sangiovese
• Pikes Albarino, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Fiano, Gruner Veltliner, Sangiovese, Savagnin, Tempranillo
• Rabbit and Spaghetti Vermentino
• Reilly's Wines Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Robertson of Clare Malbec, Petit Verdot
• Sevenhill Wines Barbera, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Muscadelle, Pedro Ximenez, Ruby Cabernet, Touriga
• Shut the Gate Fiano, Negroamaro, Tempranillo
• Skillogalee Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Malbec
• Steve Wiblin's Erin Eyes Malbec, Sangiovese
• Stone Bridge Wines Malbec, Sangiovese
• Sussex Squire Fiano, Malbec, Sangiovese
• Taylors Fiano, Gewurztraminer, Montepulciano, Nero d'Avola, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Tim Adams Fiano, Malbec Tempranillo, Zinfandel
• Tim Gramp Tempranillo
• Trelawney Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Vanguardist Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Verdejo
• Wendouree Malbec
• Wilson Vineyard Gewurztraminer, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
• Wines by KT Tempranillo

In this region Rare Ozzies producers include Jim Barry wines with Assyrtico and Koener wines with Fer and Mammolo. Matriarch and Rogue are producing some Rare Ozzies varieties as well.

You can read comments about Assyrtiko by Peter Barry in the Rare Ozzies book.

Pikes cellar door. Historic stone buildings, autumn colours, and blue skies typify the Clare Valley.

More about the Clare Valley

More about the Clare Valley

Visiting the Clare Valley

This region is just an hour and a half drive north of Adelaide, not much further north than its better known neighbour the Barossa valley.

There are many accommodation options including quite a few restored cottages in the villages and vineyards around Clare.

Use the search box to help you find some great deals for staying in Clare.

View of Pikes Vineyard

Learn About Australian WIne Regions

Wine Atlas of Australia

James Halliday's Wine Map of Australia.

Wine Map of Australia

De Long's Wine Map of Australia