Clare fair: It produces some of Australia's best rieslings but there's more to the Clare Valley than that variety

Vineyards at the Mitchell Clare Valley winery

South Australia’s Clare Valley is one of my favourite wine regions. Not only is it physically beautiful, it produces some of the country’s best wines, notably its rieslings.

Producers such as Jeffrey Grossett, Jim Barry, Pikes, O’Leary Walker, Tim Adams, Taylors, Petaluma, Kilkanoon, Kirrihill, Claymore, Mitchell and Knappstein are among many from the region making absolutely delicious rieslings. They generally are fresh and crisp when young, showing lovely floral, citrus and mineral characters in their youth, maturing gracefully to show toast and honey flavours, with refreshingly crisp finishes.

It’s no surprise that there are numerous older Clare rieslings in my cellar. As far as I am concerned, it is only challenged by rieslings from the Eden Valley and Western Australia’s Great Southern region, particularly Frankland River and the Porongurups, for the title of the country’s most consistent producer of the variety. An honourable mention must go to Tasmania, where an increasing number of wineries are turning out very tasty examples.

However, there’s more to the Clare than this aristocratic grape. It’s long been a great area for reds, particularly cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s red wine lovers were rightly wowed by the cabernet malbec blends coming from Leasingham under its Bin 56 label and the winery still produces very good examples of the style. Its Bin 49 cabernet sauvignon also raised eyebrows, with the Bin 61 shiraz showing the region was also very well suited to the variety. Wendouree also has been making a cabernet malbec  blend for many years among its stable of sought-after reds.

Tim Adams, who worked at Leasingham with the legendary Mick Knappstein, still rates the blend as one of his favourite Clare reds and makes a very useful example under his own label.

Mind you, when you get wonderful drops like the Jim Barry Armagh shiraz and Tim’s own Aberfeldy shiraz it’s hard to ignore the claims of this variety to be rated among the Clare’s best.

That’s notto say Clare relies solely on established varieties. Jim Barry’s assyrtiko is one of the best examples of this variety I have tasted outside of its Greek home, while tempranillo, sangiovese and fiano have shown great promise.

Individual vineyards have not had prominence in the Clare but that has changed in the past decade or so, with those shiraz patches and Jim Barry’s Florita riesling vineyard gaining recognition for their outstanding qualities. Florita was recognised over many years as the source of some of the best rieslings produced under the Leo Buring and Lindemans labels and it was a no-brainer for Jim Barry to snap it up when it came on the market.

Although much younger the wines coming from the Gaelic Cemetery vineyard established by the Pikes in 1996 are well worth seeking out, particularly the Premium Riesling and Premium Cabernet Malbec.

Tim Adams has not limited his individual vineyard wines to the Aberfeldy shiraz, a few years ago introducing the Skilly Ridge Riesling and Schaefer Shiraz. The latest vintages of both have just been released, the 2015 Schaefer Shiraz ($40) and 2019 Skilly Ridge Riesling ($30), and they represent some of the best Clare has to offer. Try independent fine wine outlets or the winery.

For more information go to

www.clarevalleywine.com.au

www.timadamswines.com.au

www.jimbarry.com

www.grosset.com.au

www.leasingham-wines.com.au

www.pikeswines.com.au

www.petaluma.com.au

www.olearywalkerwines.com

www.mitchellwines.com

www.taylorswines.com.au

www.kilikanoon.com.au

www.kirrihillwines.com.au

www.knappstein.com.au

www.claymorewines.com.au