Woodstock Vineyard
Location & Climate
McLaren Vale is a wide valley between the Gulf of St Vincent (named after the patron saint of winemakers) and the "Willunga Range" of hills which is part of the "Adelaide Hills" or "South Mount Lofty Ranges".
This location offers a Mediterranean climate with a strong maritime influence. The moderating influence of the sea with cooling afternoon sea breezes offer summer relief. Katabatic winds or gully breezes often blow strongly down from the hills in summer evenings to cool the vines over- night. The cloud cover and rainfall increases across the gentle gradient of rolling small hills from the coast to the range.
Woodstock vineyard is located at the higher end of the "Vale" close to the range, so the microclimate is relatively cool.Soils & Moisture Control
The soils of Woodstock are varying depths of light sand over orange clay with mainly ironstone below. The sand appears very white in the summer and reflects the sun's rays up under the vines to assist ripening. The sand drains water down to the clay which holds the moisture for the long dry summers. Irrigation requirement is minimised by using undervine mulch, minimising weed growth and keeping vine foliage trimmed to preserve moisture.
Varieties Grown
Ranked in order of area grown at Woodstock, McLaren Flat.
- Shiraz
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Grenache
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Semillon
Regional Flavours
McLaren Vale is often described as Australia's most consistent, premium grape growing region. The long warm growing seasons with bright sunshine and hot days allow complete grape ripening; with cool summer nights ensuring the preservation of natural acids, important to the balanced grape flavours. (Hot nights denature the grape acids.)
McLaren Vale has a reputation for rich, ripe wines with big middle-palate flavours. This feature is true in all varieties and most wine styles, but especially evident in the Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
In Woodstock wines, the best example of this regional, middle-palate flavour is found in "The Stocks" Shiraz. Grown on low yielding, century old Shiraz vines, the rich, textured middle-palate holds and focuses the flavours which grow in character with maturation.
The descriptions "earthy and generous" are often associated with McLaren Vale reds.
