Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox wine region

The Clare Valley wine region is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, best known for Riesling wines. It lies in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 142 km north of Adelaide. The valley runs north-south, with Horrocks Highway as the main thoroughfare.

Extent and appellationEdit

Clare Valley wine region covers an area adjoining the both sides of the Horrocks Highway as it passes through the town of Clare near its northern extent and the town of Auburn near its southern extent. The region is located at the northern end of the Mount Lofty Ranges zone with its southern extent being about Template:Convert north of the Adelaide city centre.<ref name= ClareValleyAGI/><ref name=Region-map>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name= PGIBSA7>PGIBSA, 2014, page 7</ref> The Clare Valley wine region was registered as an Australian Geographical Indication on 25 March 1999.<ref name= ClareValleyAGI/>

Soil and climateEdit

Template:More citations needed section The wines are planted from Template:Convert.<ref name="AWC">Template:Cite book</ref> The climate is moderately continental, with cool to cold nights and warm to hot summer days. The higher altitude, compared to other wine regions in South Australia, ensures cool nights even during the heat of summer allowing the fruit to ripen more evenly and slowly. Rainfall is predominantly in winter – spring (June – September) with an annual average of around 630 mm. Summers are dry and make irrigation desirable but also ensure a minimum of fungal diseases. Varied soil types throughout the valleys are another feature, ranging from red to brown grey over basement rock.

Grape varietiesEdit

The most important white variety is Riesling, with the Clare Valley regarded as its Australian home.Template:Citation needed Principal red varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.Template:Citation needed They make a range of styles of varietal wines, reflecting different approaches to winemaking as well as the influences of the various sub-regions and micro-climates in the valleys.Template:Citation needed Many other lesser varieties are also grown, including Chardonnay, Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Grenache.Template:Citation needed The Clare Valley Region contributes around 2% of the Australian national grape crush, but wins over 7% of all medals awarded for Australian wine.Template:Citation needed

As of 2014, the most common plantings in the Clare Valley wine region within a total planted area of Template:Convert was reported as being Shiraz (Template:Percentage) followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (Template:Percentage), Riesling (Template:Percentage) and Merlot (Template:Percentage). Alternatively, red wine varietals account for Template:Percentage of plantings while white wines varietals account for Template:Percentage of plantings.<ref name= PGIBSA43/> The 2014 vintage is reported as consisting of Template:Convert of red grapes crushed valued at A$14,235,653 and Template:Convert of white grapes crushed valued at $7,451,398.<ref name= PGIBSA41/>

Regional factsEdit

The region has more than 48 wineries,<ref name=Halliday753/> most of which are small and produce only bottled wine.Template:Citation needed

The Clare Valley Wine Region does not have any legally-defined subregions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is sometimes informally divided into five subregions named for the towns in those growing areas: Auburn, Clare, Polish Hill River, Sevenhill and Watervale.<ref name=WineAustralia/>

PopulationEdit

Town Populations:

Rank Urban Centre 2016 Census Reference
1 Clare 3,327 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Clare. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
2 Auburn 661 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Auburn. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
3 Stanley Flat 421 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Stanley Flat. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
4 Armagh 362 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Armagh. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
5 Watervale 326 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Watervale. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
6 Mintaro 188 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Mintaro. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
7 Penwortham 147 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Penwortham. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
8 Sevenhill 120 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Sevenhill. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
9 Leasingham 119 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Leasingham. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
10 Polish Hill River 36 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Polish Hill River. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>
11 Undalya 29 <ref>2016 Census QuickStats: Undalya. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2018.</ref>

As a rural region, there are also population pockets outside of the town centres (not shown here).

See alsoEdit

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Citations and referencesEdit

CitationsEdit

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ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

Template:Coord Template:Wine regions of South Australia Template:Clare Valley wine region