Jim Barry Watervale Riesling
Riesling lovers rejoice! It’s time to celebrate – 70’s style- as Jim Barry Wines commemorates 50 consecutive vintages of their popular Watervale Riesling with a limited-edition label.
Located fifteen kilometres south of Clare township, the tiny village of Watervale is nestled in South Australia’s Clare Valley and is internationally renowned for the quality of its Rieslings.
A consistently awarded wine since its first release in 1974, our Watervale Riesling is picked from select parcels of vines that achieve ripeness with naturally high acid levels.
The Watervale Riesling grapes come from a special part of the famed Florita vineyard in Watervale, in the Clare Valley. The Mediterranean climate has a high diurnal temperature difference; the cool nights lead to the preservation of crisp natural acidity and delicate flavours. The vines are planted on south or east-facing slopes, which are best suited to Riesling as they are shielded from the hot northerly summer winds, instead they receive the cooler morning sun. The vines are trained on a single cordon with two bud spurs to promote even canopy growth, encourage shade and avoid crowding of fruit to reduce risk of disease. The foliage is managed with a partial VSP to maximise shade on the northern and western sides of the rows and allow air and dappled sunlight in on the south and eastern sides. Irrigation encourages even ripening and under-vine mulching inhibits weed competition and preserves soil moisture.
The grapes were harvested in the cool of the night, to minimise oxidation, phenolic extraction and preserve the flavours in the juice. The fruit was immediately pressed without any skin contact and settled for 24 – 48 hours. The juice was racked off its solids and a cool fermentation took place at 14 – 16°C with selected yeasts, lasting for two to three weeks. Vinified non-intrusively, to allow the Riesling to reflect its origins.
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Jim Barry Watervale Riesling
£15.49 a bottle
2 in stock
It was Jim Barry’s drive and community spirit that helped shape South Australia’s Clare Valley as a benchmark producer of world class Riesling and cemented its place as one of Australia’s premier wine regions.
Jim Barry Wines has a strong lineage. Jim himself was the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, graduating with the 17th Degree in Oenology from the famous Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1947. Working for 22 years as winemaker at the Clarevale Co-operative, Jim Barry became a pioneer of Australian table wine. He then went on to establish Taylors Wines in 1969 for the Taylor family.
Vineyards were first established in the mid 1800s. Some of the early winery names, Wendouree, Knappstein and Quelltaler are still in the region. Nowadays there is a mix of very large companies and a significant number of boutique wineries. The climate is regarded as warm, but there are variations due to altitude. The main wine styles: White – Riesling, Semillon, Chardonnay; Red – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Possible one of the greatest white grape varieties in the world. It can make outstanding wines with power, flavour, elegance, and has the ability to age. The range of styles vary from the light and crisp to rich sweet desert wines.
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