Our Vineyard
With an average altitude of nearly 500 metres, Pewsey Vale Vineyard sits 250 metres above the Barossa Valley floor. The resultant cooler temperatures encourage a longer ripening period that is essential for producing superior Riesling grapes.
Pewsey Vale is not an easy vineyard to manage - but we wouldn’t want it any other way. |
The lean and hungry soils, high altitude, rocky outcrops and finicky micro-climate keep Louisa working hard year-round to individually manage each block according to its specific needs. It is these very attributes that produce superior quality grapes of exceptional flavour and character.
With an altitude varying between 485 and 500 metres, Pewsey Vale Vineyard sits 250 metres above the Barossa Valley floor. This means cooler temperatures and a long ripening period that extends well into autumn, perfect for the characteristic Rieslings we know and love.
Our beloved Contours block received formal organic certification in 2013. The viticulturist is able to tease out the very best characteristics from these vines while nurturing the surrounding fauna and flora, which are so important to the biodiversity of the vineyard.
Louisa Rose
When Hill-Smith Family Estates chief winemaker Louise Rose took the Barons of Barossa reins in 2019 she was the first woman in the wine fraternity’s 48-year-history to do so. Not anyone can don the grand red and gold robes. Membership is by invitation only and reserved for those who make a head-turning contribution to the region. The moment reflected the mark Louisa has made on the community during her long and successful career as an award-winning winemaker and wine judge.
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Louisa grew up on her family's vineyard in Victoria's Yarra Valley, where the wonders of viticulture won her over and led her to study at South Australia’s Roseworthy College. When she wasn’t hitting the books during 1992, she earned a crust as a cellar hand at Hill-Smith Family Estates and returned again in 1993. It was obviously a great fit, because she’s still here today.
Louisa has been making Pewsey Vale Vineyard wines since 1995. “It’s a really special place,” she says. “And it’s a variety I love. I love to drink it and I love making it. To be honest, it’s not hard to make because it grows so well here.” When she’s not making the good stuff, she can be found on wine industry boards and selflessly bidding on precious drops with which to contribute to The Barossa Cellar’s impressive historical collection.
When nature delivers such character-packed goods, you’d be foolish to mess with it.
“People often ask what it is about Eden Valley that makes our Riesling taste that way but I have no idea,” says chief winemaker Louisa Rose. “Hands on heart.” So, she lets the terroir and vineyard sing. The need for human intervention is minimal. Instead, they apply a gentle touch and a wise, watchful eye, and work hand-in-hand with our vineyard manager to enhance the vine and soil quality, and the biodiversity within the vineyard. “We’ve never done anything like use oak but we have evolved to use wild ferments,” she says. “The 90s were all about inoculation but when we started farming biodynamically, we thought, ‘Well why would you use any yeast if you’re going to all that effort to use what’s in the vineyard?’” That’s the only real change in winemaking but I don’t think it actually makes much difference to the wine. What really shines through is the vineyard and the fruit flavours.” |
Since our 2021 vintage release, Pewsey Vale Vineyard has been formally recognised for its sustainable winegrowing credentials, being amongst the first wine labels in Australia to display the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark. Launched in July 2019, the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) program provides the opportunity for winemakers to benchmark their performance and communicate their social, environmental and economic credentials with consumers, who are driving the increase in demand for more sustainable wines. To display the trust mark on wine labels and other marketing and packaging materials, members are required to undergo thorough auditing to certify the vineyards and/or the winery.
