The perfect way to develop a new vineyard is being able to select the grape variety best suited to the terroir of that region.

In Australia today, more attention than ever is being paid to variety selection that will be appropriate to a specific region.

This attitude replaces the 'fruit salad' approach of past generations when a large array of varieties might have been planted simply because they were popular at the time, rather than being suited to that particular region.

When Hahndorf Hill Winery decided to establish a new vineyard at our Adelaide Hills property, we had the opportunity to investigate the best planting options for our cool-climate site. Our search inevitably led us to Grüner Veltliner, the indigenous white grape of Austria.

Grüner Veltliner is best grown in the Lower Austrian regions of Kamptal, Kremstal and Wachau. The vignerons here all place huge emphasis on one crucial quality-defining factor - significant diurnal variation.

It is the combination of good ripening days and cold nights that allows for an extended growing season for this relatively late-ripening variety, thereby coaxing out its famously pure flavours and aromatics.

Amongst Australia's major wine regions, the Adelaide Hills has the most unique combination of a low January mean temperature together with one of the highest diurnal variations in the country.

We are also confident that the soils on our Adelaide Hills property will contribute to an ideal terroir for Grüner Veltliner. Our vineyard comprises a complex mix of blue slate, quartz, ironstone and loamy topsoils, in which we have planted three different Grüner Veltliner clones - two old and one new.  

For the past four years we have been farming the vineyards at Hahndorf Hill biodynamically and we believe this is a good way to be able to ensure the best possible wine quality.

For more information about Grüner Veltliner, Click here ».