Originally when the vineyard was acquired, the old Shiraz and Grenache remained and everything else was pulled out. The major challenge in the Vine Vale Vineyard was the white sand topsoil. This soil did not hold water and was nutrient dead. The approach was to spread clay over the sand and rotary hoe it in to form a nice sandy clay topsoil for about 100-150mm deep over the existing topsoil. This process at the time was not popular in the industry, however with a change of mindset to thinking laterally and to improve the quality grown, this application to the soil turned out being a great success.

It was observed that the industry was planting one clone of Shiraz creating a “mono-culture” so the Vine Vale Vineyard was planted to a different clone, BVRC12 for no other reason than to be different. Further changes in the vineyard added 2 different Shiraz selections, one selection being new to Australia (ENTAV 470).

Region: Barossa Valley
Sub Region: Vine Vale
Elevation: 283 m above sea level
Varietals: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Merlot

Clone Selections:
Shiraz (BVRC12, ENTAV #470, R6WV28 & Heritage)
Cabernet Sauvignon (G9V3)
Grenache (Heritage Selection)
Merlot (8R, Q45-14)

Root Stocks: Schwarzmann, Paulsen 1103, Ramsey and own rootstocks

Old Vine Plantings: Shiraz 1960, Grenache 1969

Soil Profile
Brown/red clay sand mix on white sand over yellow, red, brown clay (Bay 1 to 6 & 10)
White sand over yellow, red, brown clay (Bay 7 & 8)
Brown loam sand over red clay (Bay 9)

Soil Health Management
Non till mid rows with volunteer grasses growing, mulch and composts applied as needed, deep ripping as required,

Weed Control
Under vine mechanical control with mid row grasses slashed, whilst striving for no herbicide use we still have a minimal requirement for problem weeds and in dry seasons to save moisture.

Pruning Techniques
Pre pruning by machine followed by detailed hand spur pruning

Canopy Management
Lift and catch wires guide foliage upward, shoot and bunch thinning as required, fungicide applied based on environment pressure (Shiraz)
Sprawl canopy, shoot and bunch thinning as required, fungicide applied based on environment pressure (Grenache)
Catch wires guide foliage upward, shoot and bunch thinning as required, fungicide applied based on environment pressure (Merlot)

Water Requirements
Water is applied to supplement rainfall, based on weather data, electronic soil moisture monitoring and visual inspections.