Vickery Growers - Watervale - Clare Valley

Watervale is a subregion of the well-known Clare Valley winegrowing region of South Australia and, much like its parent zone, is renowned for its dry white wines made from the Riesling grape variety.

The town of Watervale, around which the subregion is centred, lies 15km (nine miles) south of Clare, just off the Riesling Trail wine tourism cycle and walking track.

Clare Valley, generally lies at higher altitudes than the Barossa Valley which causes more extreme climate variations. But the Clare Valley region is divided into various mesoclimates, of which Watervale is one of them.

While the northern part of the Clare Valley is more open and influenced by warmer westerly winds from the Spencer Gulf, Watervale gets cooler breezes from Gulf St Vincent, conditions perfect for growing premium, world-famous Riesling.

"Watervale Riesling tends to show lemon and lime characters, with lifted blossom and fennel. This is due to the elevation (400-500m), soil profile (terra rossa over limestone) and the diurnal shift." Keeda Zilm, Vickery Chief Winemaker

Watervale Growers

The growers are central to the preservation of John’s legacy and the evolution of Vickery wines. So much so, we acknowledge them on the front label, along with the great man himself. The 2023 Watervale growers and their vineyards are:

Koerner - Dunstan’s Block - 2017 plantings

Castine - Hayshed Block - 1999 plantings

Koerner - G6 - 2001 plantings

Bryksy Hill - Hickey’s - 2003 plantings

Blenheim Vineyards - Grace’s Vineyard - 1991 plantings 

Stanway - Slate Creek Vineyard - 1975 plantings

Koerner – G10 Block – 2002 plantings