Padthaway Region

Location
 Zone - Limestone Coast
State - South Australia

Map Reference
 Latitude 36 degrees and 37 minutes South
Longitude 140 degrees and 28 minutes East

Elevation
 0 - 100 metres above sea level

Subregions
 Nil

Introduction
 Part of the Limestone Coast Zone and is clearly one of Australia's premium white wine producers. The soil type is variable in depth and there are usually some stony portions on each of the small patches in which it occurs. It is a terra rossa soil.

A Seppelt committee appointed in the early 1960's to select suitable vineyard sites for large-scale planting of early-ripening grape varieties pinpointed the region's potential. It has only been since the mid 1990's that Padthaway has been given a chance to show what it can really do, that Padthaway is now to white wine what Coonawarra is to red and this is simply due to the quality of the wine it is producing.

The one great drawcard apart from wine is Padthaway Estate, a magnificent two-storey Victorian homestead offering luxurious accommodation. Padthaway Estate has also established its own sparkling and table wine winery on the property in a wonderful stone shed.
Primary Grape Varieties
White
 Chardonnay 765 ha
Riesling 315 ha
Semillon 90 ha
Gewürztraminer 70 ha
Sauvignon Blanc 55 ha
Verdelho 35 ha
Other 40 ha
Total White 1370 ha
Red
 Shiraz 730 ha
Cabernet Sauvignon 695 ha
Merlot 175 ha
Pinot Noir 140 ha
Malbec 40 ha
Other 30 ha
Total Red 1810 ha
Primary Wine Styles

Riesling
Botrytis Rieslings are among the best of this style to be found in Australia, and are of international class, with intense lime and apricot aromas and flavours.

Chardonnay
Without a doubt the most successful of all wines for this region. It has a specific character to the fruit flavour that is evident in most of the vintages, which is strongly reminiscent of grapefruit that also extends to melon, fig and peach. An additional attribute is the ability to age gracefully in bottle; these are Chardonnay's of outstanding merit and character from Padthaway.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Released as a single varietal or blended with Merlot the wine is characteristically of medium body, fragrant and with cool climate characters. The tannins are fine and soft, and the wine does not need significant oak influence. As with many other wines from Padthaway, it is often blended with wines from other regions.

Shiraz
In similar fashion to Cabernet often blended with wines from other South Australian regions. Yield must be controlled if Shiraz is to give its best from this region.