Winery: Skillogalee

Region: Clare Valley

Variety: Riesling

Th following information was sourced from www.skillogalee.com.au
Skillogalee has been making Sparkling Riesling since 1987. The fruit is 100% hand-picked Riesling from low yielding vines growing at just under 500m above sea level on our own vineyards near Sevenhill in the picturesque Clare Valley. Clare is, of course, renowned for its fine Riesling!

For a number of years, we called the wine 'Methode Champenoise' without identifying the grape variety in the base wine, but the name was changed some time back to 'Sparkling Riesling', firstly in the spirit of doing away with European geographical terms, and secondly from a sense of pride in the wine style we have produced.

The wine was traditionally made with a secondary, bottle fermentation and was aged on its yeast lees for 12 to 24 months before being disgorged. The nose is quite yeasty with plenty of fruit, and the palate is full, soft and flavoursome with a crisp, clean dry finish. There is plenty of fizz and the bead is quite small and of medium persistency. This current release has already started to mellow gracefully, and will continue to do so for several years to come, yielding those hints of honey and toast which are typical of aged Riesling.

Generally only around 500 cases are made each year.

Critics say:

Australian wine authority and critic, James Halliday (in Halliday’s Wine Companion), has awarded Skillogalee a 5 Star rating, an accolade afforded to only 9% of Australia’s wineries.

Halliday describes the meaning of his 5 Star rating as an:

“Outstanding winery capable of producing wines are very high-quality, and did so this year. Also will usually have at least two wines rated at 94 points or above.”

Winery Information:

The grapes for this dry Riesling were grown on low-yielding vines, on the highest slopes of the Skillogalee estate (about 500 metres above sea level).  The family-owned vineyard is managed in accordance with sustainable farming practice, with minimal water usage. 

Skillogalee was established in 1970 with the first wines released in 1976. The 1978 dry riesling won major trophies at the Adelaide Wine Show and the National Wine Show. The wines are produced exclusively from grapes grown on their own vineyards.

The vineyards were planted in the early 1970s with the rows planted on the contour in shallow stony soils mainly on steep eastern facing slopes. The vines are hand-pruned and the fruit is mainly hand-picked. Yields are extremely low but the vineyard produces intense flavours and aromas and deep, richly-coloured reds. - Skillogalee