Riverland Archives - Young Gun of Wine

Ricca Terra – Rudi Vineyard, Riverland

Nestled in the Riverland’s ‘Golden Triangle,’ Ricca Terra’s Rudi Vineyard spans 16 hectares, planted by Ashley Ratcliff between 2004 and 2020 on tight terra rossa soils over limestone. Unlike the region’s typical sandy expanses, this site’s hungry earth pairs with the region’s warm, arid climate to bring definition to a diverse lineup of grenache blanc, fiano, vermentino, nero d’avola, albarino, tempranillo, trebbiano, greco, lagrein, montepulciano, sauvignon blanc, arinto, chardonnay, prosecco, and merlot – mostly planted on drought-tolerant Ruggeri rootstock. Ratcliff’s approach defies Riverland norms, employing hand-pruning and selective harvesting to prioritize fruit quality over yield. Annual cattle manure applications and cover crops enhance soil health, while olives mark a shift toward mixed horticulture. Grapes from here supply Ricca Terra’s extensive range and go to notable makers, including Kangarilla Road, Witches Falls, Little Victories, and Other Wine Co. This vineyard stands out in Australia’s wine scene for pioneering climate-adapted varieties and rootstocks, transforming a bulk-wine region into a hub of innovation. Blending tradition with forward-thinking viticulture, the Rudi Vineyard proves that the Riverland can punch above its weight.

Ricca Terra – Soldiers’ Land Vineyard, Riverland

The Soldiers’ Land Vineyard – purchased by Ashley and Holly Ratcliff’s Ricca Terra Farms operation in January 2021 – is not built around the Mediterranean alternative varieties that have made Ricca Terra famous. Rather, it is a celebration of heritage: an 8.8-hectare property at 171 Jury Road in Monash that has been farmed continuously for more than 103 years, first settled in 1922 by Horace Walpole and Clara Denford under the government’s soldier settlement scheme, and owned by the Petch family from 1939 until the Ratcliffs purchased it from Robert and Ruth Petch, who wanted to retire. The old shiraz vines were planted in the decade after the end of the Second World War and are now 80 years old. The zibibbo – the Sicilian synonym for what is locally known as gordo, and more formally as muscat of alexandria – is 75 years old. These are the vines that the Riverland wanted to bulldoze. Ratcliff saw something else entirely.

Starrs Reach, Riverland

The Riverland has long been the bulk wine heart of South Australia, with growers churning out cheap fruit pumped up with irrigation. And while the region will likely always serve this function, the script is being rewritten by players like Starrs Reach, who both sell premium fruit and make wine under their own label. Sheridan Alm runs the operation with a focus on minimal inputs, sustainability and restoring non-vineyard land, including Mallee scrub, wetlands and floodplains. With grenache and mataro core varieties, Alm is intent on proving that the Riverland can focus on quality on a large scale, growing grapes that suit modern wine styles that focus on bright fruit flavours and freshness.

Markaranka, Riverland

The Markaranka Vineyard is at the heart of Treasury Wine Estate’s fortified wine program – making the company’s most iconic fortifieds, such as Penfolds’ ‘Father’, ‘Grandfather’ and ‘Great-Grandfather’ tawnies, as well Saltram’s ‘Mr Pickwick’. In South Australia’s Riverland, the vineyard is a large one at over 170 hectares, but it is managed by Brendan Turner with sustainability at its core, with an ongoing quest to reduce all inputs while producing super-premium fruit for flagship fortified wines.

Ricca Terra – Caravel, Riverland

Ashley and Holly’s Ratcliff’s Ricca Terra Farms set out to shake up perceptions of the Riverland as a region that only grew grapes for generic bulk wine. They believed that by implementing quality-minded practices and focusing on climate-apt varieties, they would be able to unlock the region’s potential. By any measure, they have succeeded, elevating the profiles of grapes like nero d’avola, fiano, aglianico and arinto in the process. But that wasn’t all, with the Caravel Vineyard planted relatively recently to largely celebrate Portuguese varieties, like touriga nacional, tinta cão and tinta barroca, along with some more Italians. The fruit goes to their own Ricca Terra and Terra do Rio labels, as well as being sold to top makers, such as Bellwether, Unico Zelo, Shaw + Smith, Alpha Box & Dice, Jumpin’ Juice and Gatch Wine.

Oxford Landing, Riverland

Oxford Landing has expanded from humble beginnings in the late 1950s to now occupy 300 hectares of vineyard land in the sun-drenched soils of South Australia’s Riverland. A powerhouse of budget grapes and economical wine, the Riverland is also home to some of the most progressive growers in the country, with Oxford Landing arguably leading the charge. With a mix of sustainable and certified organic vineyards under his management, viticulturist Glynn Muster applies a small-scale mindset to a large-scale vineyard, treating each small block individually, while also prioritising the reduction of water use, increasing local biodiversity and offsetting their carbon footprint.

Ricca Terra – Rudi Vineyard, Riverland Ashley Ratcliff

Ricca Terra – Rudi Vineyard, Riverland

Ricca Terra – Soldiers’ Land Vineyard, Riverland

Starrs Reach, Riverland

Markaranka, Riverland

Ricca Terra – Caravel, Riverland

Oxford Landing, Riverland

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