Terra Rossa Soil

The most famous vineyard soil in Australia, and possibly the world, is the renowned terra rossa of Coonawarra. A unique mixture of clay and sand that overlies moist limestone, it was in this fertile soil that John Riddoch found grape vines would grow to perfection, over 100 years ago.

The clay component of terra rossa holds sufficient water to ensure the vines’ roots remain moist and active throughout the summer. The sand component ensures adequate drainage, so that the vines are not waterlogged, and early draught horses, and now tractors, do not become bogged in the winter. The underlying limestone, into which the vines’ roots penetrate, acts like a sponge and conducts moisture up from the permanent aquifer below. The soil’s unique rusty-red colour is due to the fact that the iron oxide it contains is in its aerobic, oxidised state.

This celebrated terra rossa forms the heart of the Coonawarra Region, occurring only on a ridge 27km long, less than 2km wide, and covering 4820 hectares.                                                                                                      

For further information, see Origin of Terra Rossa.