Australia an New Zealand Maps Single Vineyards

There are more and more singe vineyard wines from Australia and New Zealand on the shelfs. But I’m stroggling finding the locations of these vineyards. Are the any good maps online?

Anything via the Australian Wine Bureau?

One problem is there isn’t the history of vineyard definition / focus there is in the old world, plus certain big players (ab)using a vineyard name as a brand name for a regional blend. The info should be out there, but I’m not surprised it’s not well publicised.

Thanks. I’ll try the official way

Even NZ might be tough. I looked for Gimblett Gravels, one of the areas most strongly associated with a distinctive terroir. The only map I could find marked the territories owned by each grower/producer, but nothing resembling a historic vineyard designation (though in the modern era what is there now is often what it’s been since inception a few decades ago).
Here it is
http://gimblettgravels.mrdsecureweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/gimblettgravelsmap3.pdf

Well… Sort of a map.

http://www.coonawarra.org/cellar-door-map/?id=32

I suspect this will be difficult. Here is probably the best you’ll find on a NZ wine region (Martinborough):

It has producer and vineyard name where different.

Can’t recall where (Google is your friend) but I downloaded a decent Otago vineyard/ producer map a few years ago when I hosted an Otago Pinot dinner.

http://www.centralotagopinot.co.nz/downloads/maps/Central_Otago_Wine_Map_2009_02.pdf

Hi Charlie,

The wineries in Bannockburn in Central Otago got together to produce a detailed map of all the vineyards which was released last year (incl grape make up and row orientation) which they have been selling as a large poster. The intent is to continue to update it in the future. I don’t believe that this is available online? An email to either of the two grower bodies may be of some help:
Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) www.cowa.org.nz
Central Otago Pinot Noir Limited (Copnl) www.centralotagopinot.co.nz

Cheers…Mark

Thank you for your help. Looks difficult indeed. It works if you search in the websites of the particular producers. Here’s an example Weinlagen

If interested you can help adding the shape and position of single vineyards at weinlagen-info. It’s the wikipedia way. Just drop me a message.

Didn’t jump on to look, but physically, this place in Adelaide would be your best shot of finding that within their walls. Maybe they can help you online.

Otherwise, I might suggest you PM Michael Twelftree (I think he’s a WB member). If anyone would know, Twelfy would.

Good hunting!

Mike

Yes, a good idea to call the copse


With apologies to Michael who is probably very tired of that joke blush

Or you could just make a list on here as there are a lot of Aussies with good knowledge of vineyards on the forum.

My expectation is that at best you’d be able to find this info on individual producer web sites, and that’s only if it exists. There doesn’t seem to be an overarching body attempting to map vineyards in some sort of organised fashion out here, like say Masnaghetti maps for instance. Max Allan has produced some maps for Australia but it appears to be more cellar door than single vineyard focused.

For Western Australia/Margaret River the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association produces a regional map that they distribute freely at tourist stops but it’s entirely focused on Cellar Door locations. Map link below (warning, PDF)

https://www.margaretriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/YourMargaretRiverRegion_Map_SummerAutumn2017edition.pdf?x64563&x64563

And as I mentioned individual producers might have vineyard maps on their websites. Given the lack of an overarching “mapping” of regions my suspicion is that you’ll find yourself at the producer website as that’ll be the most likely place to find details on single vineyard wines they make. Woodlands for instance here in WA has a site map of their original plantings.

Good luck!

Dunno about NZ, but I suspect it’s similar to Oz.
Unlike France or Germany, there is no legal standing for a vineyard name here.
It will possibly (probably) be covered under trademark law, but that’s all.
Nothing to stop a producer doing what they like with their trademarked ‘vineyard name’.
Henschke could increase the production of bottles of “Hill of Grace” a hundred-fold overnight, if they chose to. No-one would have any legal redress.
As opposed to Burgundy…

I can’t see the law changing. It suits the big companies to keep things like this.
One upon a time Orlando’s “Steingarten” riesling was indeed a single vineyard wine (late 70s).
These days the back label tells you about the original vineyard, but there’s more grapes than just that in the bottle. Yet it’s still named Steingarten, and I bet the production’s more than that original vineyard could produce.

There not much point in (or demand for) producing a map of people’s trademarks…
cheers,
Graeme

Great point Graeme. I’ve used the Steingarten example myself in the past. I reckon the worst part is that international wine journalists come over here and Jacob’s Creek takes them to the Steingarten vineyard and show them the dynamited limestone rock the vineyard is planted on. I’m not sure if they explicitly state it but I suspect it’s at least inferred that their Steingarten riesling comes from the Steingarten vineyard. So the journalist makes the mental connection that the Steingarten Riesling is 100% fruit from the Steingarten vineyard. I’ve actually had this discussion with a certain US wine critic who was over here and raved about the Steingarten riesling. I tried to point out that the JC Steingarten wine isn’t solely sourced from the Steingarten vineyard and was told I didn’t know what I was talking about. I then offered up this.

Which was also summarily ignored.

I don’t know how Australia can overcome this disregard for vineyard specifics. Blame Grange I suppose, always a regional blend.

It would be very easy to introduce legislation, that allowed the words ‘single vineyard’ only if the grapes came from a registered single vineyard with documented boundaries. However this would not stop someone in (say) Riverland putting forward a baking, irrigated plot of flatland forward as a single vineyard and cropping huge levels of this new ‘single vineyard’ chardonnay.

One alternative might come from a ‘hall of fame’ approach, where every year a handful of vineyards are voted into the hall of fame, and if a wine if produced solely from that vineyard, use of the hall of fame vineyard notation of allowed. This could thus be achieved without the approval of TWE, Constellation etc.

I do believe Australia will need to do this in time, and they have shown the ability to change.

Ian, it would cost a fortune to administer. I’m pretty sure the average consumer couldn’t give a monkey’s.

Hi James
Approaching from the ‘document them all end’, yes it would, and if the Sharefarmers / Coonawarra arguments and Wrattonbully region naming are representative, fraught with self-interest and politicking.

Hence the hall of fame approach - start slow and compact, slowly expanding if it’s seen to be successful.

As for consumers, they seem to find value in France, Italy, Germany, and are prepared to spend more for a recognised single vineyard with a strong track record. It’s already happening in Australia, with Stonewell, V&A Lane, HOG etc. but in a ‘wild west’ anything goes, including using the vineyard name as a ‘front’ to shift wines made from grapes from across the region.