The Big Picture

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third largest island and offers an extraordinary range of tourist attractions, notably its native flora and fauna, unpolluted beaches and coastal scenery. KI is also rapidly gaining a reputation for high-quality food products, including chicken and all manner of seafood. 

Vineyards are now making their own distinctive contribution, with about 120 hectares (296 acres)  planted by 20 owners and more in developmental stages. The Florance Vineyard plantings at Cygnet River in the mid 1980s were the first to be established. Though its vineyards are in a concentrated sector, the entire island was declared a wine region in the year 2000.

Kangaroo Island Wine Region

Climate

A wholly maritime climate prevails, with south-easterly winds blowing directly from the Southern Ocean and prevalent during the growing season, especially from December to March. The average summer temperature is 25°C (77°F), significantly cooler than that of Adelaide, while the winter temperatures are several degrees warmer. The low growing season rainfall makes a small amount of supplementary irrigation desirable, but the quite high relative humidity of 64% renders the vineyards moderately susceptible to powdery mildew and Botrytis. Overall, the climate is temperate and devoid of extremes, with a particularly even accumulation of heat.  Birds are the principal viticultural problem.

The island slopes are gentle, with the north and north-east facing sites being preferred for viticulture.  Generally, in the coastal areas that benefit from the maritime influence there is no frost risk.  A measure of protection from the prevailing south-easterly winds is the major consideration in site selection.

Soil

Soils vary greatly from acid duplex to alkaline sands, loams and clays overlaying limestone. Some soils are similar to those of Padthaway and can sustain good yields if adequate water is supplied.

Wines

Red Wines: Kangaroo Island Vines 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot won a gold medal in open class at the 1998 Royal Adelaide Wine Show, attesting to the quality of the style. Shiraz is also in the pipeline but there appear to have been only limited commercial releases to date.

Vital Statistics