As many of you know, we are passionate about growing varieties that suit our Barossa Valley climate and soil. And as such, we are always looking at native varieties from other parts of the world to bring to plant at Georgiadis Estates. We will only ever do so though when we have done our research and are relatively sure that the variety will not lose any of its native flavour profiles by planting it here. We don’t believe there is a reason to bring in non-indigenous varieties if we’re only going to grow them like we would shiraz and cabernet. We need to be respectful to their native origins.
So, in conjunction with PhD student Alex Copper, who approached us to assist him, in October 2021 we planted 4 small rows of two Cypriot grape varieties, one red and one white. The red, Maratheftiko (mara-thef-tiko) and the white, Xynesteri (sin-is-teri). From those vines we took cuttings when pruning this year and will now plant out 10 rows of callused cuttings in late October. Paul has preparing the site, removing a block of shiraz, deep ripping, discing the ground and adding compost to the soil to ensure the soil is nutrient rich and ready for it’s new habitants.
We’re very excited to see how the varieties perform, not only in the ground but in the winery in a few years. The Barossa needs a white variety that can withstand our warm weather conditions and soil types. We were able to visit wineries and grapegrowers last year in Cyprus, exploring the sites where the grapes are grown and learning from growers who have worked with this variety for years. It’s always so important to ensure we share information and seek out advice from others in order to minimise the risks when introducing new varieties and new plantings. Feel free to drop by and check our our new babies later in the year. Paul loves sharing his stories and talking about grapevines and soil!!
