Fleurieu is a wine zone located South of Adelaide, the administrative capital of South Australia, which takes its name from the French explorer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu. Across the zone Shiraz is the most common Grape variety, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are among the supporting cast.
Five wine regions can be found within its boundaries: Currency Creek (to the west of Lake Alexandrina), Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek (between Lake Alexandrina and the town of Strathalbyn), McLaren Vale (in the northwest of the peninsula) and Southern Fleurieu (located on the peninsula and a section of the Mount Lofty Ranges).
Overall, the Climate of Fleurieu is heavily affected by its proximity to the sea, producing a predominantly Mediterranean influence.
The seasons are characterized by milder temperatures than those experienced in some of South Australia's inland and high-altitude regions. The five regions within the zone have variable mesoclimates, dictated by their elevation and proximity to the coast. These conditions combine to make the peninsula an area which can support a variety of grape types.
Savagnin is a white grape variety originating from the Austrian Tyrol. It arrived in Franche Comté and quickly became the flagship variety of the Jura. Cousin of the gewurztraminer, it gives small white bunches. Its berries have a thick skin which resists well to grey rot and to diseases in general. Savagnin thrives on marl soils and is a very aromatic grape variety. It is used in the elaboration of yellow wine, the AOC Château-Châlon is the most representative. This grape variety also produces vin de paille which is a sweet wine for which the ripe grapes are dried on a bed of straw for at least 6 weeks before being pressed. The best known AOC straw wines are: Arbois, Côtes-du-Jura and Etoile. Savagnin is also used to make Macvin du Jura, a liqueur wine, and to make Crémants du Jura.White wines made from Savagnin have great aging potential. They have a powerful and complex aroma with notes of walnut, almonds, hazelnuts, flowers, honey and green apple.
sparkling wines from the region of Fleurieu go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of beef with balsamic sauce, trapper's barbecue or duck with orange and honey.
