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.
Marsanne is a white grape variety that originated in Montélimar in the Drôme, several centuries ago. Marsanne is also found in Cassis, Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon and Saint-Péray in the Ardèche, where it produces remarkable sparkling wines. The warm, sunny climate of the Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as the dry, stony soil, are ideal conditions for its development. Its bunches are quite large and provide small, juicy berries that are sensitive to grey rot and strong winds. These two grape varieties complement each other perfectly: together they give light wines with little acidity, aromas of yellow fruit, white fruit and flowers with notes of honey and liquorice. This is for example what the appellations Saint-Péray, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Côtes-du-Vallée du Rhône, Corbières, or Cassis express... which represent about 700 hectares.
white wines from the region of Fleurieu go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or poultry such as recipes of quiche with bacon and gruyère cheese, marmite dieppoise or chinese fondue.
On the nose in the region of Fleurieu often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, tropical or citrus and sometimes also flavors of guava, microbio or citrus fruit. In the mouth in the region of Fleurieu is a powerful with a nice freshness.
