Ricca Terra Vintners Aglianico 2019

Trophy - Most Exciting Wine Australian Italian Varieties Wine Show '20

In 2003 Ashley and Holly Ratcliff purchased a small 8Ha vineyard in the Riverland, South Australia. The vineyard was called Ricca Terra (Italian for Rich Earth). The soils found throughout the vineyard are red earth over limestone, which have the reputation for being very fertile. The vineyard purchased was planted to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ruby Cabernet and Sultana. Ashley and Holly’s primary intent after purchasing the vineyard was to plant grape varieties suited to Australia’s warming and drying climate (Chardonnay was not one of these grape varieties).

Their second intent, was to manage their vineyards in a manner that would produce high quality wines. This resulted in the elimination of machine pruning and harvesting in many of their vineyards, which is a common occurrence throughout the Riverland.

Today Ricca Terra’s spread of vineyards is in excess of 80Ha, and one of the largest producers of climate adaptive grape varieties in SA.