Soil

Terra Est Vita – Soil is Life
To make extraordinary wines you need an extraordinary rich web of life in the soil.  At Avondale we are acutely aware that healthy balance in our vineyard eco-system, in our wines and in our own lives is dependent on first achieving healthy balance in our soil.

• Avondale has 13 different soil types on our land – from cool, dark loam to decomposed granite and decomposed sandstone; from no rock to 75% rock.
• According to soil type, we planted our vines in particular soil pockets in blocks of around one-hectare.
• When we built our cellar we made sure that fruits of each block could be vinified separately to gives us optimal blending opportunities.

Our soil has shaped how we grow our vines and how we make our wines.

Restoring balance and fertility to Soil

• We use the soil balancing system pioneered by environmental scientist Dr William Albrecht, a respected authority on the relationship between soil fertility and ecosystem health.
• Through re-mineralisation we have returned vital, natural mineral elements to our soil which is enhanced by the pure quality of the spring water we use for irrigation.
• This re-mineralisation process works in conjunction with maintaining a diverse plant community that provides food and shelter for an abundance of soil microbes.

Avondale makes use of up to 10 different mixes of cover crops, which includes the sowing of the seeds of indigenous plants, to create a vibrant, diverse plant community right in our vineyards.