Vickery Watervale Riesling

Founded to celebrate the iconic wines of the great John Vickery, Vickery Riesling produces wines that speak of place and purpose, helmed by accomplished winemaker Keeda Zilm. By focusing solely on Riesling, these wines showcase John’s unparalleled experience and Keeda’s mastery of the noblest of white wine varieties.

At the heart of Vickery Riesling lies a deep appreciation for our strong growing community in Watervale and Eden Valley. This community, consisting of friends and long-time contemporaries of John, plays an indispensable role year after year. Their unwavering commitment to quality in the vineyard ensures the production of consistently high-quality
wines that not only reflect John’s legacy but also contribute to the ongoing narrative of Vickery Riesling.

Fruit for the 2023 Riesling is a sub-regional blend from the vineyards of our dedicated growers. The growing season was cool with moderate rainfall, these conditions allowing the fruit to hang a little longer on the vine, as is the Vickery way, without climatic or disease pressure, but facilitating full varietal expression.

After walking the vineyards and tasting for fruit and flavour ripeness, Keeda decided that the first pick would be on March 16th with all fruit off the vines by March 25th – a very compact timeframe. This small window presented idyllic harvesting conditions with the cool, dry nights that Clare is famous for. Immediately after harvest, the fruit was taken to the winery at Watervale for pressing to avoid extended skin contact. The Vickery style utilises pressings material in the final blend to add flavour to the wine, with the press-cut happening a lot earlier than normal to retain flavour without bitter phenolics.