Domain Day’s unique vineyard situated on a carefully selected site at Mt Crawford, high in the hills at the south eastern extremity of Australia’s famous Barossa Valley wine region. Its altitude of 450 metres and the mix of unusual varieties make it one of the coolest and most interesting vineyards in the Barossa. Mainstream varieties Merlot, Pinot Noir and Riesling are supplemented by small plantings of Viognier, Sangiovese, Saperavi, Lagrein, Garganega, Nebbiolo and Sagrantino.
The combination of site and variety selection result from proprietor and winemaker Robin Day’s 30 years of experience in winemaking and technical management in Australia and eleven other wine producing countries. Domain Day has been established using state-of-the-art vineyard design protocols based on soil assessment and analysis to give a ‘micro-terroir’ approach within the broader ambit of the vineyard.
Air and water drainage, soil characteristics, slope and aspect have all been used to generate an integrated approach to determine variety suitability for the different vineyard blocks.
Carefully controlled inter-row pasture management, soil moisture monitoring and a precision irrigation system complete the comprehensive water management system which overlays the vineyard design. This permits precise control of soil moisture which in turn assists production of grapes of the highest quality.