KYARA
THE ESTATE
Our estate owned vineyard is located in the Eden Valley in the Barossa’s beautiful high country. Our ancient soils and unique site produce distinctive varietal flavour characteristics with elegance and complexity. Its an oasis surrounded by majestic gum trees and native wildlife.
THE STORY OF
Kyara Estate
Our homestead was first established in 1872 by John Heath, as a new home for himself and his new bride. John had emigrated with his parents from England and settled in the neighbouring property in 1859. John was a winemaker for his parents vineyards which he helped establish. The Kyara vineyards were established during the 1970’s and 1990’s, and we became custodians to this beautiful and relatively isolated property in 2012. We are inspired each day by the natural beauty and thriving native flora and fauna which surround our home.
ACREAGE
SOIL TYPES
PLANTED
AIM
21 acres, 10 under vine
sandy loam soil over gravel with patches of bedrock and clay, with weathered rock
Riesling 3.5 acres, Shiraz 5.2 acres and Cabernet Sauvignon 1.4 acres
To produce distinctive varietal flavour unique to our site and each season.
Sun & Rain
We enjoy cooler temperatures in the Eden Valley than our neighbouring Barossa Valley meaning we harvest between 2-4 weeks later. Our annual rainfall is 700mm with 220mm falling in the growing season. We capture our mainly winter rainfall into dams. Our grapes are effectively dry grown, however in dry years we use drip irrigation to keep the vines active.
Vineyard
First established in the 1970’s our vineyard consists of undulating hills surrounded by ancient large gumtrees and rocky outcrops. There is an aboriginal site on the property of a burnt out gumtree which would have provided shelter. Native wildlife also make Kyara their home with kangaroos and kookaburras seen daily.
Viticulture
Our aim is to produce distinctive varietal flavour characteristics that are unique to our site and the season. We let nature take its course in managing our vineyard, trying not to disturb its precious balance. We prune hard, mulch as much as possible and protect the fruit from birds by covering the vineyard with net during ripening.
Soil
Our ancient brown soil is sandy loam over gravel and bedrock with patches of clay. Our well drained soil has weathered rock fragments in both surface and subsurface. The soil at the highest point our vineyard is shallow and rocky, becoming deeper as you descend.
Grapes
We are fortunate to be growing the 3 varieties best suited and renown in the Eden Valley region, with these varieties first being planted back in 1847. Shiraz is often the most highly regarded wine of Eden Valley followed by Riesling, where our region produces arguably the finest examples in Australia.
Climate
Our gently sloping vineyard is at an altitude of 450 meters at its highest point down to 410 meters at the lowest. Our mean January average temperature of 19.4°C allows for slow ripening. As the land continues to slope away from our vineyard the risk of frost and disease is reduced due to air flow.
KYARA ESTATE
The Location
Located in the central area of the Eden Valley wine region, known as Barossa’s high country. We are in the area known as Mt McKenzie on Sawpit Gully Road, sometimes referred to as the “Golden Triangle”. Vineyards neighbour our property on all sides, producing fruit that goes into many flagship wines for the Barossa & Eden Valley.
