Castagna Vineyard

Posted by Adam Morganstern on Mar 18, 2008 in Victoria

Film Director, Julian Castagna and his wife, writer Carolann Castagna, own and run the Castagna Vineyard. Castagna is situated at an altitude of 500 metres five-and-ahalf kilometers outside the historic town of Beechworth in north-east Victoria, high in the foothills of the Australian Alps.The soil mainly consists of decomposed granitic-loam on a base of clay. The climate is distinctly Mediterranean with hot days and cool to cold nights. The land has been farmed biodynamically from the very beginning and their wines have quickly become icons of the new wave of Australian Shiraz. The vineyard is hand-pruned and the fruit is hand-picked and cropped at a bit less than two tons per acre. The winemaking is very traditional using only the vineyard’s indigenous yeast with minimal interference. Elevage varies between 18-20 months using only the very best, tight-grain French oak available, about half of which is new each year.Their intention is to make, as simply as possible, wine which is an expression of the place where it is grown.