The secret weapon at Alkina, a biodynamic winery near Greenock, is Pedro Parra, a Chilean winemaker and forensic soil analyst who looks at the way soil, rock, roots, and complex organic ecosystems gestate a wine.
Digging into limestone, schist and clay in the 60-hectare Barossa estate, Parra has identified specific parcels of vines, some as small as 0.3ha, that are unique in their geologies. Identifying the terroir ensures Alkina gets the best results from its grenache, mataro and shiraz grapes.
Says general manager Amelia Nolan, “It’s a bit like growers in Burgundy knowing which areas are Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village levels. We are building the same detailed understanding of which ‘polygons’
