Barossa Valley Wines

Probably one of the best known Australian wine regions, and one of the highest quality too, Barossa Valley is situated about an hour north of Adelaide. It lies in an area called the Barossa Zone, which is split between Barossa Valley itself and Eden Valley. Here, the climate is hot and dry, best suited to the production of top quality Shiraz and Grenache, often from very old vines thanks to the absence of phylloxera, a vine pest that decimated European vines in the late 1800s. These Rhone grapes are perfect for what is one of the hottest wine growing districts in the country, and the wines are rich, dark, powerful, and often require considerable ageing, to release their full potential. Cabernet Sauvignon is also popular here creating high alcohol, full-bodied wines.

White wines are about 9% of production and are made predominantly from Chardonnay and Semillon, which can both cope with the higher temperatures, and make rich, creamy, tropical fruit styles of wine.