South Australia has been the centre of wine production in Australia for so long that it is difficult to grasp that it was ever otherwise. Victoria's early prosperity was paid for by "gold" and in no small measure it was ended by the twin impact of phylloxera and federation, to the benefit of South Australia. Its climate and soils are ideally suited to the production of the full-bodied table wine and, with increasing importance after 1900, of sherry and tawny port. The State has substantially more premium areas than just the Barossa - Coonawarra, Padthaway, McLaren Vale, and the Clare Valley all make major contributions.

In a similar fashion to New South Wales, the first vines were planted in what is now metropolitan Adelaide. John Reynell, Richard Hamilton, Walter Duffield and John White have all laid claim to making the first wine, Duffield receiving particular support from The South Australian Register of 25 June 1845. The newspaper reported that he had made six hogsheads of wine (210 dozen bottles) and congratulated him on being the first producer of wine on a commercial scale. Duffield capitalised on the publicity by sending Queen Victoria a case of 1844 white wine made from grapes grown in the Adelaide Hills, and was promptly prosecuted for making wine without the mandatory licence.

Until the 1890's the Barossa Valley provided most of South Australia's wine. The major expansion of the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and the establishment of first Coonawarra and then the Riverland followed and ultimately resulted in the production mix, as we know it today.

Certainly, the only new region of significance established between 1890 and 1980 was Padthaway, which was established in the 1960's.

The Limestone Coast zone has seen vineyard developments spread either side of Coonawarra and Padthaway to Bordertown northeast of Padthaway, to the Naracoorte Ranges, and to Mount Benson and Robe west of Coonawarra.

SA 2000 - 2001 wine production totalled 523,413,000 litres.