Barossa Valley Region

Location
 Zone - Barossa within Adelaide Super Zone
State - South Australia

Map Reference
 Latitude 39 degrees and 29 minutes South
Longitude 139 degrees and 00 minutes East

Elevation
 250 - 300 metres above sea level

Subregions
 Nil

Introduction
 The Barossa Valley is, and always will be, the centre of the Australian wine industry. Most of the country's largest wine companies have their headquarters there. For more than 150 years grape growing and winemaking have been the primary profession of its residents.

Englishman George Angas settled in the valley and took up vast holdings. In 1841 Angas Town known as Angaston was named after him and it was here that another Englishman, Samuel Smith founded what was to become Yalumba in 1849. It was also Angas who, perceiving the need for labour for his ventures, financed the immigration of farmers from Silesia. The first families arrived at Bethany in 1842, and five years later Johann Gramp planted his first vines at Jacobs Creek establishing Orlando.

The Barossa Vintage Festival, held each odd year at the end of March when, during the course of a week, tens of thousands of visitors congregate to the valley to partake in the countless banquets, feasts, tastings and other wine related events.

In the 1970's the Barossa suffered a severe crisis and loss of confidence. The move from red wine to white, the continuing sharp reduction in the fortified wine market, the new cool-climate wine regions, and the varieties which came with those regions - notably Chardonnay, all conspired to shake the Barossa.

In the nick of time the wheel turned and red wine came back into favour. The treasures of the century-old bush vines of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre were rediscovered and new plantings were on the increase, once again rising to over 10,000 hectares by 2000.

Wine tourism is also big business in the Barossa Valley and the region has a character all of its own.
Primary Grape Varieties
White
 Semillon 845 ha
Riesling 830 ha
Chardonnay 745 ha
Sauvignon Blanc 140 ha
Chenin Blanc 100 ha
Muscadelle 100 ha
Other 280 ha
Total White 3040 ha
Red
 Shiraz 3260 ha
Cabernet Sauvignon 1275 ha
Grenache 680 ha
Merlot 240 ha
Pinot Noir 185 ha
Mourvedre 110 ha
Other 175 ha
Total Red 5925 ha

The above figures are for both the Barossa and Eden Valleys, as there was no split published as at 2000.
Primary Wine Styles

Riesling
Just as every Barossa Valley winery generally has a Shiraz, they also have a Riesling. The style is typically Australian - strong passionfruit and tropical fruits with lime flavours which can create a brilliant wine that well bottle-ages.

Semillon
Semillon has had a distinctive renaissance, often being given a finish of American oak allowing it to develop quickly into a robust full-bodied wine.

Chardonnay
Similarly to Semillon, Chardonnay tends to produce a reasonably full-bodied, and quickly maturing style of wine when it is produced from grapes grown on the lower foothills of Barossa Valley.

Shiraz
Almost every Barossa Valley winery has a Shiraz or Shiraz blend on the books. The style is full-bodied - dark in colour, rich in dark red and black fruits with a touch of chocolate and sometimes a touch of eucalyptus or mint. The structure is round and velvety, and the wines are extremely long-lived.

Shiraz is given special consideration because the Barossa Valley is the birthplace of the famous Penfolds Grange and Penfolds RWT Shiraz; the ultimate red wines made from this variety outside the confines of the Rhone.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon follows the path of Shiraz. Superbly strong and rich in flavour and colour.

Grenache and Mourvedre
Almost instantly Grenache and Mourvedre became in as much demand as old vine Shiraz. Hundreds of hectares were gone during the Vine Pull Scheme time and what was left was used to make fortified wines. At present, there is intense competition for the grapes between the makers of fortified wines and table winemakers.