South Australia

Wine-growing region (GI) located 70 kilometres northeast of Adelaide in the federal state of South Australia in Australia. This is one of the most important and best-known regions in Australia. The surrounding Barossa Ranges are part of the South Australian Mount Lofty Ranges. The name Barossa is Spanish in origin. Together with the Eden Valley region, the Barossa Valley makes up the Barossa zone. The first settlers were of English descent. However, the foundation for the wine industry was created soon after by German settlers, who came mainly from areas such as Silesia, Prussia and Posen in the period from 1840 to 1880, who also introduced Riesling. Many German street and town names serve as a reminder of this era. In 1847, Johann Gramp (1819 – 1903), an immigrant from Bavaria, planted the first vines in the flat valley floor area, this is now the Orlando estate. In 1845 the English medical doctor Dr. Christopher Penfold (1811-1870) founded his wine estate here, it lives on today as the original Penfolds estate. It was here that the famous wine-making pioneer Max Schubert#Schubert Max (1915-1994) was active. Joseph Ernest Seppelt (1813-1868), who hailed from Silesia, founded one of the largest wineries on the continent, Seppeltsfield, here in 1851. Wine soon became one of the most important products of the region, and was exported to England as early as 1890. The climate is hot and dry, making extensive irrigation essential. The vineyards are mostly located on flat terrain at an altitude of between 240 and 300 metres above sea level. The region provides a large share of total Australian wine production, however this includes grapes from other regions processed here. The vineyard area totals around 10.000 hectares, the leading grape varieties are Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Well-known producers include Beringer Blass (Wolf Blass), Charles Melton, Glaetzer, Henschke, Krondorf, Mitolo, Orlando, Penfolds, Peter Lehmann, Richmond Grove, Rockford, Saltram, Seppelt, St. Hallett, Veritas and Yalumba.