Wine region
Barossa
Barossa, South Australia: Shiraz and Grenache from very old vines in the warm Barossa Valley, Riesling from cooler Eden Valley, a German settlers’ legacy.
- Location
- about 60 km north-east of Adelaide, South Australia
- Vineyard area
- Barossa Valley over 10,000 hectares, Eden Valley over 2,000
- Main grapes
- Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvèdre), Cabernet Sauvignon; Riesling, Semillon, Chardonnay
- Climate
- Barossa Valley warm and dry; Eden Valley markedly cooler, in the hills at about 500 metres
- Signature wines
- Barossa Shiraz, GSM blends of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, Eden Valley Riesling
- Landmark
- Shiraz vines planted in 1847 at Turkey Flat in Tanunda, still in production
The Barossa Valley lies about 60 kilometres north-east of Adelaide in South Australia and is one of the country’s best-known wine regions. Its story is that of its settlers: from the 1840s German emigrants arrived, many from Prussian Silesia, and shaped places such as Bethany, the valley’s first settlement, and Tanunda; Angaston was settled mainly by people from Britain. Today the warm Barossa Valley on the valley floor and the higher, cooler Eden Valley to the east together form the Barossa wine zone.
The Barossa Valley has more than 10,000 hectares of vines; it is warm and dry, and rain falls mainly in winter. Shiraz is at home here, the Australian name for Syrah. Barossa Shiraz is full, dark and soft, with blackberry, plum, chocolate and spice, plenty of alcohol and round tannins. Alongside it stand Grenache, planted early in Australia, and Mataro, the local name for Mourvèdre; together they make the “GSM” blends modelled on the southern Rhône.
What sets the Barossa apart is its old vines. Phylloxera has never been detected in South Australia, so vines have been able to grow well over a hundred years old: some vineyards are 100 to 150 years old, and at Turkey Flat in Tanunda Shiraz vines planted in 1847 still bear fruit. Old vines yield little but concentrated berries; growers have therefore introduced an Old Vine Charter to protect and identify the oldest plots. This heritage was not guaranteed: in the 1980s the South Australian government paid growers to pull vines out, and many unprofitable Shiraz and Grenache plots, including old vines, disappeared.
To the east the land rises into the hills of the Eden Valley, at about 500 metres. It is markedly cooler there, and Riesling thrives: dry, with lime and citrus blossom, taut acidity and the ability to age for a decade or more. Wine growing began here in 1847 with the Pewsey Vale estate; in the Eden Valley Riesling is today, together with Shiraz, the most important grape.
Anyone who knows Syrah from Valais meets the same grape here in a different role. Valais Syrah, grown there since the 1920s, comes from a markedly cooler alpine climate and tends to be leaner and spicier; Barossa Shiraz, born of the heat, is broader and more opulent. At the table, Shiraz goes with roast leg of lamb, grilled meat and barbecue, braised dishes and strong hard cheese; Eden Valley Riesling with seafood, fish and lightly spiced Asian dishes, and Grenache-based blends with charcuterie and game.