A Guide to Barossa Shiraz

The Barossa is famous for its red wine and it is in this region where Shiraz reigns supreme. Shiraz from the Barossa is used in the production of Penfolds Grange, Australia’s most famous wine. Henschke Hill of Grace also uses Barossa Shiraz for their wine.

The Barossa is located north of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Something that surprises many people is that the Barossa actually encompasses two regions – the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley.

The Barossa Valley is generally less than 400 metres above sea-level and stretches from Williamstown in the south to Kapunda and Truro in the north. The red-brown soils are more fertile than those of the Eden Valley but rainfall here can be up to 50% less.  Temperatures are generally about 2ºC warmer.

Eden Valley includes the country from Truro in the north through to Mount Pleasant in the south. This region averages for 400 to 600 metres abouve sea level with the wine growing areas being situated in the higher sections of land. Eden Valley has much rockier, acidic soil than the Barossa Valley and also enjoys about 255mm more rainfall every year. Growing seasons in this region are longer due to the cooler temperatures.

A number of wine aficionados may be wondering what this all means, well to put it bluntly – great growing conditions!

The Barossa has a rich history of growers, some stretching back up to six generations – in total there are about 550 growers in the region.  The total harvest each season adds up to a whopping 55,000 tonnes of grapes which has been grown over 8,000 hectares of land.
A unique aspect about the Barossa is that it has managed to avoid phylloxera This has allowed most of the wineries in the area to keep their original root stocks and has some of the worlds oldest vines.

Even though the Barossa represents about 5% of Australia’s national crush, the fruit produced is premium quality. The constant premium quality of wines produced in the Barossa makes them Australia’s most internationally influential regions with a large number of Barossa wines being categorized in the super-premium class.

Its easy to see why Barossa Shiraz is held in high regard amongst wine connoisseurs.

Follow the link for more information on Premium Barossa Shiraz .