The Barossa
Each month, we explore a recognised wine region – taste the wine, check out the cellar doors, sample the food and bed down for a night or two. This month: South Australia’s Barossa.
The Barossa has it all – a pioneering history, produce-driven food and highly acclaimed wines. First settled in the 1840s by forwardthinking German Lutherans fleeing religious persecution, the Barossa is justly famous for its shiraz. This is thanks to two very special wines: Henschke Hill of Grace and Penfolds Grange.
Of course, the Barossa’s temperate climate suits shiraz, with bold, potent styles from the valley floor and spicy, savoury drops from nearby Eden Valley, where some vineyards sit above 500 metres. But cabernet sauvignon also shines at these cooler sites – and in cooler years, in the lower and warmer Barossa Valley. Shiraz’s Rhône partner, grenache, gets a look-in, too, while GSM blends (grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre) are enjoying a surge in popularity among wine growers.
It’s not all about red wines. Riesling and semillon are the region’s traditional white grapes, with recent plantings of Rhône white varieties such as viognier and marsanne showing well.
Although the Barossa’s identity is defined by these historical varieties, it’s far from moribund. Fiano and vermentino are exciting new whites, while recent red varieties – nebbiolo, tempranillo and nero d’avola – are adding spice to the stalwarts.
The Barossa’s big names – Yalumba, Peter Lehmann, St Hallett, Grant Burge, Torbreck and Seppeltsfield, along with the aforementioned Penfolds, Henschke and Jacob’s Creek – are internationally recognised but there are more than 80 cellar doors in and around the Barossa and many of them are small producers.
Add much-loved food legend Maggie Beer to the mix and you have a region that offers the lot. The Barossa’s German pioneers would be proud.