Barossa Valley Wines
The wonderful Barossa Valley area is located in the state of South Australia, about 60 km from Adelaide. German settlers were the first to set up in the Barossa Valley in 1842, in a quaint town named Bethany. Some of the first settlers from Germany brought some vine clippings with them to Australia and quickly discovered the quality grapes that could be grown in the region due to its excellent Continental climate and its deep red clay soils. Award winning red wines, particularly Shiraz variety, is what the Barossa Valley is most famous for. But not only does the area produce strong reds, but also is known for its fine whites. The higher level hill locations of the Barossa Valley is where the white grapes grow best, and on the lower Barossa floor sites where the reds grow best, where the soils are rich deep red clay soils.
There are a large number of wineries within the Barossa region, and these include Peter Lehmann, Schild Estate, Henschke, Wolf Blass, Glaetzer, Langmeil, St Hallett, Whistler, Turkey Flat and Torbreck. Some of these wineries are now commercially owned by large corporations, and some remain run as family businesses.
Probably the most well known wine produced in the Barossa is the Penfolds “Grange”. The Penfolds “Grange”, originally made as an experiment vintage in 1951 by local winemaker Max Schubert has won over 50 internationally acclaimed Gold wine awards. The “Grange” is most notable for its quality to age well, and is highly respected collectors item. In 2004 one of these 1951 vintage bottles sold at auction for just over AUS$50,000.
Barossa Valley’s wine industry draws many tourists to the area each year. There are a number of cultural festivals and events which celebrate this rich wine growing history. The most notable of these is the Vintage Festival, which occurs every second year. This Vintage Festival is held in April and is a celebration of the season’s vintage. One highlight of the Vintage Festival is the Vintage Ball.
The Barossa Valley’s wine making industry is an important aspect of the region, and its close ties with its German heritage is still very evident today.
