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South Australian Wine Regions

South Australia

The wine state?

Victoria may have more wineries and regions, New South Wales may have more zones, and Western Australia may have the largest single zone, but South Australia still rightly calls itself the wine state.

Housing 42% of the nation’s vineyards, South Australia is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. It is home to five of the six largest wine groups in Australia including, Penfolds, Yalumba, Jacob’s Creek and Wolf Blass. And, if that wasn’t enough, South Australia’s wine regions reads like a who’s who of internationally recognised wine-making locations - Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and the like.

With its vast diversity in geography, climate and soils, the state is able to successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties - from cool climate Rieslings in the Clare to the Barossa’s big full-bodied Shiraz wines. Little wonder that South Australian wine-buffs are a happy and contented bunch.

A brief history

South Australia’s generous climate and free-settler history played a key part in the emergence of its fine wine regions. From as early as the 1830s, vineyards were established close to Adelaide at Reynella, and in the McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek districts. German Lutheran immigrants, fleeing European religious persecution in Silesia, moved into the Barossa Valley farm lands around 1840 - planting vineyards as they settled. In the Clare district, Sevenhill’s vineyard was planted by Austrian Jesuits in 1848. Thomas Hardy set up his Bankside Cellars and vineyards in the suburbs of Adelaide around 1850. Coonawarra’s development is more recent, largely due to the efforts of David Wynn, who established the Wynns Coonawarra Estate winery in 1951.

Even now over 150 years on, the cultural heritage and history of these wine-making pioneers are still very much evident in the regions’ day-to-day life, and in the character of the wines produced.

Cellar doors - unlocking wine tourism

After experiencing growing popularity, South Australia’s wine industry quickly realised that the public wanted more than just a bottleshop experience of wine. They wanted to see where wines were grown and made; to meet the characters and winemakers behind the famous labels. Local ‘cellar door’, on-site wine tastings were introduced. Throw in the opportunity to sample local produce, enjoy glorious weather and stunning scenery, and it is easy to see why wine tourists go knocking on cellar doors and why, in return, winemakers greet them with open arms and enthusiasm. Add to this cooking schools, gourmet retreats and Farmers’ markets and it is easy to see why there are few places that do wine tourism better than South Australia.

South Australia truly is the state of grapes!