Vintage Grape

The Secret Behind Barossa Shiraz

The hallowed grounds of winemaking, The Barossa, is internationally renown for its great red wines and primarily its Shiraz. Large proportions of Barossa Shiraz is used in Penfolds Grange (Australia’s most famous wine). As well as Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace also uses a large amount of Shiraz grown in the Barossa.

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 in these regions are about 2ºC warmer on average.

The geography for Eden Valley ranges from Truro in the north down 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. The region receives  around 255mm more rainfall than its neighboring region and also has rockier, more acidic soil. Temperatures are cooler therefore the growing season is longer.

When this is all added together, you end up with a great concoction for grape growing!

There are about 550 growers in the Barossa, some of them sixth-generation Barossans.  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 By avoiding phylloxera this has allowed growers to keep their root stocks and have some of the oldest vines in the world today.

Even though the Barossa represents about 5% of Australia’s national crush, the fruit produced is premium quality. Wines produced in the Barossa have a disproportionately high representation in the super-premium category, making it one of Austrlia’s most influential international wines.

No wonder Barossa Shiraz is revered around the world.

Follow the link for more information on Barossa Valley Shiraz .

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