The
Barossa Valley wine region is one of
Australia's oldest
wine regions. Located in
South Australia, the
Barossa Valley is about 56 km (35 miles) northeast of the city of
Adelaide. Unlike most of
Australia whose
wine industry was heavily influenced by the
British, the wine industry of the Barossa Valley was founded by
German settlers fleeing persecution from the
Prussian province of Silesia (in what is now
Poland). The hot
continental climate of the region promoted the production of very
ripe grapes that was the linchpin of the early Australian
fortified wine industry. As the modern Australian wine industry shifted towards red table wines (particularly those made by the prestigious
Cabernet Sauvignon) in the mid-20th century, the Barossa Valley fell out of favor due to its reputation for being largely a
Shiraz producers whose grapes were destined for blending. During this period the name "Barossa Valley" rarely appeared on
wine labels. In the 1980s, the emergence of several boutique families specializing in
old vine Shiraz wines began to capture international attention for the distinctive style of Barossa Shiraz, a
full bodied red wine with rich
chocolate and
spice notes. This led to a renaissance in the Barossa Valley which catapulted the region to the forefront of the Australian wine industry.