Australian Wine: Barossa Valley and Shiraz

Australian wine is known for the rich, juicy fruit that comes from its warm climate. The signature grape is Shiraz: Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are world-famous for concentrated, powerful reds. Cooler Mornington Peninsula also makes elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Australia's main regions

Go deeper by grape

In Australia the grape itself is the star. We cover the taste and styles in more detail in our grape guides: see the Syrah / Shiraz guide, the Chardonnay guide, and the Pinot Noir guide.

Why it is easy for beginners

Many are rich in fruit with mellow tannins, easy to drink even if you are new to red wine. They are also a great match for BBQ and yakiniku.

The German settler food culture alive in the Barossa

You cannot tell the story of the Barossa Valley without its German immigrants. In 1838, Lutherans fleeing Silesia (then Prussia, today part of Poland) in search of religious freedom sailed to South Australia, and by 1842 they had founded their first settlement at Bethany in the Barossa. The food culture they carried from home is still alive nearly 180 years later.

Butchers in Tanunda, Angaston and Nuriootpa still make mettwurst, a cured smoked sausage, and smoked pork by nineteenth-century methods, and the Apex Bakery in Tanunda has been going since 1924. Because the same families also kept their vineyards, Shiraz vines planted in the 1840s still bear fruit, and the Barossa now holds more old-vine Shiraz than any region on earth. Locally, rich Shiraz with salty mettwurst is the classic match, and whenever I open a Barossa Shiraz I find myself wanting to grill a sausage. What grows together really does go together.

FAQ

Q. What characterizes Australian wine?
A. Rich fruit from a warm climate, and the clarity of having the grape name printed right on the label.