South Australia

South Australia is home to many of Australia's most famous wine regions. There's the Barossa Valley, birthplace of the legendary Penfolds Grange, with its big, bold Shiraz that has fans all over the world, including the American wine critic, Robert Parker. McLaren Vale reds are also popular internationally, winning awards in many competitions. The distinctive, rich, Langhorne Creek reds are also enjoying medal-winning success whilst the Coonawarra region, with its terra rossa red earth over limestone soils is famous for its legendary Cabernet Sauvignon. Great white regions are well represented in South Australia as well. The Clare and Eden Valleys are popular for their crisp, long-lived, limey, minerally Rieslings, whilst the newer coastal regions like Padthaway and Mt Benson have proved winners with their elegant, flavoursome Chardonnays. The cool climate of the Adelaide Hills has attracted producers of great renown also -- Penfolds sources most of its fruit for its famous Yattarna there. Last but not least, there's the ‘powerhouse’ of South Australia, the Riverland region, which produces top quality reds and whites at excellent value. If you're a lover of Australian wine, South Australia is undoubtedly a great place to start.