Eight Barossa wines to try

The Barossa (including the Eden Valley) is arguably Australia’s most famous wine region, yet it’s also one of its most surprising. The more you learn about its history, its wineries, and the varieties and styles of wine it produces, the more you understand how rich and complex the Barossa truly is.

Old vines and old families

The Barossa is young by global standards, yet it’s planted to what are believed to be the world’s oldest productive shiraz (planted in 1843), mourvèdre (1853), grenache and semillon (both 1848), and cabernet sauvignon (1888) vines. It's also home to the country’s oldest family-owned winery. Established in 1849 by the Hill-Smith family, with the sixth generation at the helm today, Yalumba has been a serious player in the region for over 175 years. 

Yalumba is Australia's oldest family-owned winery.

A crisis averted

Today it’s best known for red wine, but in the 1960s, producers in the Barossa and Eden Valleys began experimenting with riesling (both the grape variety and the 'style' at the time) in response to consumer demand. By the late ’70s, riesling was twice as valuable as shiraz. Unfortunately for the region’s growers, this caused many large companies to renege on their grape buying contracts, which led to a red wine glut. Peter Lehmann is among the producers credited with saving the region; firstly by buying the excess grapes for his own winery, ensuring the growers’ livelihoods, and secondly by championing the quality and regional character of Barossan wines – particularly shiraz. That Barossa shiraz is an international brand today is largely because of Peter Lehmann. 

Challenging convention

While the Barossa has a reputation for producing big, bold and oaky styles of wine, producers like Yelland & Papps who take a minimal-input or unconventional approach to winemaking, including wild yeast fermentation, the use of whole bunches, extended skin contact and no fining nor filtering, are producing purer and more expressive styles. The younger generations and new producers like The Thief? and Bosward are also contributing to the variety of different styles now found in the region. 

Vineyards at Peter Lehmann Wines.

New and emerging grape varieties

Lastly, an emerging interest in and understanding of alternative and climate-apt varieties, led by producers like Purple Hands, who craft montepulciano and aglianico alongside the region’s traditional varieties, mean that the Barossa is no longer known only for grenache, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. 

Here are eight wines to try that represent the Barossa in all its rich and complex glory.