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[bah-RAH-suh; bah-ROH-suh] One of the most important wine-producing regions in Australia. It's located in the state of southern australia in the Barossa Zone, which also includes the eden valley to the southeast. The Barossa Valley is about 40 miles northeast of the city of Adelaide. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, dissident German Lutherans and English settlers began populating the Barossa Valley. Vines were first planted in 1847, and wine soon became a part of the local culture, with the industry continuing to grow slowly over the next few decades. Growth accelerated during the 1880s and continued into the twentieth century, thereby establishing the Barossa as one of Australia's best-known wine regions. The climate here is generally warm and dry, but the eastern hills offer a cool growing area. There are about 23,000 acres of vineyards (Barossa and Eden Valley combined) and tons of grapes are shipped into this region's wineries for processing. The most popular grape grown for white table wines is riesling followed by chardonnay and sémillon. palomino and pedro ximénex are still grown for use in fortified wines, which have historically been a part of this area's winemaking tradition. The most popular red grape is Shiraz (syrah), and the Barossa Valley is world-famous for these wines, some made from vines dating back to the mid-1800s. Other very successful red varieties are cabernet sauvignon grenache and Mataro (mourvèdre).
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The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide.
The Barossa Valley takes its name from the Barossa Ranges, which were named by Colonel William Light in 1837. Light chose the name in memory of the British victory over the French in the Battle of Barrosa, in which he fought in 1811.The area is approximately 13 km long by 14 km wide.
The three major towns of the Barossa each have a distinctive personality. Tanunda is generally recognised as the most German of the three with long-standing traditions dating back to the 1840s when the first German settlers arrived in the area. Because many of them came from Prussian Silesia, they called the Barossa Neu-Schlesien, or "New Silesia".[1] The German influence survives to this day (see Barossa German). Angaston, in contrast, is considered the English town as it was settled predominantly by Cornish miners and others from Britain. The third town, Nuriootpa, was influenced by both the German and British settlers, and today is the commercial hub of the Barossa where most of the larger stores are located.
Currently, the Barossa Valley has a population of about 20,000, most of whom live in Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Angaston, Williamstown and Lyndoch, each having over 1000 people, with a few smaller towns such as Moculta and Springton. All of these towns are part of the Barossa local government. Many facilities not available in these towns are usually supplemented in nearby Gawler. In recent years, increased development in the area has seen opposition from the local communities.[citation needed]
The area is also a Lutheran stronghold with many residents identifying themselves as Lutherans. Some towns have more than one Lutheran church. Tanunda, for example, has Langmeil, Tabor, St. Paul's and St. Johns. Nuriootpa has St. Petri and Holy Trinity. Angaston has Zion and Salem (Penrice).
Each major town also has a Lutheran primary school. Tanunda has Tanunda Lutheran School, Nuriootpa has Redeemer, and Angaston has Good Shepherd. St. Jakobi, the Lutheran primary school at Lyndoch, hosts the Barossa Airshow annually as its fundraiser
The wine industry plays a major role in the Barossa, being the main source of employment for many residents. The many hectares of vineyard are the most distinctive feature of the area, especially when viewed from the Mengler's Hill lookout positioned on the range of hills that form one side of the valley itself. The success of the wine industry has historically been celebrated every two years (odd numbers) with a week-long Vintage Festival. The festival draws visitors from all over the world and has entertainment for all tastes including a huge street parade, concerts and gourmet dining.
Among the well known wineries located in the Barossa valley are Grant Burge, Torbreck, Orlando (producers of Jacob's Creek), Kaesler, Penfolds, Peter Lehmann, Wolf Blass, Rockford, Elderton, Glaetzer, Saltram, Yalumba and Seppelts.
The Barossa Valley is primarily known for its red wine, in particular Shiraz (Syrah). Normally large proportions of Barossa Shiraz is used in Penfolds Grange (Australia's most famous wine). Henschke Hill of Grace is also a Barossa Shiraz. Other main grape varieties grown in the region include Riesling, Semillon, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also some fantastic fortified wines traditionally produced in the region.
The soil in the Barossa Valley varies considerably – from deep sandy soils on the sloping areas to sandy loam and heavy red-brown clay soils on the flats.
This area has winter dominant rainfall with high summer evaporation. It is classified as being warm to moderately continental. Very hot weather in February and March can place stress on the vines at the end of the ripening cycle resulting in concentrated flavors.
Although it is overshadowed by the wine industry, significant food production occurs in the Barossa Valley, including:
| Towns of the Barossa Valley |
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Angaston · Bethany · Eden Valley · Gomersal · Greenock · Keyneton · Lyndoch · Marananga · Moculta · Mount Pleasant · Nuriootpa · Penrice · Rowland Flat · Seppeltsfield · Springton · Stockwell · Tanunda · Williamstown |
| Wine regions of South Australia |
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Adelaide Hills · Adelaide Plains · Barossa Valley · Clare Valley · Coonawarra · Currency Creek · Eden Valley · Kangaroo Island · Langhorne Creek · McLaren Vale · Mount Benson · Padthaway · Riverland · Southern Fleurieu · Southern Flinders Ranges · The Peninsulas · Wrattonbully |
| South Australia | |
|---|---|
| Topics | History · Government · Flag · Rail transport · Geography · Country Fire Service |
| Regions | Adelaide Hills · Barossa Valley · Clare Valley · Eyre Peninsula · Fleurieu Peninsula · Flinders Ranges · Limestone Coast · Mid North · Nullarbor Plain · Riverland · Yorke Peninsula |
| Cities | Adelaide · Port Augusta · Mount Gambier · Murray Bridge · Port Lincoln · Port Pirie · Victor Harbor · Whyalla |
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![]() | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more | |
![]() | Wine Lover's Companion. Wine Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2003 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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