Langhorne Creek

An Australian wine region located in the Fleurieu Zone of south australia. It's situated about 45 miles southeast of Adelaide around the town of Langhorne Creek, which is not far from Lake Alexandrina-the source of its water supply. Although vines were first planted in this region in 1860, the region was largely undiscovered for decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, Wolf Blass saw the potential of the region and promoted it as a good growing area. By the early 1990s, Langhorne Creek had approximately 1,000 acres of vineyards. Since then growth has exploded-at this writing, the vineyard total is nearly 12,000 acres and expanding rapidly, fueled by the likes of Orlando Wyndham, who is investing heavily in the area. Langhorne Creek has a cool, even growing season influenced by Lake Alexandrina and the Southern Ocean. This is primarily red-wine country, with cabernet sauvignon and Shiraz (syrah) occupying over 75 percent of the vineyards. merlot and chardonnay are next, with a variety of other red and white varieties planted in small amounts. Most of the grape crop is shipped out of the Langhorne Creek region to winery facilities in other parts of south australia where it is blended with grapes from other areas.