Go anywhere around the globe and ask anyone with scarlet-stained teeth the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Australian wine and the answer will almost certainly be "Barossa Valley" (and Barossa Shiraz in particular!).

Ever since a bunch of dour Germans hopped off boats in Adelaide around the 1840’s and headed north to plant wines and make bacon (read that which ever way you wish) the Barossa has been the beating red heart of the Australian wine industry.

The Barossa Valley is home to sacred sites like the famous Kalimna vineyard that has long been the engine room of the great Penfolds reds, Seppeltsfield, the grand estate laden with some of the world’s oldest fortified stocks and the trickling Jacobs Creek that has taken Australian wine to the world.

The Barossa is names like Peter Lehmann who has been making wine in these parts for more than fifty years and young guns like Kim Teusner and Troy Kalleske who are leading a new generation. A list of the Barossa’s best producers reads like a roll call of Australia’s most sought after wines; Rockford, Torbreck, Greenock Creek, Turkey Flat, Yalumba, St. Hallet, Kaesler,Two Hands and Ringland.

Barossa Shiraz is a big, bold style revered the world over but this place is no one-trick pony. Some of the oldest grenache and mourvedre vines are planted here, cabernet sauvignon too, and the region’s rieslings have outstanding wine show records.