Adelaide Plains Wine Region

Adelaide Plains – Click to Enlarge

The Adelaide Plains wine region is just 30 minutes north of the state’s capital and just west of the Barossa Valley. The region forms part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, which it shares with Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley

The region received its official Geographical Indication in 2002 and has since grown to encompass around 600 hectares of vines, with most of the grapes being processed in the Barossa Valley. There are, however, a number of small winemakers and cellar doors within the Plains.

As the name suggests, the region is relatively flat, with the altitudes ranging from sea level and 154m and has a dry yet maritime climate, with an annual rainfall among the lowest of any Australian wine region.

In 2019, Shiraz accounted for almost 50% of all wine grape crush in the Adelaide Hills and the region’s small producers created elegant wines in a style normally reserved for cooler climates. Despite Red accounting for almost three quarters of the crush in the region, 3 from the top 5 varieties are in fact white, those being, Sauvignon Blanc in second place (11%), Pinot Gris in third (9%) and Chardonnay fifth (6%). The Chardonnays are refreshing yet bold, with flavours of tropical fruit and ripe peach.

Forth place goes to the only other red making the top 5 in Cabernet Sauvignon (9%), which is medium to full bodied and often blended with Shiraz or Merlot in the region.

Beyond the region’s main styles noted above, Colombard is also well suited to the warm climate of the Adelaide Plains, producing fresh, vibrant white wines similar to Sauvignon Blanc.

Source www.wineaustralia.com, Photo Credit