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The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: Barossa Tal) is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourism destination.
The Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of Nuriootpa, Tanunda, Rowland Flat and Lyndoch. The Barossa Trail walking and cycling path is long, and passes the main towns, starting from near Gawler on the Adelaide Plains, to Angaston to the east of the valley.
The Barossa Valley derives its name from the Barossa Range, which was named by 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 name "Barossa" was registered in error, due to a clerical error in transcribing the name "Barrosa". The area is approximately .
The three major towns of the Barossa have distinctive characteristics. Tanunda is generally recognised as the most Germans of the three, with traditions dating back to the 1840s when the first German settlers arrived in the area. Since many of the German settlers came from Prussian Silesia, they called the Barossa Neu-Schlesien, or " New Silesia".LeRoy R. Hafen. Broken Hand. U of Nebraska Press, 1981.
The German influence survives to this day ( see Barossa German). Angaston, in contrast, is considered the England town as it was settled predominantly by Cornish people miners and others from United Kingdom. The third, and largest town, Nuriootpa, was influenced by both German and British settlers, and today is the commercial hub of the Barossa and it is where most of the larger stores are located.
In February 2011, South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, announced that special legislation would be introduced to protect the unique heritage of the Barossa Valley and of McLaren Vale. He said: "Barossa and McLaren Vale food and wine are key icons of South Australia. We must never allow the Barossa or McLaren Vale to become suburbs of Adelaide."891 ABC, 9 Feb 2011:"No Urban Sprawl into Wine Region" The Character Preservation (Barossa Valley) Act 2012 was subsequently passed by the South Australian Parliament.
Each major town 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.
| 1 | Nuriootpa | 5,691 |
| 2 | Tanunda | 4,324 |
| 3 | Angaston | 2,044 |
| 4 | Williamstown | 2,163 |
| 5 | Lyndoch | 1,799 |
| 6 | Greenock | 1,087 |
| 7 | Mount Pleasant | 586 |
| 8 | Springton | 378 |
The Barossa Valley is primarily known for its red wine, in particular Syrah.White, Robert E. Soils for Fine Wines. Oxford University Press, USA, 2003. p. 245 Normally, large proportions of Barossa Shiraz are used in Penfolds Grange, Australia's most famous wine.Gordon, Keith and Debra. Wine on Tuesdays: Be a Serious Wine Drinker without Taking Wine Too Seriously. Thomas Nelson, 2008. p. 136 Other main grape varieties grown in the region include: Riesling; Semillon; Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. have been traditionally produced in the region as well.
Marananga is home to the only sub-regional wine competition in Australia, hosted by the Gnadenfrei Lutheran church community since 2004 and focussed solely on benchmarking wines produced on the Western Ridge of the valley.
The Barossa Valley is a rich source of some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world. Shiraz vines planted as early as 1847 by Johann Frederick August Fiedler on Lot 1, Hundred of Moorooroo (the township of Tanunda) are still in commercial production today by Turkey Flat Vineyards.
The Barossa Valley holds a weekly Farmers' Market, supplying local produce which is sold directly by the producer.
The Barossa Vintage Festival was first held in 1947, to celebrate the end of the grape harvest, and the end of hostilities in World War II, and has run continually since. It is Australia's oldest and longest-running wine festival.
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