The Barossa Valley is Australia's most famous wine region, responsible for a significant share of the country's output and home to some of its most celebrated producers — Penfolds, Henschke, Peter Lehmann, Seppeltsfield. It lies about an hour's drive north of Adelaide and is the easiest of South Australia's wine regions to visit.
The valley was settled in the 1840s partly by German religious refugees from Silesia and Prussia, and their influence is still visible. The names on the hills — Kaiser Stuhl, Menglers, Gnaddenfrei — are German. The food tradition runs to smallgoods, pretzels and smoked meats alongside the modern Australian dining that has grown up around the cellar doors. The original immigrants brought tobacco plants, which failed. Fortunately, one brought vine cuttings, and the rest is history.
The three main towns are Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston, with smaller villages — Greenock, Bethany, Seppeltsfield, Lyndoch — scattered through the valley. Most wineries welcome visitors for tastings, and the best way to see the area is to drive (or cycle along the Barossa Trail, if the heat allows) between them. The Seppeltsfield Road is particularly scenic, with a long avenue of palms leading to the historic winery.
The Barossa Vintage Festival, held every two years, is the longest-running wine festival in Australia. On non-festival years, the Barossa Gourmet Weekend in September offers food-and-wine events across the valley.