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Wine region

South Australia

South Australia is a wine region in Australia, home to 692 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines, known for Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale.

South Australia at a glance: predominantly red; known for Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale.
On this page

South Australia's 692 wineries produce predominantly red wine; Cabernet Sauvignon is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry GI designation.

About the South Australia region

    Location
    South Australian wine is associated with the wine industry in South Australia, Australia.
    Climate
    South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the state to be able to produce a range of grape varieties –from the cool climate Riesling variety in the Clare Valley wine region to the big, full bodied Shiraz…
    Soils
    The soil types are also varied, and include the terra rosa of the Coonawarra region, the limestone - marl based soils of the Adelaide and Riverland areas, and the sandy, clay loam based soils of the Barossa.
    Distinctive
    Vines are grown at altitudes from the low valley regions of the Barossa and the Riverland up to 600 metres (1,970 ft) high in the vineyards at Pewsey Vale in the Eden Valley.

Region facts sourced from Wikidata contributors, item Q7566214, retrieved 2026-07-11. (CC0), Wikipedia contributors, "South Australian wine", Wikipedia, revision 1343408242, retrieved 2026-07-11. (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International).

Most common single-grape wines

When South Australia wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:

Wine profile

South Australia is predominantly a red-wine region (about 72% of its wines).

5,716 distinct South Australia wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.

  • Red4,055 · 72%
  • White1,392 · 25%
  • Rose176 · 3%

Types: Port, Sparkling, Still.

Catalogue vintages span 1951 to 2016.

Representative South Australia wines

Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.

  • Vinteloper — SH Shiraz
  • Richard Hamilton — Colton's GSM
  • Michael Hall — Chardonnay
  • Dowie Doole — Chenin Blanc
  • Gemtree — Uncut Shiraz
  • RedHeads — Yard Dog White
  • Bethany — First Village Shiraz Cabernet
  • DogRidge — Most Valuable Player Cabernet Sauvignon

Sub-regions & appellations

Within South Australia, these appellationsA legally-defined smaller growing area within a wine region, often with its own grapes and rules. are smaller growing areas, often with their own character:

  • Barossa Valley
  • McLaren Vale
  • Adelaide Hills
  • Clare Valley
  • Barossa
  • Eden Valley
  • Coonawarra
  • Langhorne Creek
  • Limestone Coast
  • Riverland
  • Adelaide
  • Wrattonbully

Quality designations

Wines here carry GI status — a controlled quality designation.

  • GIGeographical Indication — a defined origin area used in Australia and other New World countries.

Australia wine designations

GI
A geographical indication identifies wine as originating in a country, region or locality where a quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to that geographical origin.
Understanding the wine data
Designation
The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
How this ranking is built

Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.

Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.

Explore South Australia

Ways to browse South Australia — each count is the size of that specific collection (a subset of the 5,716 wines tracked above):

  • Red South Australia (330)
  • White South Australia (160)

How to choose a good South Australia wine

Look for the GI designation — it signals a controlled-origin South Australia wine.

FAQs

Where is South Australia?
South Australian wine is associated with the wine industry in South Australia, Australia.
What do the designation terms on South Australia wines mean?
GI: A geographical indication identifies wine as originating in a country, region or locality where a quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to that geographical origin. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
How are wineries and producers selected for South Australia?
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
How are representative South Australia wines selected?
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How much wine data does WhatDrink have for South Australia?
The current regional catalogue contains 5716 linked wines from 692 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.

Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.