South Australian wine

The South Australian wine industry is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. 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 wines of the Barossa Valley.
Some of Australia's best-known wines like Penfolds Grange, Jacob's Creek, Yalumba and Henschke Hill of Grace are produced there, as well as many of Australia's mass-produced box wines.
As with most agriculture in Australia, irrigation is vital to the success of the South Australian wine industry.
History.
The earliest recorded evidence of vine planting was in 1836 by a settler named John Barton Hack in Chichester Gardens, North Adelaide.
In 1838 George Stevenson planted a vineyard in Adelaide and may have been producing wine as early as 1841, while John Reynell planted a vineyard with 500 cuttings from Tasmania in 1841, and made wine in 1843. Following the spread of urban development, Hack's vines were pulled up and replanted in a new vineyard at Echunga Springs near Mount Barker. In 1843, he sent a case of wine made from the vineyard to Queen Victoria, being the first Australian wine to reach the Queen.
Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold established his medical practice at "The Grange" in Magill in 1844, planting the vine cuttings from southern France that he had brought with him when emigrating to Australia.
Climate and geography.
Located in south central Australia, South Australia is bordered by the four other mainland states, (Western Australia to the west, Queensland to the north east, New South Wales to the east, Victoria to the south east), the Northern Territory to the north, and the Great Australian Bight forms the state's southern coastline.
The climate of the state varies greatly, with the more interior regions like the Riverland being intensely hot, and growing cooler closer to the coastal regions like Adelaide Hills. Across the region there is low annual rainfall which necessitates irrigation to counter droughts.
Vines are grown at altitudes from the low valley regions of the Barossa and the Riverland up to high in the vineyards at Pewsey Vale in the Eden Valley. 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.
Wine zones and regions.
Since the 1960s, Australia's labeling laws have used an appellation system known as the Australian Geographical Indication (AGI or geographical indication) which distinguishes the geographic origins of the grape. Under these laws, at least 85% of the grapes must be from the region that is designated on the label. In the late 1990s more definitive boundaries were established that divided Australia up into "Geographic Indications" known as "zones", "regions" and "subregions".
Adelaide super zone.
In South Australia, a fourth geographical indication known as a "super zone" is used which consists of a group of adjoining zones. As of 2014, only one 'super zone' exists: this is the Adelaide region which consists of the Barossa, Fleurieu and Mount Lofty Ranges zones. The Adelaide super zone was registered as an AGI on 27 December 1996.
Barossa zone.
The Barossa zone is located just outside the north-east of the Adelaide metropolitan area.
Fleurieu zone.
The Fleurieu zone is located south of the Adelaide metropolitan area, between the mouth of the River Murray and the Gulf St Vincent and includes Kangaroo Island.
Mount Lofty Ranges zone.
The Mount Lofty Ranges zone is located immediately to the east of Adelaide, north of the Fleurieu zone and south and north of the Barossa zone.
Far North zone.
The Far North zone is located north of the Clare Valley wine region.
Limestone Coast zone.
The Limestone Coast zone is located in the south-east of the state, bounded by the continental coastline to the south, the border with the neighbouring state of Victoria to the east and the Lower Murray wine zone to the north.
Lower Murray zone.
The Lower Murray zone which is located to the east of the Adelaide superzone, is bounded by the Limestone Coast zone to the south, the Far North zone to the north and by the border with Victoria to the east.
The Peninsulas zone.
The Peninsulas zone covers the entire Yorke Peninsula, an adjoining portion of the Mid North of South Australia, the portion of Eyre Peninsula south of a line of latitude approximately in line with Crystal Brook and the islands located off the adjoining coastline. It is bounded by the Far North zone to its north by the Mount Lofty Ranges zone to its east.
South Eastern Australia wine region.
The South Eastern Australia wine region covers the area south of a line running from Ceduna in western South Australia to the junction of the borders of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia (known as Cameron Corner) and then to the intersection of the Tropic of Capricorn with the eastern continental coastline. This region was registered as an AGI on 1 May 1996.