Wineries
Two waves of immigration by Yugoslavs, in the early 20th century and after the Second World War, meant the Swan Valley joined the Barossa Valley (German) and the Riverland (Italian) as significant ethnically driven wine-producing regions. Interestingly, The Swan Valley had more wineries than either New South Wales or Victoria for a time.
The valley’s completely flat, alluvial river plain provides vineyards with soils that are immensely deep and well drained. The hot, dry summer means grapes ripen easily and quickly, with the climate ideal for table grapes and fortified wines.
FAST FACTS
Wineries | Latitude | Altitude | Season Rainfall | Harvest |
---|---|---|---|---|
41 | 31°50’S | 45m | 145mm | Early Jan to End Mar |
English settler Thomas Waters started viticulture here, digging a cellar in 1830 at Olive Farm, the oldest winemaking establishment in Australia which was in use until the start of the new millennium. Two waves of immigration by Yugoslavs, in the early 20th century and after the Second World War, meant the Swan Valley joined the Barossa Valley (German) and the Riverland (Italian) as significant ethnically driven wine-producing regions. Interestingly, The Swan Valley had more wineries than either New South Wales or Victoria for a time.
The valley’s completely flat, alluvial river plain provides vineyards with soils that are immensely deep and well drained. The hot, dry summer means grapes ripen easily and quickly, with the climate ideal for table grapes and fortified wines.