Up in the hills above the valley floor, the Eden Valley makes a different kind of wine - taut Riesling and elegant, slow-grown Shiraz.
Same region, different world
The Barossa is really two zones. The warm valley floor - Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Lyndoch - gives the big, generous reds the region is known for. Climb into the hills to the east and you reach the Eden Valley, cooler and higher, where the wine changes character entirely.
Riesling country
Eden Valley is one of Australia's great Riesling addresses. The altitude and granite soils produce wines that are taut, citrusy and built to age for decades, turning toast and honey as they go. It's worth a tasting flight alone to understand why Riesling matters here as much as Shiraz does below.
The reds that age
The Eden Valley also grows extraordinary Shiraz - slower to ripen, more elegant and structured than the valley floor's. This is Henschke's Hill of Grace country, but smaller makers like Sons of Eden are worth seeking out too. Plan a half-day up here as a counterpoint to the warmer Barossa below; the drive alone, through gum-studded hills, is reason enough.
