Barello

Australia's 64 wine regions

Two of them make half the wine in the country (Riverland and Murray Darling). The other 62 are where most of what you drink by name comes from. Barello maps all 64: how warm each one gets, how much vineyard is actually in the ground, and how much wine comes out of it.

Riverina, New South Wales. 17,247 ha planted, mean January 26.5°C.Tasmania, Tasmania. 1,702 ha planted, mean January 15.8°C.New England Australia, New South Wales. 76 ha planted, mean January 21.2°C.Murray Darling, Victoria. 13,490 ha planted, mean January 26.2°C.Hunter, New South Wales. 2,608 ha planted, mean January 23.7°C.Great Southern, Western Australia. 2,479 ha planted, mean January 20.2°C.Henty, Victoria. 139 ha planted, mean January 19.6°C.Goulburn Valley, Victoria. 1,214 ha planted, mean January 23.9°C.Mudgee, New South Wales. 1,922 ha planted, mean January 23.5°C.Grampians, Victoria. 640 ha planted, mean January 20.7°C.Gundagai, New South Wales. 595 ha planted, mean January 24.4°C.Canberra District, New South Wales. 329 ha planted, mean January 21.9°C.South Burnett, Queensland. 217 ha planted, mean January 24.8°C.Peel, Western Australia. 51 ha planted, mean January 23.3°C.Bendigo, Victoria. 609 ha planted, mean January 22.7°C.Blackwood Valley, Western Australia. 309 ha planted, mean January 21.5°C.Geographe, Western Australia. 789 ha planted, mean January 22.5°C.Upper Goulburn, Victoria. 288 ha planted, mean January 21°C.Southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. 175 ha planted, mean January 24.4°C.Kangaroo Island, South Australia. 144 ha planted, mean January 20°C.Riverland, South Australia. 21,816 ha planted, mean January 24.9°C.Alpine Valleys, Victoria. 240 ha planted, mean January 21.6°C.Swan District, Western Australia. 709 ha planted, mean January 25°C.Orange, New South Wales. 1,060 ha planted, mean January 21.8°C.Perth Hills, Western Australia. 119 ha planted, mean January 24.4°C.Hilltops, New South Wales. 594 ha planted, mean January 23.9°C.Yarra Valley, Victoria. 2,535 ha planted, mean January 19.8°C.Tumbarumba, New South Wales. 214 ha planted, mean January 22.5°C.Geelong, Victoria. 466 ha planted, mean January 20.1°C.Macedon Ranges, Victoria. 215 ha planted, mean January 20°C.Swan Hill, Victoria. 2,086 ha planted, mean January 25.2°C.Pyrenees, Victoria. 869 ha planted, mean January 21.7°C.Southern Highlands, New South Wales. 140 ha planted, mean January 20.8°C.Mount Gambier, South Australia. 273 ha planted, mean January 19.5°C.Manjimup, Western Australia. 153 ha planted, mean January 20.6°C.Shoalhaven Coast, New South Wales. 41 ha planted, mean January 21.8°C.Margaret River, Western Australia. 5,670 ha planted, mean January 21°C.Pemberton, Western Australia. 466 ha planted, mean January 20.3°C.King Valley, Victoria. 1,483 ha planted, mean January 22.3°C.Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria. 533 ha planted, mean January 21.6°C.Heathcote, Victoria. 1,695 ha planted, mean January 22.8°C.Hastings River, New South Wales. 13 ha planted, mean January 23.4°C.Cowra, New South Wales. 931 ha planted, mean January 25.2°C.Adelaide Hills, South Australia. 3,831 ha planted, mean January 21.1°C.Southern Fleurieu, South Australia. 487 ha planted, mean January 20.1°C.Glenrowan, Victoria. 205 ha planted, mean January 23.9°C.Sunbury, Victoria. 100 ha planted, mean January 20.9°C.Granite Belt, Queensland. 316 ha planted, mean January 21.5°C.Rutherglen, Victoria. 778 ha planted, mean January 24.3°C.Adelaide Plains, South Australia. 497 ha planted, mean January 23.9°C.Robe, South Australia. 677 ha planted, mean January 19.3°C.Wrattonbully, South Australia. 2,666 ha planted, mean January 21°C.Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. 919 ha planted, mean January 19.7°C.Clare Valley, South Australia. 4,993 ha planted, mean January 22.9°C.Perricoota, New South Wales. 416 ha planted, mean January 24.6°C.Eden Valley, South Australia. 2,101 ha planted, mean January 21.9°C.Barossa Valley, South Australia. 11,156 ha planted, mean January 22.8°C.Currency Creek, South Australia. 1,053 ha planted, mean January 21.2°C.McLaren Vale, South Australia. 7,172 ha planted, mean January 21.9°C.Beechworth, Victoria. 126 ha planted, mean January 22.5°C.Coonawarra, South Australia. 5,292 ha planted, mean January 20.5°C.Padthaway, South Australia. 4,066 ha planted, mean January 21.2°C.Mount Benson, South Australia. 534 ha planted, mean January 19.4°C.Langhorne Creek, South Australia. 6,093 ha planted, mean January 21.9°C.
  • Under 19.5
  • 19.5 to 21
  • 21 to 22.5
  • 22.5 to 24
  • 24 and over

Shading is mean January temperature in degrees Celsius. Circle size is planted vineyard, which is a different question from how big the region is: Riverina is the largest GI in the country and 0.22% of it is under vine.

Mean January temperature runs from 15.8°C in Tasmania to 26.5°C in Riverina, which is 10.7 degrees across one country. That spread is why the same grape gives you a different wine 400 kilometres away, and it is measured on the vine, not in your house.

By state

StateRegionsPlanted ha Grapes t/yr
South Australia1873,026798,933
Victoria2028,630408,247
New South Wales1426,186310,103
Western Australia910,74542,721
Tasmania11,70212,705
Queensland2533402
Northern Territory000
Australian Capital Territory000

Canberra District is registered under New South Wales, which is why the ACT shows no GIs.

All 64 regions, by planted vineyard

Four of these need a word. Area is the land the name legally covers, most of which is not vineyard. Planted is the vineyard actually in it. Grapes is how many tonnes come off it in an average year. Heat units add up the warmth of the growing season, so a higher number means riper, fuller wine and a lower one means leaner and more acidic.

#RegionState Area km²Planted ha Grapes t/yr Jan °CHeat units
1RiverlandSouth Australia4,10521,816517,41324.92,332
2RiverinaNew South Wales77,97417,247290,79126.52,526
3Murray DarlingVictoria25,57813,490303,17726.22,527
4Barossa ValleySouth Australia57811,15655,80622.81,948
5McLaren ValeSouth Australia4337,17234,60321.91,925
6Langhorne CreekSouth Australia2416,09336,41321.91,957
7Margaret RiverWestern Australia2,1375,67028,364211,882
8CoonawarraSouth Australia3985,29235,58520.51,556
9Clare ValleySouth Australia6804,99321,62422.91,931
10PadthawaySouth Australia3594,06631,97921.21,686
11Adelaide HillsSouth Australia1,4513,83121,09321.11,690
12WrattonbullySouth Australia7532,66621,076211,635
13HunterNew South Wales19,9082,6084,46823.72,207
14Yarra ValleyVictoria3,1302,5358,62119.81,414
15Great SouthernWestern Australia17,1312,4796,67720.21,724
16Eden ValleySouth Australia5912,1017,54121.91,782
17Swan HillVictoria2,7412,08645,30225.22,337
18MudgeeNew South Wales9,7601,9221,72123.52,027
19TasmaniaTasmania68,5821,70212,70515.8777
20HeathcoteVictoria1,9131,6958,52922.81,850
21King ValleyVictoria2,0211,48318,10222.31,687
22Goulburn ValleyVictoria9,7851,2146,67523.92,069
23OrangeNew South Wales3,4221,0603,42321.81,608
24Currency CreekSouth Australia4691,0534,53221.21,850
25CowraNew South Wales1,4569311,93825.22,238
26Mornington PeninsulaVictoria7239191,83419.71,535
27PyreneesVictoria2,7148691,20221.71,683
28GeographeWestern Australia5,5617892,10122.52,015
29RutherglenVictoria9987783,22924.32,049
30Swan DistrictWestern Australia3,5937092,526252,557
31RobeSouth Australia8916773,41419.31,470
32GrampiansVictoria9,4246402,05120.71,515
33BendigoVictoria7,3886091,44222.71,855
34GundagaiNew South Wales8,8465954,41424.42,048
35HilltopsNew South Wales3,1435941,01623.91,960
36Mount BensonSouth Australia2765343,08819.41,508
37Strathbogie RangesVictoria1,9775331,64021.61,596
38Adelaide PlainsSouth Australia9164972,24023.92,238
39Southern FleurieuSouth Australia1,37748767420.11,621
40PembertonWestern Australia2,0544661,75620.31,721
41GeelongVictoria2,8214661,23720.11,548
42PerricootaNew South Wales5974161,41524.62,199
43Canberra DistrictNew South Wales8,60732945121.91,632
44Granite BeltQueensland1,15831636621.51,875
45Blackwood ValleyWestern Australia5,9203091,09921.51,824
46Upper GoulburnVictoria5,169288865211,519
47Mount GambierSouth Australia2,65927391019.51,435
48Alpine ValleysVictoria3,6292402,32921.61,558
49South BurnettQueensland8,2742173624.82,660
50Macedon RangesVictoria2,815215226201,364
51TumbarumbaNew South Wales3,00721439122.51,696
52GlenrowanVictoria1,29720588423.91,995
53Southern Flinders RangesSouth Australia4,65417578324.42,206
54ManjimupWestern Australia2,2461535920.61,727
55Kangaroo IslandSouth Australia4,405144159201,611
56Southern HighlandsNew South Wales2,6871402620.81,624
57HentyVictoria14,69013944519.61,417
58BeechworthVictoria39812637522.51,689
59Perth HillsWestern Australia3,28211912824.42,358
60SunburyVictoria1,2731008220.91,641
61New England AustraliaNew South Wales26,814762521.21,747
62PeelWestern Australia7,864511123.32,152
63Shoalhaven CoastNew South Wales2,173411121.82,006
64Hastings RiverNew South Wales1,524131323.42,357

The questions people ask

How many wine regions does Australia have?

64. That is how many regions are on the Geographical Indications register, the legal list of Australian wine names. The register also recognises subregions inside some of those regions, and larger zones. All 64 regions are mapped and listed on this page.

Which is Australia's biggest wine region?

Riverland. It has the most vineyard planted, 21,816 hectares, and it makes the most wine, 517,413 tonnes of grapes a year, 33% of the national crush. Measured by land area alone the answer is Riverina at 77,974 square kilometres, but only 0.2% of that is under vine, so it is the biggest region on the map rather than the biggest in the glass.

Which is Australia's oldest wine region?

The Hunter, if you mean the oldest still producing. Vines went in there in the 1820s and it has made wine every year since. Tasmania planted at about the same time, but those early vineyards died out. The years on this page are when each name became legally protected, between 1994 and 2010, and say nothing about when a region was first planted.

Where is wine grown in Australia?

Mostly in three states. South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales hold 91% of Australia's planted vineyard and crush 96% of its grapes, and Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland share the rest. The ACT lies largely inside Canberra District, which the register files under New South Wales, and the Northern Territory has no wine region at all.

Which Australian regions are known for Shiraz?

Of the 35 regions with a page here, 7 are known above all for Shiraz: Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Heathcote, Currency Creek, Grampians, Bendigo and Granite Belt. That is a list of reputations rather than a planting survey. Shiraz is also grown in volume in the irrigated regions along the Murray, but nobody knows those places for any one grape.

Where these numbers come from

Boundaries and figures: Wine Australia Geographical Indications register, used under CC BY 4.0. The register is the legal definition of each name: a GI is a boundary, not a vineyard, which is why Langhorne Creek is 25% planted while Riverina, the largest GI in the country, is 0.22%. Climate figures are the register's own long-run averages.

Nothing on this page is a drinking window. A window depends on the wine and on where you keep it: open any region above and it works out what your own house does to a bottle from there, how to store wine without a cellar puts a number on every spot in the house, and the drinking-window explainer covers the rest. Choosing an app to keep track of it? The best wine cellar apps, ranked by their real store ratings.