Geography and landscape
South Australia lies in the southern centre of the Australian mainland and covers 984,321 square kilometres. The state borders all the other mainland states of Australia as well as the Northern Territory. More than 3,700 kilometres of coastline meet desert and Outback regions, mountain ranges and a variety of coastal landscapes.
Climate and geology
About 87 percent of the area belongs to the arid climate zone. The southern Mediterranean climate regions are characterised by cool to warm conditions and predominantly winter rainfall. Geological provinces include, among others, the Gawler Craton, the Adelaide Geosyncline, the Curnamona and Musgrave provinces, as well as the Officer Basin and several sedimentary basins.
Viticulture
South Australia produces almost half of Australia’s annual wine production Australia. Different soils, altitudes and cooling sea breezes enable a wide range of wine styles. Quarantine regulations helped ensure that wine-growing areas remained unaffected by outbreaks of phylloxera in other parts of the country.
Protected designation of origin and Magill
South Australia has been registered as a protected Australian wine indication of origin since 26 January 1994. If a single protected geographical indication is used on a wine label, at least 85 percent of the grapes used must come from this area. In Magill, a documented vineyard was established in 1844 and planted entirely with Shiraz. The grapes are picked by hand; the wine is fermented in open fermentation vessels, pressed in basket presses and matured in French and American oak. The associated Shiraz has been produced since 1983 and is described as a medium-bodied red wine with a velvety texture and fine tannins.
