High Eden

The Geographical Indication "High Eden" is located within the region Eden Valley, within the zone Barossa, within the State of South Australia. It was entered in the Register of Protected Names on 28 August 2001, in response to a direction from the Presiding Member of the Geographical Indications Committee acting under Section 40Z of the WAC Act 1980; the parent Eden Valley GI had been entered on 15 August 1997. The Barossa zone was officially recognised in 1997 and is made up of two regions, Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, and within Eden Valley, High Eden is Barossa's only officially declared sub-region. Under the GI criteria, a region must produce at least 500 tonnes of wine grapes in a year and comprise at least 5 independently owned vineyards of at least 5 hectares each, and a sub-region must fulfil the same criteria but with grape-growing attributes that are more unique and homogenous. The registered boundary begins within the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park and runs along roads including Heggies Range Road, Flaxmans Valley Road, Wynns Road, High Eden Road, Cowell Road, Corryton Park Road, Brownes Road and Parsons Road, as drawn on the Angaston (Sheet 6728-4) and Barossa (Sheet 6628-1) 1:50,000 topographical maps. Flaxman Valley, on the eastern slopes of the Barossa Ranges, has portions falling within the High Eden subregion, and the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park is located in Flaxman Valley.

• Registered Australian GI since 28 August 2001
• Located within the region Eden Valley, within the zone Barossa, South Australia
• Barossa's only officially declared sub-region
• Portions of Flaxman Valley fall within the High Eden subregion

Altitude, aspect and slope are all important in determining mesoclimate in the hilly Eden Valley region. At an altitude of around 500 metres, the Pewsey Vale, Heggies and High Eden vineyards at the southern end of the Eden Valley are considerably cooler than the more northerly Henschke vineyards at an elevation of 380 to 400 metres around Keyneton. Across Eden Valley as a whole, growing season temperatures are significantly lower than those of the Barossa Valley, and the final stages of ripening and harvesting take place in much cooler conditions. Eden Valley pairs its higher elevation with a cooler climate.

• Pewsey Vale, Heggies and High Eden vineyards at around 500 metres at the southern end of the Eden Valley
• Considerably cooler than the Henschke vineyards at 380 to 400 metres around Keyneton
• Eden Valley growing season temperatures significantly lower than the Barossa Valley's
• Final stages of ripening and harvest in much cooler conditions

The soil picture here covers Eden Valley as a whole: rolling, exposed hills with moderately steep gradients are commonplace, and the correct match of site and variety is critical. The most common soils range from grey to brown in colour and from loamy sand to clay loams, with ironstone gravels, quartz gravels and rock fragments present in the surface and subsurface. These are well suited to dry land viticulture, but there are also patches of weaker sandy soils on the slopes, underlain by weathered mica-schists, which have reduced water-holding capacity. Eden Valley's higher elevation and rocky soils are linked to the crisp acidity of its Chardonnay.

• Eden Valley soils most commonly grey to brown, from loamy sand to clay loams
• Ironstone gravels, quartz gravels and rock fragments in the surface and subsurface
• Patches of weaker sandy soils on the slopes over weathered mica-schists
• Rolling, exposed hills with moderately steep gradients

Mountadam, located in the High Eden sub-region, was established in 1972 by David Wynn. Wynn's search for a vineyard site took him across Australia before he settled on an area high above the township of Eden Valley, in the sub-region now known as High Eden, and he named the vineyard after his son Adam, who became the company winemaker in 1984. Barossa Australia places Australia's first cool-climate Chardonnay vineyard in High Eden in 1972, while Wine Australia dates the first commercial Chardonnay vineyards in South Australia to Mountadam in 1973. Wynn also established a second High Eden vineyard as part of the Wynns group, which later became part of Treasury Wine Estates. David and Jenni Brown purchased the Mountadam property, including the winery and 80 hectares of vineyards, in 2005, and in 2015 purchased the Treasury Wine Estates High Eden vineyard, including 67 hectares of vineyard, re-assembling the original Mountadam property of over 1,000 hectares; the two vineyards are dissected by High Eden Road. High Eden was entered in the Register of Protected Names on 28 August 2001.

• 1972: David Wynn establishes Mountadam, in the sub-region now known as High Eden
• 1972: Barossa Australia's date for Australia's first cool-climate Chardonnay vineyard, planted in High Eden; Wine Australia dates South Australia's first commercial Chardonnay vineyards, at Mountadam, to 1973
• 2001: High Eden entered in the Register of Protected Names on 28 August
• 2015: David and Jenni Brown purchase the Treasury Wine Estates High Eden vineyard, including 67 hectares of vineyard

The variety picture covers Eden Valley as a whole, where the main varieties grown are Riesling, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Riesling is the most important white grape of the region, and the wines tend to show strong lime juice aromas and great intensity of flavour on the palate, with marmalade and toasty nuances appearing as they age. Shiraz ranks as the most important red grape; the wines rarely show the spicy and peppery characters of cool climate Shiraz from other parts of southern Australia, tending instead to plum and blackberry fruit with touches of liquorice and gamey, forest characters. Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards around the Eden Valley village contrasts with wine from higher, cooler sites, which have more elegant undertones of green leaf and dark berry characters. Eden Valley's higher elevation and rocky soils tend to give Chardonnay with crisp acidity, citrus zest and flinty minerality, in a more restrained and refined style. Mountadam's shop lists a High Eden Range, and three of its current wines carry the High Eden name: the 2025 Mountadam High Eden Estate Chardonnay and the 2022 Mountadam High Eden 'Walter' and 'Milton'.

• Eden Valley main varieties: Riesling, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon
• Riesling: strong lime juice aromas, with marmalade and toasty nuances as the wines age
• Chardonnay: crisp acidity, citrus zest and flinty minerality from Eden Valley's elevation and rocky soils
• Cabernet Sauvignon from higher, cooler Eden Valley sites: green leaf and dark berry undertones

Primary sources (Wine Australia and its GI register, Barossa Australia at barossa.com, and the Mountadam website for Mountadam's own vineyards and wines): https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/geographical-indicators/labelling-gi-high-eden, https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/geographical-indicators/labelling-gi-eden-valley, https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/regions-and-varieties/south-australia-wines/eden-valley, https://www.barossa.com/about/geographical-indication-zone/, https://www.barossa.com/wine/varieties/chardonnay/, https://www.barossa.com/visit/towns/flaxman-valley/, https://www.mountadam.com.au/about/about-mountadam/, https://www.mountadam.com.au/about/family-story/, https://www.mountadam.com.au/shop/. Last verified 2026-10-05.