It is drained by the North Para River and named after a Spanish locality by Colonel William Light, who designed Adelaide and my town of Gawler. In 1838 the first Silesian Lutherans settled at Bethany, which is East of Tanunda. Vines were grown from 1847. Reliable winter rains of about 20 inches and dry sunny summers, fairly poor soils suiting the vines, added to local skills, persistence and hard work lie behind this unique landscape.
Small hamlets cluster round the churches amid intensively used land.
The principal towns are Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston. I drive and that enables them to taste the local wines without the risk of being caught by the breathalyser. It is a very pleasant drive as in the winter although the vines are pruned and bare, the surrounding hills are green and in the hot months, the vines are green and the hills are desolate. Gwen and I spent many years picking grapes for a friend and we solved all the World's problems in the vineyards. Very hard work in those days, but now with the mechanical harvesters, things are much easier for the grape grower.