We recently changed to our summer menu at Chef Mavro restaurant, and it brought some new and interesting wines. One of the new pairings is from one of my favorite wine regions in the world, the Barossa Valley of Australia. It has long been at the top of my list of places to visit and also produces some of my favorite wines.

Barossa is about 40 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia and was settled by German immigrants in the 1840s. That cultural influence is still visible today. The wine-making in the area dates back to the mid-1800s as well.

The Barossa wine area includes the Barossa and Eden Valleys and is part of the Adelaide Super Zone. In addition to Barossa, this area includes Fleuireu and the Mount Lofty Ranges. Barossa is world-famous for its reds, mostly shiraz and cabernet or blends of the two, from the likes of powerhouse wineries such as Penfolds (established in 1844), Henschke (founded in 1861), and Yalumba (which dates back to 1849). Also, it produces whites from riesling, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc and semillion grapes.

One great thing about Barossa is that it produces wine for any taste and budget. It has huge portfolios of wines that range from light sparkling, and everyday white and red table wine to extremely high-end allocated and highly sought-after hard-to-find reds, and fortified dessert wines.

The weather is considered warm to moderate but February and March can be quite hot and stress the vines just as the grapes are ripening. This late stressing concentrates the flavors in the grapes and therefore in the wines.

An interesting note about Barossa is that it hasn't been affected by phylloxera, an insect that kills the grapevines, like many other wine-growing regions in the world. In fact, the whole South Australia wine-growing region is phylloxera-free. In the 1870s to 1890s, phylloxera nearly destroyed all the vineyards in Bordeaux but they were saved by grafting native vines to American rootstock to create a pest-resistant strain.

Because of the warm growing season, the wines of Barossa tend to be very fruit-forward, with luscious fruit flavors. If oak is used, it's in balance with the tannins, acidity and alcohol. The wines also do show some terroir, with some notes of earth and minerality, and for the most part are well balanced.

Some wines from Barossa I've seen around town are:

• Peter Lehman riesling from Eden Valley 2008. This wine has lovely citrus flowers, green apple and pear, on the nose, with hints of minerality on the palate with crisp, refreshing acidity, for around $18.

• John Duval Plexus from Barossa Valley 2006, with tons of red and black cherry, leather, brown spice and plum. This wine is youthful but will age for a while too, at around $35.

• A wine for those of you who won't let a little downturned economy get in the way of enjoying some great wines: Henschke Hill of Grace shiraz from Eden Valley. Any vintage will do. The wines are fabulous and full with ripe fruit, spice, balanced oak and tannins. Price depends on vintage but are well worth every penny.