In the Barossa Valley, rows of luscious emerald vines stretch into the distance, lapping against the base of rolling golden hills.

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Michael Twelftree of Two Hands Wines in the Barossa Valley is one of the "survivors" of that dark period.

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The big red-grape-growing regions of South Australia, such as Coonawarra and the Barossa Valley, get enough sun and heat to ripen the fruit every year.

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The next stop was wine country, the Barossa Valley, an hour outside of Adelaide, where Jim and Helen Carreker, Americans who decamped from a life in Silicon Valley, opened The Louise, a gourmet restaurant with rooms.

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