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head for the hills It may be one of the closest wine regions to any capital city, but the pretty Adelaide Hills has plenty of country charm. Add to this incredible wine, food and cellar doors, and this is one box-ticking escape. WORDS DAVID SLY
adelaide hills
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adelaide hills
BELOW
(from top to bottom) Driving through the region’s scenic, winding roads; autumn in the hills; the inviting setting at K1 by Geoff Hardy’s cellar door. OPPOSITE
(clockwise from top left) Sidewood’s cellar door at Maximilians Restaurant; a familiar sight in the pretty vineyards; dining options abound; Hahndorf Hill Winery, set among the hills. PREVIOUS PAGE
JUN / JUL 2014
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The stunning outlook at Longview Vineyard.
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osing yourself in the Adelaide Hills is all too easy – firstly in food and wine tasting experiences, but also negotiating the region’s many winding laneways that lead visitors on a great gastronomic adventure. It’s an especially tempting allure for visitors to Adelaide. A 25-minute freeway drive south-east of the city’s centre places you among undulating hills and verdant valleys that rival the most picturesque wine districts of Europe. Swelling terrain correctly identifies this as the domain of small wineries specialising in cool-climate varieties that excel at an elevation above 600m. Unexpected delights are in store, such as the ChocoVino tasting experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery, where winemaker Larry Jacobs urges you to “try this dark chocolate with this white wine”. Strange as it may seem, the imported single-estate chocolates are highly compatible to Hahndorf Hill’s elegant pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or gruner veltliner. Being daring reaps its rewards.
The Adelaide Hills has no qualms about presenting such edgy ideas because it is still carving an identity as a relatively new food and wine tourism destination. The extremely varied, 70km-long lattice of undulating land, threaded by a string of tiny townships, has been dotted with orchards, vines and mixed farms since European settlement commenced on the Adelaide plains in 1836. However, the region’s first modern commercial vineyard was only planted in 1987 – the Tiers chardonnay vineyard at Piccadilly by Brian Croser for his famous Petaluma brand. His success in producing superior quality fruit enticed many of South Australia’s leading wine identities to plant their own vineyards in the hills. These include Stephen and Prue Henschke, former Hardys chief winemaker Geoff Weaver, and Stephen George and Tim Knappstein who both sold up in Clare to pursue their pinot dreams in Ashton (Ashton Hills Wines) and Lenswood (Riposte Wines) respectively. The notable wines they have all made over the ensuing decades proved their hunch was right, attracting
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Photography // courtesy Hahndorf Hill and Sidewood; South Australian Tourism Photography (opening page) // courtesy Longview (Randy Larcombe)
A MIXED DOZEN Here are 12 Adelaide Hills wineries for the itinerary... ArtWine
Bird in Hand
Lobethal Road Wines
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www.lobethalroad.com
A grand new cellar door tasting room, boasting a light-filled art gallery, presents a wine brand making a fist of championing new varieties fiano, graciano and tempranillo.
Ashton Hills
Consummate winemaker and pinot fanatic Stephen George presents his fabulous wines in a rustic tin shed. Entirely old school: no website, personal conversations instead.
Barratt’s Uley Vineyard
One of the Adelaide Hills’ oldest and most prestigious pinot noir vineyards, also producing outstanding chardonnay. Try them in the Barrett’s charming garden atrium tasting area adjoining the homestead.
www.barrattwines.com.au
Converting a former dairy into a sumptuous Tuscan-accented winery and hospitality complex, Bird in Hand excels across a big range of cool-climate styles, led by its elite Nest Egg series.
Deviation Road Winery
Kate Lawrie is a sparkling wine champion and her fine wines made from Adelaide Hills fruit reflect her expert training in Champagne.
www.deviationroad.com
Hahndorf Hill Winery
Beyond the ChocoVino tutored wine-with-chocolate tasting experience, the cellar door presents exciting new cool-climate varietals, including gruner veltliner and blaufrankisch.
www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au
Tiny in size, but big in stature, as a cool-climate yardstick in chardonnay and shiraz. A Best Wine of Show trophy winner at the Sydney and Adelaide Hills wine shows.
Ngeringa
The former biodynamic herb farm now produces superb wines, prepared with fastidious care by Erinn Klein, and supported by delicious paddock plates at the cellar door on weekends.
www.ngeringa.com
Protero Wines
Perfect vineyard sites make the most of ancient soils to produce outstanding fruit across a range of styles – most notably viognier, merlot and nebbiolo.
www.proterowines.com.au
Shaw + Smith
A paid tasting in the smart, modern winery will give you a flight of Shaw and Smith’s elegant wines, including older vintages, alongside a quality cheese platter.
www.shawandsmith.com
Sidewood Winery
{ at Maximilian’s Restaurant}
This tasting room beside the famed farmhouse restaurant presents wines that have recently wowed show judges – especially sauvignon blanc and shiraz, made by Natasha Mooney.
www.sidewood.com.au
The Lane Vineyard
The Edwards family has invested heavily in a gorgeous hilltop site. Outstanding chardonnay and shiraz stand out in a strong range, complemented by a gorgeous luncheon room.
www.thelane.com.au
FOR MORE details visit
www.adelaidehillswine.com.au
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WHERE TO STAY Longview Vineyards MACCLESFIELD
The stunning 80-hectare property has modern hilltop studio suites overlooking the vineyards and dam, and a restored homestead.
www.longviewvineyard.com.au
Chain of Ponds Winery GUMERACHA
Surrounded by towering gum trees, this 1880s stone cottage with four double bedrooms offers complete solitude as a private domain within the vineyard.
www.chainofponds.com.au
Mount Lofty House CRAFERS
This restored and modernised mansion has been turned into a boutique hotel with rarefied charm. The sprawling beauty of the Adelaide Botanic Garden unfolds immediately below.
www.mtloftyhouse.com.au
Adelaide Hills Country Cottages OAKBANK
Privacy in picturesque lodgings on rolling farmland and orchards defines five stone cottages through the Oakbank district owned by the Adcock family.
APR / MAY 2013
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adelaide hills
Photography // courtesy Longview (Randy Larcombe) and Adelaide Hills Cottages; South Australian Tourism
yet more smart winemakers with a penchant for quality. Among them, Michael Hill Smith, Australia’s first Master of Wine (MW), and his cousin Martin Shaw felt the allure of pinot and chardonnay, but built the strength of their impressive Shaw + Smith winery on the success of sauvignon blanc, which is ideally suited to the region. Made deliberately more austere than New Zealand interpretations, Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc has become a worthy regional signature. It’s typified by boutique producers such as Alta, made by Sarah Fletcher, and Sidewood, made by Natasha Mooney. The diversity of the landscape has promoted a great diversity of wine styles, stretching across more than 90 wine labels. An elegant interpretation of cool-climate shiraz has drawn a bead of attention to the region – especially with The Lane Vineyard winning last year’s Stoddart trophy for its 2012 Block 14 Shiraz and then Best Shiraz at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show – as have encouraging new crops of alternative
varieties, from arneis and fiano to nebbiolo and montepulciano. This has led to winemakers of particular vision basing themselves in the Adelaide Hills. Peter Leske has emerged as a champion of tempranillo through his La Linea label, while New Zealander Brendon Keys has won high praise for his distinctive, handmade BK Wines. The Hills also harbours biodynamic advocates Erinn and Janet Klein at Ngeringa vineyard, and headlinegrabbing natural wine evangelists James Erskine (Jauma Wines) and Anton Van Klopper (Lucy Margaux Vineyards). Attractive cellar door tasting rooms continue to thrive, with almost 60 locations showcasing vastly different personalities. ArtWine presents its wines in a striking, high-gabled, architecturally designed pavilion that also showcases local artists. Bird in Hand’s lavishly appointed, Tuscaninfluenced winery complex has ushered
HAHNDORF Picturesque
views from the dining and wine-tasting pavilion, built into The Lane winery, are matched by outstanding modern bistro dishes from chef James Brinklow and The Lane’s strong portfolio of cool-climate wines.
Maxamillians VERDUN The region’s
legendary farmhouse restaurant of the 1980s has been revived, with its signature chateaubriand within a strong, flexible menu built around locally sourced produce.
Giovanni Ristorante Pizzeria MOUNT BARKER
The former pizza specialist now also embraces fine dining flourishes and service under the guidance of energetic new owner Corey Ahlburg.
Talk the Walk VERDUN Ace freelance
chef Ali Seedsman has expanded her catering kitchen into a licensed cafe, with delicious daily lunch specials.
The inaugural Fresh festival was held in April as a showcase for smaller wine, cider, beer and food producers / www.howard vineyard.com
SAVE the date
WHERE TO EAT The Lane Vineyard
Crush is the Adelaide Hills’ annual winery festival, held in January. It offers wineries the chance to design events to reflect their brand personality, resulting in fashion parades, art exhibitions, concerts, banquets and parties – with wine and food / www.crushfestival.com.au
LocaVore STIRLING Sourcing all its produce from a 160km radius, the tapas and shared plate bistro LocaVore is also a home to a vast range of Adelaide Hills wines. It’s the perfect place to try unfamiliar wines in the context of smart casual dining.
Petaluma’s Bridgewater Mill BRIDGEWATER Rarified
fine dining in the restored stone flour mill, complete with operating water wheel, which doubles as a cellar door for Petaluma Wines.
its next stage of evolution with a refurbished gallery and dining space. Meanwhile, The Lane Vineyard and Petaluma’s Bridgewater Mill present fine-dining elegance within their cellar door tasting areas, celebrating food- and winematching at their source. This draws attention to a thriving local food scene intrinsically tied to wine – best exemplified by two wine and cheese tasting trails promoted by Udder Delight cheese cellar in Hahndorf. Visitors are often tempted to buy supplies for picnic hampers, easily sourced from weekly producers’ markets at Mount Barker, Lobethal and Macclesfield (also fortnightly at Meadows and Uraidla, and monthly at Stirling, Woodside and Hahndorf), or from providores including the Organic Market and Café in Stirling. Several farms also allow fruits and berries to be picked in season. To best enjoy this bounty, throw down a picnic rug within the sprawling Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and crack open a bottle you’ve discovered from one – or more – of the neighbouring cellar doors.
PICTURED OPPOSITE (clockwise from top)
The restored homestead at Longview offers accommodation; guests enjoy the atmosphere and Sunday tapas at Longview; Petaluma’s Bridgewater Mill; the strking facade of Mount Lofty House; many delights can be found at Hahndorf.
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