7 Can't-Miss Wineries to Add to Your Adelaide Hills Itinerary
Editor’s note: Our intrepid Australian contributor takes us to the best cellar doors, aka wine tasting rooms all over the country. Her first story for us was about the cellar doors of Margaret River.
Mt Lofty Ranges vineyard and tasting photo credit South Australian Tourism Commission
Adelaide Hills is often overlooked by its more well-known and popular border mates, McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley. Although set in the lush surrounds of Mount Lofty Ranges and a mere 15-minute drive from Adelaide City, Adelaide Hills is just as impressive, with award-winning cellar doors and hatted restaurants at the doorstep.
There are over 40 cellar doors to explore and a smorgasbord of food to hunt down. Spend the day winding down leafy lanes and stopping into charming German towns like Hahndorf and Stirling for a bite and to soak up the fairy tale lands. Then begin your wine journey, following the Epicurean Way to crispy cool climate classics, from vines planted in 1839. Here, you will find some of the best white wines in Australia, including vegan and organic wines to varietals like sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. The region is also well known for its historic pubs (including one with a 4,000-bottle floor-to-ceiling wine cellar), be sure to stop into a few on your way through our edit of the seven best wineries in Adelaide Hills.
Hahndorf Hill Winery is located on the fringe of historic Hahndorf village, the oldest-surviving German settlement in Australia. This vineyard produced South Australia’s first Grüner Veltliner wine in 2010 and makes four different styles of wine from this variety today. The most notable is the Hahndorf Hill Blueblood Blaufrankisch 2019, which won a double gold medal in the Melbourne International Wine Competition 2022.
The wine features a delicious blue-black fruit with vibrant acidity. With their abundance of fine, gentle tannin and natural acidity, these wines age well, with the best vintages showing great elegance and tertiary complexity after 10-15 years of bottle maturation. Grab a seat at the cellar door for a tasting paired with chocolates or even ice cream and views of the vineyard.
Heirloom Vineyards are makers of riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot grigio—the list goes on. But what people don’t realize is Heirloom Vineyards came from love. When a young winemaking student caught the eye of a silly old wine judge, a love story ensued inspired by two vows: To preserve the best of tradition, the old world of wine and unique old vineyards and to champion the best clones of each variety planted in the most appropriate sites embracing the principals of organic farming.
Today, the vineyard is thriving, claiming several awards in the Melbourne International Wine Competition 2022, including taking home double gold for its McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
Sidewood Estate
Sidewood Estate is Adelaide Hill’s largest certified sustainable winery and produces some of the highest-quality wines in the world. The accolades are endless, but the commitment to the best environmental practices makes Sidewood stand out from the crowd. Book an interactive tasting in the makeshift cellar door; an upcycled apple shed transformed into a luxurious tasting room, lounge, wine bar, and private dining room.
The on-site restaurant is a highlight, serving Australiasian cuisine paired with their best wines, including the award-winning Sidewood Stablemate Shiraz 2021 and Sidewood Estate Pinot Noir 2021, which were both acknowledged at the Melbourne International Wine Competition 2022.
While you’re there, tackle lawn bowls or learn the art of Sabrage. There are luxury day beds for hire and a nature play family zone.
Shaw + Smith
No visit to the hills is complete without a stop at Shaw + Smith. The winery was just awarded Best Tasting Experience by Gourmet Traveller 2021, and we can see why. The Balhannah Tasting Room sits inside a modern, slick design building overlooking Mount Lofty Ranges. It’s only $25 per person for a wine flight, or take it up a notch and add a vineyard and winery tour, followed by a taste of local produce.
Shaw + Smith began over a long lunch in 1989 when cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith decided they wanted to make wine together. Today, they’re most known for their sauvignon blanc, M3 Chardonnay, and cool climate shiraz and pinot noir.
Mount lofty ranges. Photo credit South Australian Tourism Commission
For the best views in town, no one else has one quite like Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyards. The cottage-like restaurant commands views of deep-sloping valleys lined with rows of vines and is a popular spot for weddings. Although, the wines are the real star of the show. Established in 1992, the vineyards sit on a sandy clay loam with a rock base of quartz, sandstone, and ironstone. The minerality of this terroir is magic for sauvignon blanc, riesling, chardonnay, and pinot noir grapes.
In summer, sit on the deck and soak up the rays and wines by the glass. The Mount Lofty Ranges wine list boasts 19 wines, seven of which are rated 93 points or higher by acclaimed critic James Halliday’s Wine Companion.
Bird in hand winery. Photo credit Meaghan Coles
Bird in Hand is an up-and-coming name in the hills geared toward sustainability. The family-run business looks at the future, using what they have on the property to grow and make its wines with as little chemical intervention as possible. Gentle methods such as clone selection allow a subtlety that wasn’t present in the wine region before. Their award-winning Bird in Hand Chardonnay is an example of how they select Burgundian plants that thrive naturally in conditions similar to the hills: the result is a soft, creamy mouth-filling wild fermentation.
Chardonnay and sauvignon blanc is certainly the most prized wine to come out of Bird in Hand, but you will find an extensive wine list that includes riesling, merlot, nero d’Avola, pinot gris (vegan friendly), pinot nero rose, a dry rose, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, a sparkling pinot, and Montepulciano.
Sometimes, a visit to a winery is more about the experience than the wine. At Golding Wines, visitors will find the best winery experience in the Adelaide Hills. What makes it the best? Imagine a self-guided picnic, where you can pick up a basket loaded with wine and food and wander the trestles until you come across human-sized nests looking over the hills. You climb into the nest with your friends and sip your way through the wine portfolio. Furthermore, one of the premium nests comes with a dedicated concierge to attend to your every whim.
Golding Wines produces quality and delicious drops, including sauvignon blanc, rose, chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot gris. A superb sparkling is also a must-try on your next visit.