South Australia, a state in the southern central part of Australia, plays a vital role in the country’s wine industry. Well-known wine regions, including , McLaren Vale, and Adelaide Hills, reside within the state. Its capital city, Adelaide, is one of the world’s Great Wine Capitals, a global network of the ten finest winery tourism regions worldwide.
South Australia has been producing wine since the early 1840s. According to the South Australia Wine Industry Association, “Eight of Australia’s 13 oldest wine companies or continuously operating brands are South Australian. Established between 1841 and 1853, they include the household names of Penfolds, Orlando, Seppeltsfield, and Yalumba.”
There are eighteen sub-wine regions within South Australia. Some are close enough to Adelaide that visitors can easily hit two or three over a long weekend. And while most visitors will want to head to the iconic Barossa Valley, I recommend visiting Adelaide Hills for at least one of your tours. This bucolic wine region is easily accessible from Adelaide and, in my opinion, one of the prettiest.
Adelaide Hills History
Adelaide Hills is distinctly different from Barossa Valley. Lush greenery, steep slopes, and a cool climate define it. Some of the finest Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz grow within the Adelaide Hills.
Although European settlers planted grapes as early as 1840, Adelaide Hills’ modern wine industry did not develop until the late 1970s. The resurgence began when Brian and Ann Croser established Petaluma Wines. Brian had just received his master’s in viticulture and oenology at UC Davis in California. When he and Ann returned to Australia, they planted Chardonnay and named their winery after the town of Petaluma in Sonoma County.
Petaluma Wines remains in operation today, along with almost 60 other wineries. While Adelaide Hills boasts some well-known wineries, many remain boutique, family-owned operations.
Trail Hopper Tour
My husband Gary and I chose the Hahndorf and Adelaide Hills Trail Hopper Tour to visit Adelaide Hills. This casual “hop on, hop off” bus lets guests pick from ten wineries on a loop, including a drop-off at the famous German town of Hahndorf. The bus departs from Adelaide at 10:00 am and arrives at the first drop-off spot at 10:55 am. It makes a continuous loop about every hour. Several wineries offer food, so plan your trip to include lunch. A well-planned tour allows guests to visit up to four wineries daily. We visited three wineries and a final stop at Hahndorf. The bus’s last pickup is in Hahndorf at 4:20, with a return to the city by 5:00 pm.
While all ten wineries on the Adelaide Hills Hopper Tour loop come highly recommended, we narrowed our choices down to Nepenthe, Bird in Hand, and the winery that pioneered the region, Petaluma.
Nepenthe
Like many of the wineries in Adelaide Hills, Nepenthe looks out over gorgeous rolling hills covered in lush grapevines. To the south, cattle casually graze on the green hilltops, oblivious to the nearby tasting room and visitors. The weather in Adelaide Hills in the summer is ideal – sunny and warm, but not too hot.
Nepenthe offers a guided tasting of whites and reds for $15 AUD per person. They also provide the Nepenthe Flight, which includes four glasses of their most well-known wines for $25.00 AUD per person. We chose the guided tasting led by our knowledgeable wine server, Alice. It includes three whites and one red, but Alice provided some bonus samples, too.
We ordered a charcuterie board overflowing with salami, pastrami, dehydrated pear slices, olives, brie cheese, white cheddar, quince paste, sweet pickles, and crackers.
The Chardonnay, aged ten months in French oak barrels, offered a buttery mouthfeel with bright nectarine and spice notes. The Pinot Gris was more fruit-forward with a dry finish. The Pinot Noir, which the winery occasionally serves chilled, had a herbaceous backbone with notes of Eucalyptus from nearby trees. A cool-climate Shiraz aged 16 months in French Oak barrels offered fresh fruit flavors compared to the deeper, lusher flavors from the Barossa Valley. Our server, Alice, says the winemaker determines when to pick the Shiraz grapes by tasting them instead of measuring the Brix levels.
Open daily 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The tasting fee per person is waived with one bottle purchase.
Bird in Hand
Bird in Hand started as a dairy farm. Today, it’s a bustling, popular winery with an onsite restaurant. Inside the cool cellar door, tastings take place on rustic wooden tables. The cement floors below are covered with jute rugs. Wooden wine barrels stacked three rows high surround the room. Outside, shaded picnic tables overlooking the vineyards provide a lovely setting for outdoor wine tasting.
Adelaide Hills is known for Sauvignon Blanc, and Bird in Hand produces an excellent one. Harvest occurs around the end of February or early March (Australia’s fall season is opposite of the Northern Hemisphere). The grapes are picked in the middle of the night to prevent oxidation. The Bird in Hand Sauvignon is quite distinct from other Australian Sauvignon Blancs. It almost matches the flavor profile of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Think notes of grapefruit and fresh green apple with a dry finish and subtle citrus acidity.
As does Shiraz, Syrah grows well in Australia, and Bird in Hand produces both. Syrah has white pepper in the nose, while Shiraz has more black pepper aromas. Bird in Hand uses whole berry fermentation with its Syrah. It is aged 16 months in French oak. The resulting wine is bright in color. Its aromatics include blackberry, violet, dried herb, and white pepper. Its silky, slightly chalky tannins and bright acidity give it structure and ageability.
The Bird in Hand Chardonnay is a cool climate version with intense white peach, honey spice, and hazelnut aromas. It offers flavors of nectarine, toasted cashew, and subtle oak spice. It spends nine months in French oak.
Flights start at $20 AUD per person. Open daily from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, except Christmas.
Bird in Hand’s Onsite Restaurant
The onsite restaurant, LVN, is a new dining option at Bird in Hand. Named after the owners’ daughter, Lalla Victoria Nugent, it is open for lunch Friday through Sunday. The menu features seven to ten dishes for a fixed price of $195 AUD per person. An optional wine pairing of $95 AUD per person is available. Management recommends allowing three hours for this delicious, indulgent dining experience.
Petaluma Wines – Adelaide Hills Oldest Winery
Petaluma’s cellar door is a converted farmstead with a modern, elegant interior. Its outdoor tasting area features shaded seating, overlooking the estate Chardonnay vineyards in the Piccadilly Valley below. In addition to their estate wine, Petaluma sources grapes from other wine regions, including the Clare Valley, Mt. Barker, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra, and Tasmania.
The winery produces six different labels, including a line of sparkling wine. Petaluma offers several wine-tasting experiences featuring wines from distinguished vineyards, all Riesling varieties, its sparkling line of wines, and more. Gary ordered the Pinot tasting, and I ordered the Chardonnay tasting to sample two of our favorite varietals, allowing us to sample ten wines from all six labels.
The Eddystone Point Chardonnay comes from the Coal Valley in Tasmania. A bright and balanced wine, the Eddystone Point Chardonnay offers fresh white peach and lemon curd notes. Malolactic fermentation provides it with a fuller, rounder mouthfeel.
The Petaluma Second Blooming from the Limestone Coast was a favorite from the Pinot Noir tasting. The blend, made with minimal processing, is vibrant in the glass and reflects the nuances of the vineyard on the Limestone Coast.
In addition to a wide array of lovely wines, Petaluma offers complimentary small bites to pair with its tastings. With stunning views and relaxed outdoor seating, spending an afternoon at this wine pioneer in Adelaide Hills is easy.
Flights start at $20 AUD per person. Open daily from 11:00 am – 4:30 pm, except major holidays.
Adelaide Hills is Easy to Access
Adelaide Hills features some of South Australia’s most prized and significant vineyards, distinctive global wineries, and iconic cellars, all easily accessible from the city. If you choose to visit, you’ll be rewarded with superb wineries and cellar-door experiences around this unique wine-making region.
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