Adelaide Hills is one of Australia’s preeminent wine regions. With the many micro-climes of the innumerable vineyards dotting the crevices and crannies of AH’s steep hills, adroit winemakers are coaxing remarkable flavours and characters from this region’s fruit. While climes such as these generally produce exceptional Sav Blancs, bubbles, Chardonnays, and Pinot Noirs, one would be foolish to overlook what Adelaide Hills is also achieving with its Shirazes, Cab Savs, and more. In our recent visit to AH, we found a few Shirazes of great finesse and restrained intensity that out-Yarra the Yarra Valley for their cool climate elegance and depth of character!
‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍
Some contend Adelaide Hills is the birthplace of South Australia’s formidable wine industry. Certainly this is where Penfolds began when Dr Penfold founded “The Grange” at Magill in 1844. (His is actually a funny story – Dr Penfold believed in the medicinal quality of wine (as do we!) and essentially got his start making a sort of medicinal port that he prescribed for – you guessed it, everything 🙂
‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍
Adelaide Hills today is a vibrant and varied wine region which we find, on average, to be more innovative and experimental than the Yarra or Barossa. While you will find many of the world class wines we commonly associate with Australian cool climes, you’ll also find here some fun and funky wines and winemakers that are driving innovation in the AUS wine scene. Any serious enthusiast of AUS wines must pay a visit to this formidable region and following we offer one potential itinerary for an amazing day!