Adelaide Hills

Altitude and attitude

The wines from Adelaide Hills are shaped by the coolness of the region’s altitude, its changing seasons and the skill and passion of its winemakers. There were vines planted in the Adelaide Hills as early as the 1870s but due to the challenges of cool-climate viticulture in those early days, most vines were removed by the 1930s. The rebirth of the Adelaide Hills region started in 1970s and gained pace with the rise in popularity of cool climate wines in the 1980s and 1990s.

The cooler climate defines the Adelaide Hills and provides them with a distinctive point of difference to other South Australian regions that has allowed it to spearhead the evolution of Australian wine in recent years. Its winemaking evolution continues to this day, and it is now a hotbed of creativity; home to bold, boundary-pushing grape growers and winemakers.

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The rebirth of the area as a wine region began with winemaker Brian Croser and his family planting Chardonnay in the region in 1979. Brian had identified the potential of the region as one of the best places in Australia to plant cool climate loving varieties.  He was soon joined by other Australian wine pioneers including Stephen George at Ashton Hills, Geoff Weaver in Lenswood and Michael Hill Smith and Martin Shaw at Shaw and Smith. Today there are around 100 producers in Adelaide Hills who have planted over 4,000 hectares of vines between them.

While still a young wine region, the Adelaide Hills has been acclaimed around the world for many years for wonderful expressions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. The region has played a vital part in the evolution of Australian wine and is itself constantly evolving. Emerging varieties are finding a home in the Hills and it is home to cutting-edge winemakers pushing the boundaries and expanding the possibilities for fine Australian wine.

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