Our resident Adelaide Hills buff breaks down the tastiest wines this region has to offer.
With world-famous regions like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale calling South Australia home, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Adelaide Hills might struggle to distinguish itself. The good news? You couldn’t be further from the truth. Think of the Hills as the cool cousin of the family – it’s unmistakably South Australian, but a little out there and willing to push the boundaries. There’s no doubt it offers something completely different to the other regions. This is why we spoke with Kathy Gertau, one of our Adelaide-based Wine Merchants, about what makes it so great. Apart from being a total wine buff, she’s also lived in the Hills for years, making her the perfect person to talk us through which wines give a real taste of the region.
“It’s a fantastic region and only 30 minutes from the city centre, so you can either do a day trip or stay overnight,” says Kathy. “And the wineries here are more boutique than, say, the Barossa or McLaren Vale. We have so many small, boutique wineries that offer unique styles and flavours alongside real family hospitality and a personal touch. You’ll probably still see the winemakers serving you at the cellar door, which is really lovely.”
The Adelaide Hills is a young region, but one that’s prepared to explore alternative varieties and styles to produce some truly unique wines. You may have heard that it’s leading the way in natural, lo-fi wines, but don’t let that take away from how well it does the classics, too. And according to Kathy, the pick of the bunch are sauvignon blanc, sparkling wines, chardonnay and pinot noir.
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Not your average sauvignon blanc
“Compared to New Zealand's wines, sauvignon blanc from the Adelaide Hills is really quite different,” says Kathy. “They're much crisper, and more understated, with really pretty aromatics. It's an elegant, subtle and fruity style with a little bit of acid.”
These wines are a far cry from those daggy white wines your mum and aunties used to drink. Think of it like chardonnay, which is enjoying a renaissance in Australia thanks to a complete switch-up of the style. And the Adelaide Hills? It’s leading the charge when it comes to sauvignon blanc. Kathy’s picks include examples from pioneering producers like Shaw+Smith, Pike & Joyce and Sidewood, but she makes special mention of Tim Knappstein’s 'Riposte'. “A portion of it goes in oak for a little while, though it's not written anywhere, which adds a bit of complexity and texture to the minerality. Just a completely different style to New Zealand, really, and one that's very pretty and restrained.”
The Adelaide Hills is a highly regarded region for sparkling wines. “We've got a lovely cool climate and high altitude, and there are so many microclimates due to the steep hills,” says Kathy. “The region produces some really unique wines, picking chardonnay and pinot noir quite early to make those gorgeous sparkling bases.” And given the range of climates and producers, you’ll find that the Adelaide Hills has a sparkling to suit every occasion. Sunday afternoon with girls? Check. Proposing to the love of your life? Check. Weddings, birthdays and weekend brunches? Check, check and check.
“We’re spoilt for choice and each winery does things slightly differently, making them unique in their own right and very inviting,” says Kathy. For classically inspired fizz, the Sidewood Adelaide Hills Sparkling NV is hard to pass up. Made using the traditional varieties and methods of Champagne, it’s a little bit of luxury in our own backyard. And if you’re looking for something a little less traditional, Kathy says Sidewood’s Isabella Sparkling Rosé may just be the thing. “It’s a bit pink and made in the proper Méthode Champenoise, meaning it has spent a while on yeast lees to add those wonderful toasted brioche notes.”
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New-wave styles of chardonnay
Love chardonnay? Then you'll love the Adelaide Hills. And we’re not talking about the buttery, overpowering chardonnay of yesteryear either, the kind of wine immortalised as ‘card-onnay’ in Kath & Kim. Instead, the Hills focuses on elegant wines that showcase fruit flavours.
“The region has amazing fruit and the wines tend to be made in more of a new-wave style," says Kathy. “They’re a little leaner on oak and generally have a really good acid structure. As a young wine, they show white peach, nectarine and fresh blossoms, which is really appealing because it’s very different to that big, oaked style of chardonnay.”
When it comes to wineries, Kathy recommends both Paracombe and Tomich Wines, who produce some stellar examples of chardonnay with a bit of oak and complexity. If you’re after something with touches of zest and minerality as well as some rounder fruit, Petaluma walks this tightrope beautifully. “Though you can’t go past Shaw + Smith's M3,” Kathy says, “which is more oak-dominated and beautifully structured.” It can also be cellared for a long time, so feel free to put a few bottles away for a special occasion (or not) down the track.
Many wineries in the Hills are capable of crafting a memorable pinot noir, though for Kathy, Tim Knappstein and his Riposte Wines is the first name that comes to mind. “He won’t like me saying this, but Tim has been making pinot noir for probably 50 years now,” she says. “He has this one style that’s unoaked, The Dagger, which is a really vibrant wine and all about the berries. You can just pop it in the fridge before serving and it’s delightful in the summer, retaining a bit of acid while being nice and cleansing, with this beautiful fruit profile.”
Simply put, pinot noir from the Adelaide Hills really is a beautiful wine. Two other great examples come from XO Wine Co and Paracombe, both of which have all the hallmarks of pinot from the Hills; we’re talking these incredible aromatics of raspberry and strawberry with just the right amount of spice. They’re wines that will happily sit front and centre at your next dinner party, but they’re equally at home in more informal situations, like an afternoon porch session or a cruisy long lunch (pass the duck, please). Trust us, you’ll never regret an Adelaide Hills pinot. Or any of Kathy’s picks from the Adelaide Hills, for that matter.
