Why This Small Patch of the Adelaide Hills Should Be Your Next Trip

Two stellar reasons to visit this small patch of Adelaide Hills wine country.

1. Nepenthe

“My philosophy of wine is to keep it light and bright,” says winemaker James Evers of Nepenthe in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. He’s sitting on the deck overlooking the vineyard, mopping up goat’s cheese with woodfired sourdough from a generous charcuterie board. “We do excellent, juicy pinot noir and shiraz, and the grüner veltliner is a big favourite. But all the wines have that rich complexity and acidity without the heaviness.”

Looking around at the oyster sandstone, the polished timber floors and the floor-to-ceiling windows of the gallery behind him, Evers could just as easily be talking about the cellar door’s bright, light refurbishment, completed in May.

Beyond the gallery, the Apex VIP room for special events and the barrel room (which opens directly onto the lawn), the vines roll out in every direction. Afternoon sun dapples the scene and glints off a glass of zesty 2016 Apex Chardonnay – the vineyard’s best seller. There are masterclasses and tours or you can just sit back on one of the overstuffed lounge chairs and drink in the view.

2. Shaw + Smith

Some wines grow bolder and stronger as the price point creeps up but at Shaw + Smith, the premium single vineyard range is all about restraint and balance. That elegant touch carries over to the cellar door, where broad windows maximise views over a tranquil, reedlined lake. While the winemakers use oak sparingly, the venue is filled with Mid-Century blackbutt furniture and matching polished floorboards.

Look to the north and you’ll see the peaks of the Lenswood subregion, where some of the highest vineyards in the Adelaide Hills are located. Shaw + Smith produces just five varietals (be sure to try the aromatic, finely structured pinot noir and the textural chardonnay) and the menu of small plates from the cold larder is similarly pared back. Try smoked ocean trout with pickled fennel and dill or deep red slivers of Wagyu bresaola draped with pickled baby figs and semi-hard cheese.

Visit towards the end of summer and you can see vintage in full swing at the attached winery or wait until autumn and watch the sauvignon blanc vineyards out front change colours to reflect the gentle undulations of the land in stripes of crimson, green and gold.

Make it a weekend…

When you feel that warm drowsiness settle into your bones, Sequoia is just 15 minutes away from either winery. Step out onto the verandah of one of the 14 luxury suites for views over the valley below. The calming vista is available from almost every point on the property, including the hot spring pool that juts out from the mountain.