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Adelaide Hills Wine

Overview

Quick Guide: Adelaide Hills Best Producers
Buying Guide: Top Wines of Adelaide Hills
Wine Ratings

Australian Wine

Regional Guides

Varietal Guides

Wine Style Guides

Another of Australia's late blooming wine regions, the winemaking history of the Adelaide Hills actually goes back to 1839.

Experiencing its first great wine boom in the 1870's, it was not long after that the public moved on from the cool region, looking much more enthusiastically to warmer regions which could satisfy their taste for powerful fortified wines. It was not until the last thirty or so years that viticulture was revived in the Adelaide Hills, thanks to the pioneering influence of winemakers such as Shaw and Smith, and Brian Croser of the Petaluma Winery. Their persistence eventually culminated in a style that today is considered a classic by both the Australian and non-Australian wine drinking public.

Adelaide Hills Wine Country

Lenswood Vineyards in Adelaide Hills -

Photo Courtesy of Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation

Located in the Mt Lofty Ranges thirty minutes drive from Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills forms a narrow corridor which offers a wide diversity of vineyard sites. Due to its altitude, the region is significantly cooler than the more traditional regions of the Barossa Valley and Mclaren Vale—which means that its cool, dry summer and autumn ripening conditions can produce grapes with ideal fruit composition. In terms of concentration, spectrum of flavor and natural acidity, its wines are wholly unique and distinct from its more famous neighbors. It is no surprise that both Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are its stars—which at at their best bring forth juicy, succulent, passion fruit and citrus flavors. They have a mouthfilling, zippy bite, and are great young wines that can be enjoyed usually immediately on release. But Shiraz, Riesling and Pinot Noir are equally impressive, although careful site selection and yield management are essential.

Quick Pick Guide: The Best Producers of the Adelaide Hills

Longview, Shaw and Smith,

Henschke, Nepenthe

Top Adelaide Hills Wines

Longview Block 3 Shiraz $50

Grapes: 100% Shiraz

Description: Rich, ripe, dark fruit flavors one would hope for with an Australian Shiraz. Deep tint of purple, and fragrant of toasted oak, purple flowers, and blueberry. A softer, but complex Shiraz.

Comment: The fruit for this wine is hand picked from the best parcels on the property, chosen at each vintage. Aged in French oak for 22 months prior to bottling.

Food pairing: grilled meats | earthy entrees | risottos | duck longview-yakka-shiraz-adelaide-hills

When to drink: Drink after 4 years, keep up to 12 years

Service temperature: 18°C | 64°F

Longview Yakka Shiraz $19

Grapes: 100% Shiraz

Description: Stunning brick red color, with rich, spicy aromas of red berries and Shiraz pepper.Underlying textures of dark cherry and currant, with toasted oak aromas.

Comment: The fruit for this wine is sourced from the fantastic Longview vineyard at Macclesfield. Harvest is hand picked and aged 10 months in French oak.

Food pairing: grilled meats | earthy entrees | risottos | duck

When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 10 years

Service temperature: 18°C | 64°F

nepenthe-tryst-white-blend-adelaide-hills

Nepenthe Tryst White Blend $10

Grapes: 68% Sauvignon Blanc, 27% Semillon, 5% Pinot Gris

Description: Pale yellow with grassy green glints, the medium body of the wine is mouthfilling and smooth. Flavors of tropical fruit, complemented by tangy grapefruit and other citrus gives it a fresh, sharp bite.

Comment: Structured primarily around Sauvignon Blanc, which is to many people the benchmark grape for the Adelaide Hills. The addition of Pinot Gris and Semillon provides a nice texture and a nepenthe-pinot-noir-the-good-doctor-adelaide-hills spice that makes the finish pleasing and long.

Food pairing: seafood | thai | antipasto | white meats

When to drink: Drink young

Service temperature: 8°C | 45°F

Nepenthe Pinot Noir: the Good Doctor $24

Grapes: 100% Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

Description: Light to medium red with bright crimson tints, this is a fine, structured Pinot Noir. Very light oaking (the barrels they use range in age from 1-5 years) gives a gentle complexity to the flavors of strawberry and plum.

Comment: Named for the patriarch of Nepenthe, Dr. Ed Twedell, this Pinot Noir shines in the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills. The harvest is entirely hand picked, and then fermented with its skins for 10 to 20 days. Aged in barrels of 10 months prior to bottling.

Food pairing: earthy entrees | rich poultry | veal

When to drink: Drink young, or keep between 5-7 years

Service temperature: 15°C | 59°F

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On the Market: Adelaide Hills Wine

$11-$20

$21-$30

$31+

91 Longview Devils Elbow Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills $20

90 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $19

90 Longview Red Bucket Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaide Hills $15

90 Amadio Shiraz Adelaide Hills $16

89 Nepenthe Tryst Cabernet Sauvignon- Tempranillo- Zinfandel Red Blend Adelaide Hills $15

89 Longview Blue Cow Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $18

89 Groom Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $18

88 Pike & Joyce Lenswood Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $20

88 Longview Whippet Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $18

88 Longview Iron Knob Single Vineyard Riesling Adelaide Hills $18

88 Craneford Viognier Adelaide Hills $17 87 Wagtail Riesling Adelaide Hills $10

87 Silverwing Riesling Adelaide Hills $1387 Nepenthe Unoaked Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $16

87 Longview Beau Sea Viognier Adelaide Hills $20

87 Hahndorf Hill Winery Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $19

87 Angove's Vineyard Select Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $19

86 Coriole (McLaren Vale-Adelaide Hills) Semillon- Sauvignon Blanc

86 3 Hills High Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $18

85 Starvedog Lane No Oak Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $15

85 Red Bucket Semillon- Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $13

84 Bird in Hand Two in the Bush Semillon- Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $16

90 Longview Yakka Shiraz- Viognier Adelaide Hills $19

90 The Colonial Estate Évangéliste Reserve Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $30

90 Henschke Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $27

89 Henschke Innes Vineyard Littlehampton Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris Adelaide Hills $30

89 The Lane Estate Grown Viognier Adelaide Hills $30

89 The Colonial Estate L'eclaireur Sauvignon Blanc Adelaide Hills $25

88 Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $21

88 Shaw and Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $30

89 Henschke Little Hamptons Innes Vineyard Pinot Gris Adelaide Hills $30

89 Off the Leash Shiraz-Viognier Adelaide Hills $23

94 Longview Block 3 Shiraz Adelaide Hills $55

92 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $65

89 Shaw and Smith Shiraz Adelaide Hills $31

89 Henschke Lenswood Croft Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $45