ADELAIDE HILLS
TONY LOVE AND CYNDAL PETTY
There is a lot to love about the Adelaide Hills, with its ever-winding landscapes, high points, and twisting, turning valleys, east to west, north and south. And, of course, the wines that result from an unlimited array of aspects, altitudes, rolling country, and inevitable rise and fall slopes. It is increasingly a region of the sum of its parts, then much, much more. Stretching for around 80 km from its northern borders with the Barossa to the south-west corners where it closes in on McLaren Vale, then further south again, where yet another unique tempering influence comes from the Great Southern Ocean, it defies any simplistic definitions apart from the generally accepted notion that it is one of Australia’s more celebrated cool-climate regions. Even within that overarching theme, the variations in growing conditions, the orientations of vineyards, and the disparate meso-climatic influences are what make the Hills an extraordinarily complex wine region – and with that comes a progressive and exciting community of producers who have learned their land and dug deeply into their multiple and individual terroirs. It is a region of many places, stories, and wine styles that reflect their country as well as embracing a modernism unfettered by stifling historic anchors. Varieties that thrive in cooler climates are celebrated: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both in elite still and sparkling forms, lead an impressive selection, especially from the two smaller official GI regions within the greater Hills area, Piccadilly Valley and Lenswood. But not exclusively, as specific sites across the wider region continue to be revealed with vineyard maturity and deeper viticultural insights. An unfolding catalogue of wine styles marks the timeline of the Hills’ story. Once the most popular hero, Sauvignon Blanc remains an important commercial indicator. Pinot Gris/Grigio now has taken up a similar mantle. Chardonnay has risen to new heights in the past few years and is the supreme white variety when considering our annual tasting. Pinot Noir remains a serious ambassador in the red department, while many producers are striving to carve a more elegant regional statement with Shiraz, often labelled “Syrah” to differentiate it from more robust, warmer regional examples. Now, too, Gamay has become the next big thing, with plantings on the rise while
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The Vintage Journal
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