The Adelaide Hills is South Australia's best-kept wine secret

South Australians have been keeping this region to themselves - but that's all beginning to change.

Packing for a trip to the Adelaide Hills, I dither over what to bring for the weather forecast, filling my bag with just-in-cases. My wine-loving friend, though, nails it. She arrives toting an empty suitcase.

We arrive during a late-spring cold snap. It’s 15C in Adelaide, but on the half-hour drive to the Adelaide Hills, the dashboard shows the temperature plummet to a chilly five degrees. If the sudden drop doesn’t demonstrate the “cool climate” nature of this wine region, the hail that arrives as we enter Nepenthe Wines certainly does.

Happily, we’re able to take shelter in Nepenthe’s recently opened cellar door, a state-of-the-art facility designed to showcase the best of the region, its wine and natural beauty. As the hail clears, that beauty is evident through floor-to-ceiling windows. They look out to a huge gum tree – the centrepiece of the picnic lawn and occasional koala hide-out – along with a backdrop of rolling hills, and vines that only hint at the depth of the 20ha property.

It’s such a picturesque scene that cellar door manager Ashlee Hood says the main room is now referred to as “the gallery”. “Our artwork is the view,” she says. “We want to try to showcase the surrounds as much as possible.”

Overlooking the lawn and vines at Nepenthe Wines.

Besides the view, sustainability and innovation are key here. It’s the first industrial property in South Australia to use Boral’s eco-friendly Envirocrete on the floors, and there’s an emission-free bioethanol fireplace (to avoid smells affecting wine tasting).

Soon we’re fully immersed in the wines that set Nepenthe and the Adelaide Hills apart. Immersed, because in the Apex tasting room the walls are painted with a deep pinot noir shade, designed to make you feel as though you’re floating in a wine barrel. Once the original vineyard shed, it’s now the location for our guided wine-tasting experience with Nepenthe winemaker James Evers.

The Apex Room at Nepenthe Wines.

In many ways, Nepenthe reflects the experience of the Adelaide Hills as a whole – it’s an Adelaide secret.

James says Nepenthe boasts the biggest-selling sauvignon blanc and pinot in South Australia, but outside of locals in the know, it flies under the radar. More than half its sales remain in the state.

Likewise, the Adelaide Hills wine region is often overshadowed by its more famous neighbours, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. But, increasingly, the secret is getting out.

Views from The Gallery at Nepenthe Wines.

“The Hills has always been this secret that everyone in Adelaide knows about. They come up here for the weekend – they’ll have picnics on this lawn,” James says. “But the hotels have cottoned onto the Adelaide Hills now, and they’re talking it up.

“We’re starting to poke through the fog of Barossa and McLaren Vale when it comes to South Australia, and being half an hour out of town helps. People don’t realise the Adelaide Hills is, in land area, one of the biggest premium wine regions in Australia.”

The Barrel Room at Nepenthe Wines.

That size means multiple microclimates that lend themselves to varieties other than the sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir the region is best known for. The cellar door at Balhannah is one of Nepenthe’s three properties across the Hills – Hahndorf and Charleston being the others. The result is a wine list featuring lesser-known wines – from Spanish-style albariño (“It’s been killing it for us,” James says of its fan following) and Austrian grüner veltliner to reds like the Portuguese mencía and Italian nebbiolo.

View from the balcony at Sequoia Lodge.

“It’s like a winemaker’s heaven with the diversity,” James says. “It’s anything but boring – we can do anything we like... unlike the Barossa or McLaren Vale, we’re not locked into any kind of style.” His light, bright and fresh mantra shines through, and that empty suitcase fulfils its purpose, now fully laden with bottles.

We find further proof of the Adelaide Hills’ emerging popularity at Sequoia Lodge, a short drive away at Mount Lofty. It’s midweek and bustling with guests. Since opening in 2021 and claiming the title of Australia’s most accessible luxury lodge, it’s attracted A-list guests, including Sir Paul McCartney just a week before our visit.

Views from Sequoia Lodge at Mount Lofty.

Like Nepenthe – where the platter of cheese, meats and olives we enjoy is sourced entirely from the Adelaide Hills – Sequoia proudly showcases the produce of the region. Local success story Jurlique supplies the toiletries throughout; original artwork from Montacute-born Stephen Trebilcock adorns walls; and the minibar is filled with (complimentary) local produce, like water from A Rock and a Hard Place sourced from Mount Lofty, plus delicious cookies baked on site. And that’s before we hit the dégustation next door at Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant.

The hail that welcomed us to the Hills earlier has long since cleared, making way for spectacular views over the Piccadilly Valley, and Sequoia’s soothing spring-fed hot pool is just the spot to toast the sunset. We leave with suitcases full of wine anda thirst for more of the Adelaide Hills.

The writer was a guest of Nepenthe Wines.

Originally published as The Adelaide Hills is South Australia's best-kept wine secret