Beat those Hills chills

AN award-winning winery just outside Adelaide at Chain of Ponds prives the perfect winter refuge for Brad Crouch.

Tranquility views ... looking out the back door from the Vineyard Cottage at the Chain of Ponds winery in the Adelaide Hills

AMONG the romantically named locations scattered through South Australia, Chain of Ponds would have to be one of the most poetic.

There are ponds indeed as you wind your way through the Adelaide Hills towards Gumeracha, the road snaking its way around hills past farmland, forests, vineyards, reservoirs and the Torrens River.

Take the Torrens Scenic Drive or Gorge Scenic Drive, past hamlets such as Inglewood with its pub and general store, but drive carefully as you take in the sights – the roads are narrow, with hairpin bends.

About 40 minutes from Adelaide, just outside Gumeracha, is the multi-award winning Chain of Ponds Winery.

Set amid beautiful mature gardens and lawns with views of gum trees, 80ha of vines and across to nearby hills, this is a little gem.

Drive up its long driveway flanked by a row of stately pencil pines and you come to the tasting room with its long wooden bar set on a hill.

This boutique winery has its classic Hills varieties such as sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, but also Italian varietals such as pinot grigio, sangiovese and nebbiolo.

The Italian influence continues in the balcony restaurant, Cafe Novello.

Open for lunch on weekends, it is a great place to relax, take in the views and sample some wines with meals such as linguini marinara, or an antipasto platter with marinated octopus, artichokes, mushrooms, sliced meats and much more.

With winter bringing its chills to the Hills, on cooler days the transparent plastic blinds and heaters make the balcony restaurant cosy without spoiling the view.

If you really want to settle in, Chain of Ponds has a romantic stone cottage available as a B&B.

The Vineyard Cottage – separate from the winery – wins you over as soon as it comes into sight. Dating to the 1880s with tin roof, high ceilings and bullnose veranda, it sits graciously among the gardens, oozing character.

After an afternoon tucking into antipasto, salt and pepper squid and tasting a few of the wines, the thought of strolling across to the cottage with my wife was much more appealing than driving to town.

Inside, the cottage is a mix of heritage with the mod cons that make a stay memorable – two-person spa, TV, stereo, kitchen, board games and even a guide to bushwalks. The large open fire was soon roaring with the logs provided, and the cosy lounge room became a retreat from the winter chills.

While dinner is not provided, pubs at nearby towns such as Gumeracha, Lobethal and Birdwood do meals or you can cook your own.

The next morning, it was a pleasure to wake up to the views across the veranda and gardens, through a row of healthy orange trees laden with fruit, to the lush hillsides of vines and gum trees.

Also a pleasure was opening the refrigerator and finding breakfast provisions including bacon and eggs, orange juice, milk, bread, butter and mineral water, plus a range of Beerenberg jams, cereals, coffee and teas on the sideboard.

While the clean air of the Hills was a little too crisp to eat breakfast at the outdoor setting, it was a delight to tuck into a hearty breakfast at the large, farm-style dining table while taking in the views.

The cottage works well as a base to explore the Hills or to wander farther afield to the Barossa.

Then again, with its tasting room, restaurant, petanque lawn, gardens and cottage, Chain of Ponds Winery is a destination on its own.

Sunday Mail (QLD)