Get Back to the Land
The region is a gourmet producer through and through. Many of its most fertile blocks have been in the same families for generations, some dating back to when the women of Onkaparinga Valley carried their baskets of fresh produce 35km from the villages to the markets of the young capital. They’ve resisted ‘factory farming’ methods and there’s been precious little consolidation of holdings. Even in the modern world of wine, the great majority of Hills wineries are family-run businesses raising premium fruit on tiny parcels.
Upshot? This is an intimate region that retains its beauty, its traditions and its standards. So if you want to meet the grower, see the farming process or shrink the miles from paddock to plate, it might be time to reach into Adelaide’s gourmet hamper and indulge a little…
Take your pick...
Strawberries
Beerenberg means ‘Berry Hill’ in German – a nod by the Paech family to their Prussian forebears who settled in Hahndorf to farm in 1839. Plump red strawbs are ripe for the picking November to April. Green Valley Strawberries in Nairne serves up its fruit in blitzes, bowls and a proper ‘thick shake’ in their charming onsite cafe.
Cherries
Warm days and cool nights help make the Adelaide Hills one of Australia’s prime cherry growing regions. Download the map from Cherries SA and discover two dozen growers: most offer shed door sales, and half of them invite you to get among the cherry trees with a punnet or two (or three). Cherries are in season from December to mid-January.
Pears
Pick your own pears at Paracombe – and be sure to try a glass of perry. Never heard of perry? See below…
Figs
Beautiful Glen Ewin Estate in Houghton (established 1843) invites visitors to get jiggy with their figs[freshfigs.com.au/] in late autumn. As well as five varieties of figs, they have a pop-up bar among the canopies serving wine for thirsty pickers.
Apples
Lenswood has been Adelaide’s apple capital since the 1800s. @Lenswood Pick Your Own hosts apple picking from February to May – your chance to taste an apple straight off the tree!
Pork Knuckles
Chefs in Hahndorf correctly forecast three inevitabilities of winter: cold days, wet days and days when pork knuckles will sell out. What is it about this legacy from the low countries of the German-Polish border? Is it the gluey yumminess of slow-cooked pork, easing itself off a creamy-white bone? Is it the braised cabbage, the bed of mash and the litre of Hills-made weiss beer? Or is it that ultimate guilty indulgence, which only winter can sanction – the order of crispy pork skin?
I'll have what they're having...
Get some Schweinefleisch on your fork at Haus Restaurant, Hahndorf Inn, German Arms and German Spoon, all in the colourful Main Street of Australia’s oldest surviving German village.
Red Wine
The words ‘cool climate’ and ‘Adelaide Hills’ still make people think ‘white wine’ – typically Savvy Blanc and sparklings. The fact is, however, cool climate reds are totally on-trend and the Hills are up there with the best of them. Will this be the winter when you come to properly appreciate what’s on your doorstep?
OK, then – make me see red...
Let’s start with Shiraz. Shiraz grapes grown in the Hills enjoy hot days and cool nights, giving winemakers a chance to move away from those big, heavy reds to produce a more sophisticated and elegant wine. Think fruit bombs with lots of pepper and spice, fine tannins and length galore. For proof of concept, get thee to Anderson Hill winery, a beautiful little rustic cellar door in Lenswood enlivened by dogs, firepits and forest views. Their 2018 O Series Shiraz took a Best in Show in the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards.
Next – Pinot Noir. Adored by sommeliers for producing the greatest wines in the world, Pinot is actually called the ‘heart breaker’ grape because it’s so temperamental in the vineyard. Yet Pinot flourishes among the valleys and vales of Adelaide’s closest wine region, to the extent our producers are right up there with the best of producers from Yarra, Tasmania and Marlborough. You can try some peak Pinots at cellar doors like Ashton Hills (Ashton), Vinteloper at Lot 100 (Hay Valley) and Shaw + Smith (Balhannah).
Equipped with this new-found appreciation, you’re ready to indulge your palate with a wine tasting experience or long lunch at any of the Hills’ 50 plus cellar doors. Note also, there’s a three-day red-fest going down at the Winter Reds Cellar Door Weekend held annually in July (rescheduled to 27-29 August this year!).
Wood Fires
Winter fires are as much a part of the Hills landscape as the paddocks and creeks, and have been so for generations. Whether you’re in a pub, a winery or a restaurant there’s every chance you’re being warmed by a crackling stove or a popping hearth.
Light my fire...
For some picture-perfect heart warmers, pull up to the bonny log fire in the The Uraidla Hotel (Uraidla), the gorgeous old hearth at Stanley Bridge Tavern (Verdun), the strangely elevated but delightful fireplaces in Miss Perez Kitchen & Bar (Stirling) or the blazing braziers at Barristers Block winery (Woodside). If you prefer your fires under a chill sky, there are fab firepits at Anderson Hill winery (Lenswood), Tilbrook Estate (between Lenswood and Lobethal), and Artwine (Woodside). And since winter is the safe season for a campfire, you can put your own fire-making skills to the test in campsites across the region as well as a string of self-catering retreats like the CABN tiny houses near Kuitpo.
Come late winter, when the rains are starting to abate, The Bridgewater Mill scores the ultimate Zen balance with an almost perfect fire-and-water combo. Around 5pm, just as dusk is falling, a mobile bar is set up on the generous timber decks. Next, a series of long fire troughs are lit to warm the small tables and intimate nooks formed by settees. And finally, the beautiful 1859 waterwheel (known to locals as ‘The Rumbler’) is made to turn thanks to a chute of water, all lit by a soft amber light. Under a cold, starry night, it’s quite heavenly.
Hills Football
Looking for a winter spectacle of mud, thud and grudge? Look no further than the Adelaide Hills footy league, a competition that really heats up when the months turn cold. Hills footy is hard and hectic, thanks to inter-village sporting rivalries that go back over a century.
How do I get my fix of footy?
The present league (Hills Football League, formed in 1967) is the largest outside of Adelaide and hosts 19 clubs. Each Saturday, ovals across the region reliably fill up, with crowds at their most feverish when finals start in August. Juniors usually enjoy first bounce at 9am, but you might be best arriving for 2.30pm when the Div 1 A-Grade teams face off. By this time, the braziers are roaring, the barbecues are sizzling and the home crowd and visitors are desperately trying to outdo each other, either by exercising their vocals or honking their car-horns.
A few basics. Entry will be around $7, a snag or a burger will set you back around $5 and if you really want to fit in, you should wear chequered flanny (several layers) and uggs. The piece de resistance is a ute, reverse-parked and suitably accoutred in the back with chairs, doona and esky. As well as local colour, a few ovals are enhanced by sublime country surrounds (Nairne, Macclesfield and Kangarilla are prime examples) as well as very supportive local pubs.
Reflecting the standard of play, you might see a few famous names on the field, like ex-Crows Matt Jaensch and Kyle Cheney (playing for Hahndorf) and former Melbourne player Alex Georgiou (Lobethal). And thanks to long-standing rivalries, some grudge matches are guaranteed to please: look out especially for Bridgewater-Bremer vs Mount Lofty, Birdwood vs Gumeracha, and Hahndorf vs Mount Barker. See the fixtures.