Adelaide Hills Region

Location
 Zone - Mount Lofty Ranges within Adelaide Super Zone
State - South Australia

Map Reference
 Latitude 36 degrees and 56 minutes South
Longitude 138 degrees and 45 minutes East

Elevation
 350 - 730 metres above sea level

Subregions
 Gumeracha, Lenswood, Piccadilly Valley

Introduction
 This is a truly wonderful region for a day trip from Adelaide. The historic and beautiful Bridgewater Mill and Mount Lofty House offer first-class restaurants for lunch or luxurious accommodation and dinner. Particularly in spring and autumn, the medley cover of little hills and valleys blazes with colour. The absolute quality of the wines coming from the wineries is the "icing on the cake". Petaluma, the wines that are sold through Bridgewater Mill, needs neither introduction nor further praise, similarly the Henschke Lenswood wines, the Knappstein wines from Lenswood Vineyards or Geoff Weaver's superb wine creations. Having said that there are also the less well-known names, which contribute evenly to the success of this great wine region.
Primary Grape Varieties
White
 Chardonnay 430 ha
Sauvignon Blanc 275 ha
Semillon 100 ha
Viognier 30 ha
Riesling 25 ha
Other 20 ha
Total White 880 ha
Red
 Cabernet Sauvignon 375 ha
Pinot Noir 320 ha
Shiraz 305 ha
Merlot 240 ha
Other 80 ha
Total Red 1320 ha
Primary Wine Styles

Chardonnay
Complex but elegant wines, the variety flourishes, and the ensuing wines are consistently full of character, natural levels of acidity are good, allowing makers to use malolactic fermentation to increase complexity without making the wines soft and flabby.

Pinot Noir
After a slow and at times uncertain start, Pinot Noir is now asserting itself in the fashion that the climate has long suggested it should. The introduction of new clones from Burgundy should ensure further success, as there is no doubt that the Adelaide Hills is and will remain South Australia's leading producer of Pinot Noir, challenging Southern Victoria and Tasmania.

Sauvignon Blanc
Adelaide Hills always can do better than its neighbours by producing intensely fruity wines with excellent structure.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Even though not widely grown varieties, a number of producers have managed to make outstanding wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, none more so than Henschke at Lenswood.

Sparkling
Substantial quantities of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in the Adelaide Hills are used in the making of sparkling wines. The style is extremely refined, the flavour long and lingering.