One rainy weekend back when we had weekends, we made the trip to one of South Australia’s smaller wine growing regions, Adelaide Hills. And it wasn’t half bad! Being so close to Adelaide, many city-dwellers drive up for the day to go tasting so we had to at least see what all the hype was about.

Known for being a cooler climate than most inland, many major wineries source fruit from here so they can have more variety than what they’re able to grow in their region. And while it was only a day trip for us and we weren’t able to visit as many cellar doors as I’d have liked, we did find a few gems I’m happy to share!

Nepenthe – A nice little tasting room with a big lawn, surrounded by vineyards, I definitely see why their Sauvignon Blanc is the best seller. Also thought their Altitude 2015 Chardonnay was the best of the day.

Shaw + Smith – Another gorgeous tasting room, my favorites were none of the original 5 they poured, but instead the 2014 Chardonnay and 2015 Pinot Noir from their Tolpuddle Vineyard in Tasmania. Tasmania! Who knew, right?

Petaluma –The last of the day so unfortunately we did an abbreviated tasting, but they had a fine 2013 Coonawarra Cab, 2012 Coonawarra Cab/Shiraz blend, and dessert Riesling made with fruit from Clare. Would have liked to stay longer because the view was nice but c’est la vie. Also if you’re from Napa/Sonoma and know where Petaluma is, the name’s no coincidence. One of the founders is actually from there!

Handorf Hill Winery – Nice Gru 2 HHW Gruner Veltliner 2015 aged in oak, and a smashable but otherwise unremarkable rose. Also very close to the little German town Handorf, which you have to check out to say you’ve truly been to the Hills.

Bird in Hand – All fine but because it’s pretty popular I was expecting more. I liked their Riesling the best but probably because the fruit was from Clare and the style’s already grown on me so much.

Gulf Brewery – Fine craft beers and a decent apple cider in the middle of Handorf but could have lived with out.

P.S. – Lunch at the Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream Cone Company in Handorf was amazing. Their waffle fries were quite possibly the best I’ve ever had.

If there’s anything we missed let us know in the comments!