History of wine in the Adelaide Hills
Located a mere 20 minutes away from the Adelaide CBD by car, the Adelaide Hills is one of the most accessible wine regions in the country. It's wine history hasn't always been smooth-sailing though. The vines planted in the area in the 1870s slowly died off, until the last vines were removed in the 1930s and the region was left bereft of vines for a solid 40 years. This all changed when
However, with its Mediterranean-like climate, the area attracted a number of Italian migrants in the early 20th century, who built on the opportunities created by the McWilliams and established family-owned estates, some of which are still in business today.
As well as McWilliam's, one of the top-producing wineries in the region is De Bortoli, who have since been joined by names such as R. Paulazzo, Calabria Family Wines, Mino & Co Wines, Nugan Estate and Yarran Wines.
Although it flies under the radar somewhat as a tourist destination, the Riverina is a home to a number of stunning cellar doors and restaurants ripe for visitation. Try a gourmet platter at the Berton Vineyards cellar door, head to Zecca Handmade Italian for amazing local produce, or bring a picnic to enjoy the beautiful gardens on the De Bortoli grounds.
Best wines in the Adelaide Hills
Following John James McWilliam's pioneering of fortified wine production in the region, his ancestor Glen McWilliam led the move to table wine, developing new technologies for making wine in the hot summer climate. Today, with fortified and sweet wines remaining the flagships of the region, it's no surprise that semillon is one of the top varieties produced. However, you can also find a number of high-quality examples of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, and a growing number of durif and petit verdot wines on offer.
To get you started, we've put together a list of 20 of the best Riverina wines, all rated 90 points and above by the Halliday Tasting Team.
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Sign up to view these tasting notes and ratings
By becoming a member of Wine Companion, you'll have access to the largest database of wines in Australia.
Sign up to view these tasting notes and ratings
By becoming a member of Wine Companion, you'll have access to the largest database of wines in Australia.
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