Live like a local in . . . Adelaide Hills
Just a short drive from the city, the pretty Adelaide Hills region is home to intriguing wineries, cute villages and boutique food producers who are rightly proud of their local bounty.
CHEESE FEST:
Udder Delights is a cheese shop in the village of Hahndorf that’s worth skipping breakfast for. You can taste and buy a delicious array of local cheeses, or, if you’re a super-keen cheese fiend, take a cheese-making class in the cellar with cheesemaker and owner Sheree Sullivan. If you’re after a meal, make time to indulge in the cheese fondue — the ultimate comforting pot of bubbling goodness, especially in winter. Or try the local smash hit, the truffle toastie, a funky supercharged toasted cheese sandwich that will see you through to lunch, at least.
LUNCH:
Locals flock to Lot 100, an 84ha property in the Hay Valley which serves as cellar door and production facility for five different producers: Mismatch Brewing; Adelaide Hills Distillery; The Hills Cider Company; winemaker Vinteloper and juice company Ashton Valley Fresh. The deluxe farm shed aesthetic works alongside a serious dedication to sustainability; there are solar panels, a wastewater treatment plant and a long-term goal of self-sufficiency. Inside you can take your pick of tasting flights: beer, cider, gin, wine or juice. Don’t miss the Sunset Gin, flavoured with strawberry gum, bush apple, juniper and rosella, and tinged a gorgeous blush pink. Follow it up with lunch. The menu embraces a paddock-to-plate philosophy. That means duck sausage with white beans and sourdough, or barbecued Coorong mullet with caponata. Make sure you try the spuds on the side: a moreish dish of kipfler potatoes, native thyme, warrigal and lardo.
WINE AND A SLICE:
If you’ve ever wondered what a bahn mi pizza might taste like, head along to the converted church that is now a comfy boho pizza joint in the village of Uraidla. Bahn mi is just one of the 11 delights to emerge from the woodfired oven here. If that doesn’t grab you, try the “buzzbomb”: it’s topped with soppressata salami, mozzarella and chilli-infused honey. To drink, try co-owner Taras Ochotas’ wines, made under the label Ochota Barrels. They’re holistic wines with light-hearted names ( Taras is an ex-punk and surfer and names his wines after bands and songs) but serious food-friendly flavour. These wines have some rock star fans; word is Mick Jagger has Ochota barrels in his cellar.
SWEET TREAT:
Back at Hahndorf, top off the day with a wine tasting/dessert combo at Hahndorf Hills, the winery known as “the guru of gruner”. Gruner veltliner is known as Austria’s great white wine variety, and Hahndorf Hills pioneered its cultivation in the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills. In the fascinating ChocoVino tasting experience, you can try these unique wines matched with artisan chocolate. Choose the kind of flavours you like (I went for the hardcore dark chocolate lover’s option) and be guided through a tasting of wine and chocolate featuring complementary and contrasting flavours. It’s a highly pleasurable challenge to the palate, all conducted while looking over the vines. While you’re here, taste and stock up on the other wines in the lineup that are unfamiliar to Kiwis; they make a range of Germanic/Austrian varieties here including blaufrankisch and zweigelt. Wunderbar.
Getting around: If you’re going to imbibe in the Hills, a great way to get around is via Life is a Cabernet tours. Owner Ralf will take you in style, safely, and with some excellent insider tales, too.
Getting there: Air New Zealand flies year-round non-stop between Auckland and Adelaide.