Our Region Overview
The Adelaide Hills is Australia's premier cool climate wineregion. It has been defined as that part of the Mount Lofty Rangeswhich has an altitude of 400 metres or more and abuts the Barossaregion to the North and the McLaren Vale region to the south.
Mt Lofty is the highest point (727 metres) of the Adelaide Hills andforms a backdrop to the city of Adelaide immediately below. Wine 
grapes initially were planted in the region in 1839 and in 1845 Hock from Echunga was the first South Australian wine exported, sent asa gift to Queen Victoria.
These first winemaking efforts petered out by 1905, but the regionre-emerged in 1971 with Jan and Leigh Verrall's plantings at UpperHermitage, and grew rapidly when Brian Croser began planting in and publicising the Piccadilly Valley in 1979.
The region is undoubtedly "cool climate" with the folds andundulations of the hills creating a wide range of microclimates.
Inseeking and exploiting these climatic differences the vineyards tend tobe small in area and often very steep. Hand pruning and picking isoften a necessity as well as a choice.
There are now morethan 3000 hectares of vineyards in the region, more than 50 winelabels, 16 cellar doors, with more growth planned.
