The Auswine Forum

I was just looking at a thread from last year re Adelaide Hills CD's (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13499&start=0&hilit=adelaide+hills)
and noticed that the question was aimed at Chardonnay.

What would be your recommendations for CD's if the interest was more in Reds and Organics.
We're making our way from Gumeracha across to Hahndorf (via Lobethal) and the ChocoVino experience at Hahndorf Hills so interested in what might lie between the two that is worth visiting.

the CD at K1 by Geoff Hardy is lovely. some great wine, and you can bring your own picnic, buy a bottle and sit and enjoy overlooking their lake/pond.

A few suggestions:
* Ngeringa -- biodynamic, beautiful red, white & rosé wines, but only open Fri-Sun & public holidays http://www.ngeringa.com/cellar-door-and ... -door.html
This is a bit out of your way, in Mt Barker, but well worth the detour.

* Tilbrook Estate -- http://tilbrookestate.com.au/visit-our-cellar-door/

* Ashton Hills -- make a very well regarded Pinot Noir http://www.adhills.com.au/tourism/adhil ... hills.html

* Paracombe -- I've not visited yet but have heard only good things about them -- you do need an appointment, though. Also a bit out of your way. http://www.paracombewines.com/cellardoor/cellardoor.php

Thanks for the suggestions.
Had a nice pinot from Tilbrook last week, so that's a definite.
Ngeringa sounds interesting - having good experiences lately with the organic and biodynamic wines.

No problem. Hope you enjoyed your visit to the hills.

The trip is scheduled for mid-February - just planning at this stage and wanted to know of any new, particularly organics based cellar doors had opened in the last couple of years. And your suggestions pretty much delivered in that regard.

However, I was at Angaston on the weekend for a family event but did manage to sneak in 30 minutes at the Taste Eden Valley tasting room and was pleasantly surprised by the diversity and quality on offer. The Torzi-Matthews wines weren't what I was expecting at all - interesting and quite unique.

Ok, a bit premature then. Hope your trip goes well...

I haven't got to the Eden Valley myself yet, but tried a few Torzi Matthews at a local wine shop tasting - just the two shirazes and a riesling, I think. They didn't stand out at the time, but I bought a bottle anyway and had to change my opinion when I actually drank it later. I'm thinking I'll have to visit Taste Eden Valley at some point, so that I can try some of their other wines.

Just a follow up for anyone interested. We were planning to start at Gumeracha and make our way to Hahndorf stopping at Protero and Tilbrook but the inclement weather (wettest day for 45 years according to the local rag) caused a last minute change of plan. We had to limit ourselves to cellar doors near Hahndorf: The Lane Vineyard, Shaw and Smith, Hahndorf Hill and Ngeringa. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The Lane Vineyard
Wasn't on the plan but without a doubt the highlight of the day. A stunning cellar door, fantastic service and outstanding wines. I was completely taken aback by how goods the red were. The 2012 merlot, 2012 Block 14 shiraz, 2010 Reunion shiraz and 2010 cabernet are all outstanding value and quality.
I haven't drunk Chardonnay for many years but they have a couple that seem to be Chardys aimed at Sav Blanc drinkers. Very interesting and we took a couple away.

Shaw and Smith
For some this cellar door would be the epitome of sophistication. For me it crossed the line into pretentiousness. Discussing the wine you are tasting with someone knowledgable about it is half the experience for me. Being ushered, by a snooty server, into a formal tasting room and then left alone with our bickies and cheese left me a bit cold.
Having said that there is an undeniable quality and precision to the wines. The Sav Blanc and Shiraz are particular good. The Pinot a bit too restrained for me, but clearly built to appeal to more refined palates.

Ngeringa
The diametric opposite of Shaw and Smith. Having the winemaker personally guide you through a tasting and open random bottles on a whim, because he thinks you might be interested, is what we wine geeks live for. Erinn is incredibly passionate and cerebral about his wine but he is also honest about its strengths and flaws.
The Pinot didn't really do it for me (I think I'm preferring my Shiraz with less punch and my Pinot with more) but the Shiraz, sorry, Syrah did.
Strongly recommended to visit just to try some of the Italian varietals being experimented with.

Hahndorf Hill
Mainly went here for the Chocovino experience (well it was Valentines day) but the 2010 Shiraz was again quite good and at $30 is good value. Some of the Austrian varieties on offer are also really interesting. The Grunter isn't really my style, but there was something refreshingly different about the blaufrankisch.
The Chocovino experience itself was a bit underwhelming. Any chocolate experience that doesn't involve a fair slab of chocolate is going to fail for me. The very small pieces you get don't allow for anything more than a fleeting taste and they are also restricted to pairing with their own wines - but I have to admit these pairings are interesting and reveal the potential of choc wine combinations. Personally however, I would have preferred a slice of rich mud cake matched with a single glass of their shiraz or blaufrankisch.

I have to agree about Shaw and Smith - we walked out after being told we had to taste what they wanted us to taste and not what we wanted to taste.

They have good wine but seem to have forgotten who the customer is.

That's me, who is the person with the money.

Which Shaw and Smith aren't going to be seeing.

Hahndorf Hill on the other hand is great for customer service.