Adelaide Hills Wine & Food Tours

Why Adelaide Hills Is Worth the Trip from Adelaide

The Adelaide Hills is South Australia's cool-climate counterpoint to the Barossa and McLaren Vale — a high-altitude region where the elevation (averaging 450–550 metres above sea level) creates a genuinely cool growing environment. This is where Adelaide goes to escape the summer heat, and where some of the state's most interesting white wines are made.

The region's signature varieties are sauvignon blanc and chardonnay — both perform exceptionally well in the cool, high-altitude environment. The Adelaide Hills is arguably South Australia's most important region for sauvignon blanc, producing styles with a crispness and aromatic intensity that differs markedly from the warmer regions. The pinot noir is also worth attention — some excellent cool-climate examples have emerged from the region in recent years.

The cultural identity of the Adelaide Hills is inseparable from Hahndorf — Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, founded in 1839. The village retains a distinctive character:istorific buildings, German bakeries and smallgoods shops, and a food culture that still reflects this heritage. Tours that combine the Hills wine region with a Hahndorf food component are among the most distinctive on offer in South Australia.