Ashton Hills Vineyard

If you are looking for a super quaint, incredibly beautiful cellar door, selling fabulous wines and a sparkling red worth it’s weight in gold, then listen up- because I know a place.

Ashton Hills in the Adelaide Hills.

As soon as we pulled into the carpark of this cellar door I was annoyed at myself for how long i’d left it to visit. It was love at first sight. Nice and small. Not over crowded. It has all the best things about a cellar door- a roaring fireplace for winter, a deck with vineyard views for summer, big glass windows, a fridge full of cheese and a cracking wine list.

The tasting bench is short but sweet, as is the wine list. Their specialty is cool climate wines and they’re known for their Pinot Noir- and after tasting it, I now know why. Very easy to drink. Almost too easy. They also make a cracking Riesling, so if you are a fan of whites, it’s well worth a taste.

After picking a glass each, we toddled out to the deck to soak in the views. They are divine. The deck takes in their whole vineyard, as well as the rolling hills and huge trees. You’d never know you were only a 30 minute drive from the city.

To go with our glasses we were treated to a cheese platter- because every glass of wine needs some cheese to match. Jo, cellar door manager and cheese-selecting queen, helped us raid the fridge and pointed out all her favourites. Expect to see predominantly South Australian products- Section 28 and Udder Delights cheeses, Duck Pate from Little Acre Foods, Quince from the Beerenberg Farm, SKARA small goods and my FAVOURITE olives- Brians Olives from McLaren Vale. They offer a casual DIY approach here- just pick from the fridge, hand it over to Jo and let her work her magic- and then roll yourself home.

Before we left we were told that we had to try their new Sparkling Red, and i’m so glad I did. It’s like Christmas in a glass. Not because it makes me so happy, but because it smells and tastes like Christmas. Hints of spice and all things nice. Both the other half and I rated it as one of our favourite drops at the cellar door. They have also released a Vintage Rose Bubbly since we visited last, so it gives us another reason to head up to the hills!