TV personality Preston to return to the hills

Television star and food personality Matt Preston will return to the Adelaide Hills Wine Region as official ambassador for the 2026 Winter Reds after making his debut last year.

Preston will be joined at select food events by chef, TV personality, and friend Warren Mendes for what is billed as "an unforgettable weekend of food, wine, and camaraderie".

The annual red wine festival is held in the Adelaide Hills annually in late July. It is in its 16th year and will run from Friday, July 24, to Sunday, July 26.

“Winter Reds is one of the best food and wine events in the country," Preston enthused.

"I had so much fun at Winter Reds last year -fantastic wines, brilliant people, and that unmistakable Hills charm - that I wanted to come back. I can’t wait to eat, drink, and celebrate everything that makes the Adelaide Hills region so special.”

Preston's Winter Reds weekend will kick off at Vinteloper on the Friday night. Guests will experience benchmark Adelaide Hill reds wines, food bites, and the vibe of an intimate house-gathering against the backdrop of a brisk winter night. This limited-ticket event will see guests mingle with him and Adelaide Hills producers.

On the Sunday the headline event will be an exclusive Winter Reds long lunch named Preston’s Plates at Golding Wines. Over 150 guests will enjoy the day.

Adelaide Hills Wine Region president Alex Trescowthick said Winter Reds has become a cornerstone event that continues to champion the strength and diversity of the region’s red wines which go well beyond pinot nNoir, for which it is best known.

"Winter Reds is a much-loved annual celebration of Adelaide Hills’ red wines and the vibrant community behind them," he says.

"Cool-climate pinot noir is still the hero, but there’s also shiraz, gamay, nebbiolo, and more. We invite wine lovers to experience our exceptional cool climate wines and the Hills region at its most atmospheric – when we embrace the chilly weather that signifies our cool climate with warm jackets and cosy open fires.”

Across the weekend, 34 cellar doors will deliver a mix of over 40 events.

See https://www.adelaidehillswine.com.au/events/winter-reds

Image: Matt Preston, Eat Media

Red or white? Choose your month

Like chardonnay? Choose May. Prefer red wines? Select late July.

The Adelaide Hills Wine Region in South Australia has just released the highlights of its program for festival activities over the next few months.

CHARDONNAY MAY - May 1-31 2026
The month of May sees a focus on the cool-climate chardonnay wines crafted in the Adelaide Hills. During all of May, cellar doors across the region will hold a series of special tastings, themed dining experiences, new releases and aged wines from the cellar.

 
WINTER REDS - Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July 2026
This long-standing winter weekend festival attracts thousands of visitors every year in the last weekend of July. Winter Reds celebrates the many different red wines produced in Adelaide Hills. A weekend of open fires, live music, hearty meals, great wine and good company.

WINE SHOW LUNCHEON - Friday November 27
Each year, over a long lunch, the trophy winners from the Adelaide Hills Wine Show are announced and guests get the opportunity to taste each trophy winner over a sumptuous lunch and share the winemakers' delighted surprise as the winners are announced.

For details see www.adelaidehillswine.com.au

Image: Ben McMahon

 

Piccadilly Valley Trail unveiled with a special offer for wine lovers

Paul Henschke of
Greenhill Wines

Correspondent Roderick Eime discovers a great deal for wine lovers on the  Piccadilly Trail. #piccadillytrail

Five of the Piccadilly Valley's best-known wineries have formed a mini marketing co-operative to raise awareness of this delicate sub-region within the greater Adelaide Hills wine region.

The Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills specialises in the production of cool climate wines, particularly pinot noir and chardonnay, with an added focus on premium sparkling wine production. 

With the highest altitudes in the Adelaide Hills, the fruit ripens in some of the coolest growing conditions in the country and with rainfall a whopping 1200mm a year there is little need to irrigate. 

Download the
flyer (PDF)

So whether it’s the lifted perfumes and elegant structure of the pinot noir, or the texture and length of fine chardonnay, Piccadilly Valley’s bona-fide cool-climate imprint is a feature of the wines grown and made here.

If you visit these five wineries and purchase a bottle from each, you can collect two superb Riedel Pinot glasses (RRP $80) to enjoy your wine. Download the flyer

These are the premium wineries involved: Ashton Hills Vineyard • CRFT Wines • Greenhill Wines • Tapanappa Wines • Lofty Valley Vineyard

Wine auction to aid victims of bushfires

 

The Adelaide Hills Wine Region is holding an online auction to raise funds for bushfire-affected wine businesses. 

The auction will feature over 350 bottles of wine to raise money for wineries and growers affected by the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfires.

With floods dominating recent news, bushfire couldn’t be further from the public mind’s eye but many Adelaide Hills wineries are still suffering badly from the devastation of the 2019 fires.

“The fire wrecked 30 years of work in a day," says Darren Golding of Golding Wines, who saw 90% of their vineyard burn. 

"We had to start again, and it’s not easy to do that. It’s not just the physical hard work but the huge emotional cost of starting over. 

“We are part way, probably about 50% through replanting our vineyards. It will take another five years to get back to full production.”

After the fires, Dave Bowley feared the end for his Vinteloper brand. 

"With no grapes to make wine, and no discernible vineyard left standing on our property we had to buy grapes for the 2020 vintage and continue to buy grapes for many more seasons," he said. "Getting some funds from the Fire Appeal has enabled us to rebuild trellis and infrastructure and just keep the business going.”

The Adelaide Hills Wine Region, which is the body representing winemakers and grape growers in the Adelaide Hills, established the Fire Appeal to support local growers and producers and fund recovery efforts. 

Wineries that have responded by donating wines are Vasse Felix, Yalumba and Rockford, through to local Hills wineries such as K1 and La Prova. 

“A big thanks and huge gratitude to all those who donated money or wine for the auction and supported us in some way,” said Mark Kozned from Nova Vita.

The fundraising auction will be held from April 18-25 by Wickmans Fine Wine Auctions.

Anyone can join but must register online. See www.wickman.net.au on the morning of April 18.