Discovering wineries in the Adelaide Hills is more than just about the wine. My latest find is Anderson Hill winery in Lenswood. Not that they are new on the scene, the winery was established in 1994 by the Anderson family on 35 picturesque acres. The restaurant is however recently expanded and you have the option of dining indoors, out on the deck or at tables set up on the lawn. The views to the north from outside overlook the vineyards and take in breathtaking rolling hills and the mountain bike trails in Mt Crawford Forest.

The view on the drive to get there is pretty as a picture too. Lenswood is widely known as an apple growing area in the hills and its history goes back to the mid-1800s.  Generations of families have continued with the orchards ever since and at this time of year the trees are groaning with red ripe fruit hanging temptingly close to the roadside.  The patchwork of netting over some of the orchards adding to the picture of rural serenity.

I went to Anderson Hill for the views as I knew already that the wines would be top class, it’s the Adelaide Hills wine region after all and the wines are all superb!

The venue however lived up to being even better than my expectations. For my money if you have these elements you are on to a winner:

1.  A sunny deck and lawned area where you can sit comfortably outdoors under shady umbrellas, wide ranging views over vineyards and hills and, importantly, all the family is welcome in a non-pretentious atmosphere.

2.  Food that is so mouth wateringly good and at a really reasonable price, served hot and fast. The wood fired pizzas are so tasty you will have trouble narrowing down your favourites.  The share plates too are hard to choose from, you’ll want to try so many. We couldn’t believe how quickly our choices came out even though we were back and forth a number of times to order just a couple more tasting plates.

3.  Beautiful wines, which are almost the icing on the cake after the other points, and a couple of variety of beers to buy for the non wine drinkers. AND to top it off I always have a soft spot for a place with a couple of kelpies doing the rounds and saying hello to everyone, ball in mouth just waiting for someone to look like they will throw it for them.

This is one place I would definitely recommend to friends and family even when the weather does take a turn for the worse. I have a feeling that the wood fire and indoor dining will still make it a must see along with the misty foggy drive to get there.

And if you are interested, here were our choices for food:

Idaho pizza (roast potato, bacon, rosemary, caramelized onion, mozzarella, sweet chilli, sour cream)

Big Smoke pizza (smoked chicken, maple bacon, mozzarella & house BBQ sauce)

Buttermilk fried wings (chicken wings served with ranch sauce)

Mushroom & Roast pumpkin arancini with shaved parmesan and aioli.

Spanish meatballs with Romesco sauce, pickles and smoked cheddar.

And Prawn spring rolls.

Be sure to check out their website which has their menu on it http://www.andersonhill.com.au and of course a full list of the wines they produce.  I can recommend the Polliwog Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir Rose and the Ruby Shiraz, Ruby is one of the ball mad kelpies!

I should mention that this wasn’t just for two, there were 5 of us on the day and we all enjoyed every single tasting plate and pizza we ordered. But I didn’t get a single photo of the food as it was all too good and gone too soon, ah well there’s always next time.

Cheers

Glenys