High on a hill above the Onkaparinga River National Park is about as close to heaven as you can get in McLaren Vale. No wonder the town’s faithful built a little stone church here in 1865—now the Chapel Hill tasting room, where heaven arrives in a wine glass.
The old chapel hung in there for 100 years, functioning variously as a schoolhouse, community centre and place of worship until 1965, when it was boarded up and left to its own devices. But wandering professor Thomas Nelson saw the potential and bought the pace, planting his first vines in 1972 and paying for a result. And what a result! Tom’s cellar door opened in 1979.
These days, Chapel Hill honours its lofty position with lofty standards when it comes to sustainable winemaking. Composting, rain harvesting, recycled water irrigation, minimal spraying and evaporation minimisation are all part of a day’s work here – a sensitive approach which turns out brilliant pinot gris, vermentino, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, zinfandel, and of course, shiraz. Book ahead for tastings ($10/20 without/with food pairings, redeemable with purchase). And miss Chapel Hill’s trademark stained-glass window, assembled in Glasgow in 1770 (!).