ADELAIDE HILLS
SIDEWOOD ESTATE
Sidewood Estate was born out of passion – for the beauty of the Adelaide Hills and the grape varieties that best express their variety of soil and climate.
SIDEWOOD ESTATE
Their state-of-the-art facilities and impeccable sustainability credentials, along with their vegan certification has been described as Zero Compromise from vine to glass – an obsessive dedication to quality that has earned them multiple awards around the World.
Add one of the most respected wine-makers in Australia, Darryl Catlin, and you know you’re in expert hands. Each wine in their selection has won Gold medals from prestigious competitions in Australia, the USA and Spain, among others - an impressive record for some very impressive wines.
Sidewood can boast that it’s the largest accredited sustainable winery in the Adelaide Hills region.
The sought-after Entwine award was presented to Sidewood in association with the Australian Wine Research Institute – Entwine Australia was set up to support growers and winemakers demonstrating and improving sustainability in their business practices
At the same time, the winery is run with local community involvement – supporting the ever-popular local cricket, bowling and Australian Rules Football clubs.
"World-beating wines with an Australian twist – simply too good to be missed!"
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ADELAIDEHILLS
VINEYARD
Sidewood, as a family-run business has a clear philosophy encompassing sustainability, environmental best practice and vine-to-glass care. Adopting best practice across all production - from hand-picking selected fruit at its peak ripeness, to minimising the use of chemicals, water wastage and their carbon footprint while supporting bio-diversity, shows their commitment to maintaining the high-quality of the soil and mitigating climate-change with a zero compromise approach.
Both rainfall and soil types vary greatly across the area, from relatively wet nearer Mount Lofty to dry on the coast, with loams, sandy loams and clay loams over a variable subsoil of clay and shale or ironstone – providing a wide variety of wine character.
The cooler, dry Summer and Autumn seasons are key to producing fruit with a balanced flavour profile of concentrated fruit while still retaining a wide flavour profile and acidity. However, the challenges of production in an area prone to frost have driven an ingenious high-tech solution – coating green shoots in a protective ice shield.
ADELAIDE HILLS
The famous Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, lying roughly 20 kilometres to the east of Adelaide, provides the backdrop for the Sidewood winery. This rugged region has one of the coolest climates in Australia, with a huge variety of micro-climates and geology within its labyrinthine valleys, including some stunning landscapes and conservation parks.
It was one of the first areas settled by European immigrants and some of the small towns retain a German character – from names like Hahndorf and Lobethal to Lutheran churches and Christmas celebrations. Vines were first planted in 1839 and in 1844 a case of wine was delivered to Queen Victoria. The region has come a long way since then, to being rightly known as a premium wine-growing region currently home to more than 50 wineries producing a wide-range of award-winning vintages.
Adelaide Hills Wine Region itself lies 380m above sea level and the climate is significantly cooler than the more traditional regions in South Australia – on average it is 4 degrees cooler during the day and 8 degrees cooler at night.
DARRYLCATLYN
MEET YOUR MAKER - WINE MAKER THAT IS
DARRYL CATLIN
It’s not hard to see wine in Darryl’s blood – he grew up tending vines in the Barossa valley and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Wine Science. He worked his way up from cellar hand to chief winemaker at Shaw and Smith (also based in the Adelaide Hills region) before moving to Sidewood, a true home to his philosophy of overseeing the whole production cycle – from grape to glass.
His string of awards and accolades is impressive, winning “Best Red Wine in Australia” with Sidewood in 2014 and cementing his reputation as one of the leading winemakers in the region.
Currently, Sidewood produces an impressive range of wines – from the rich reds of Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon single varietals, to Rosés, stunning Chardonnays, Mappinga Fumé and Sauvignon Blancs to sparkling wines.
