Share a toast with friends at the 5 best cideries in Adelaide Hills!
After a long week of conquering Adelaide’s hiking trails, my friends and I craved a refreshing drink on the last day of our trip. We wanted to celebrate our successful first time hiking experience with a toast!
Luckily, one of them suggested we should tour the cider houses in Adelaide Hills. We went to check them out and shared a glass (or more)!
See our recommendations below, and celebrate life, friendship, and victories here, too!
The Hills Cider Company
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Address: 68 Chambers Rd, Hay Valley
Contact: 1300 793 331
The Hills Cider Company is situated between Nairne and Woodside in Hay Valley. They offer apple and pear cider flavours fresh from their orchards! They also have mixed flavour options with ginger, berries, mango, and pineapple.
Moreover, their drinks are gluten-free and vegan. This is a relief for us with food and drink sensitivity! For my friends who didn’t want to drink, they also have alcohol-free cider.
The alcohol-free option is so famous, it won the 2023 Fan-Favourite Non-Alcoholic Drink at the Australian Drinks Awards! We also wanted to experience it, so we picked the alcohol-free cider during the free taste-testing session. It has a crisp tang to it, thanks to the fresh apples they use.
Paracombe Premium Perry
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Address: 169 Murphy Rd, Paracombe
Contact: +61 402 082 532
Paracombe Premium Perry specialises in making cider out of pears, which is called perry.
Its founder, Damian McArdle, comes from a family of pear growers and eventually started cider-making! He ensures quality with his products and even won bronze in the 2014 Australian Cider Awards.
The tour around the cidery was immersive; some of us even made our own cider! Some were more interested in pear farming. This activity lets visitors plant and prune pears in their family orchard!
We could taste our perry creations on site or opt to bring them home as a fun souvenir. We also checked out their shop and bought their signature flavours! What caught my eye was the Perfect 5, their original flavour perry, named after pear tree blossoms.
Lobo Cider
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Address: Lenswood
Contact: 0417 868 490
Next on the list is Lobo Cider in Lenswood, a cider house that specialises in creating cloudy-looking apple cider. This variant they honed is made through a slow fermentation process. It’s called cloudy apple cider because it yields a darker liquid colour with a stronger apple taste.
They only had limited time slots for taste-testing in their cellar doors. So, to not miss out, the staff said we can also try their ciders in Adelaide cafes, hotels, and restaurants! A few places where they stock are Belair Fine Wines, The Edinburgh Hotel and Cellars, and The Cudlee Cafe.
We also bought ciders in their shop. My friend chose the blend for its robust apple flavour with a sweet pear aftertaste. I chose the Lobodos brandy, made from apples aged in a barrel for 3 years.
Lenswood Cider Co.
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Address: 471 Swamp Road, Lenswood
Contact: 0430 511 639
Lenswood Cider Co. specialises in making small-batch products, meaning they only have a few products at a time, with releases being different from the last. We didn’t want to miss out on their exclusive release this season, so we checked them out!
We first visited their cellar door, where we tasted their beverages. It’s open on Thursdays and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm, plus Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 9 pm.
We tried out their new apple and strawberry blend, which had a mild sweetness from the strawberry’s natural sugar!
The staff told us to look out for their exclusive apple-picking events, which are only held during the autumn season. So, if we ever plan to come back, we can join in harvesting produce, making our own cider, and baking apple pies!
Kersbrook Hill Wines & Cider
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Address: 1498 S Para Rd, Kersbrook
Contact: +61 8 8389 3301
Last but not least, we stopped at Kersbrook Hill Wines & Cedar at Para Road. The cider house has a cellar door for us to dine in. It’s open every day, providing a selection of coffee, desserts, wine, and cider, which we enjoyed as we rested!
We also ordered from their product selection at the cellar door. We shared among ourselves a bottle of their apple cider. I loved how smooth and light the fizz was!
The staff told us about the horse and wine experience. It’s an appointment-based tour starting at $155 for 2 people. We turned it down because we were just walk-in visitors, but enthusiasts can tour their estate, meet their retired riding horses, and have a pizza and wine after.
Other Noteworthy Cideries in Adelaide Hills
Some cideries in Adelaide Hills only sell online or distribute to stockists, like restaurants or pubs. I told my friends we should also look out for these cideries. A couple we eyed were Rusty Bikes & Wines, and Wicker Man Cider!
Rusty Bikes & Wines is on Range Road, Houghton, and we purchased their beverages through their online store. We bought their newest release, the Easy Rider selection. It has a range of flavours, like apple, lemonade, pomegranate, peach, and blood orange!
While Wicker Man Cider operates in Adelaide Hills, they only distribute their products to Adelaide restaurants, pubs, and cafes. We were able to try their apple cider at Big Shed Brewing on Old Port Road, Royal Park. The cider tasted rich and tart, much of it because of the cold fermentation the cidery uses.
