Jones Road

Jones Road, a delightful route meandering between the pretty villages of Balhannah and Hahndorf may have a bland name, but it captures the essence of the picturesque Adelaide Hills.

Lush vineyards and green pastures clothe a landscape dotted with dams, magnificent gums and grazing cattle. Flaxen hills, beautiful in their barrenness, form a striking backdrop to the postcard-perfect scene.

All this beauty unfolds on a leisurely day trip in the Hills to celebrate our 6^th anniversary and we are taking a road less travelled by tourists. Now we stop the car to photograph a lone ibis splashing himself in a dam as if he were taking a shower. We lean the camera upon a quaint rusty gate attached to two old worn tree stumps and wonder if it dates back to famous Hahndorf artist, Sir Hans Heysen’s era. We notice brown cows resting among long grass under a sprawling gum and we snap again.

Four top Adelaide Hills wineries are within cooee of here and the attractive stone entrances to Nepenthe on the left, Shaw and Smith on the right of Jones Road beckon wine buffs. An avenue of glorious groomed conifer pines along Johnson Road adds majesty to the scenario. And Hahndorf Hill winery is a stone’s throw down Pain Road.

However, we drive past them on our way to The Lane Vineyard until we reach a fork where the road takes a sharp right to become Balhannah Road into Hahndorf. We turn left along Paech Brothers Road which leads to The Lane Vineyard bistro and cellar door on Ravenswood Lane. It is a spectacular destination, sitting high on a hill overlooking a sweeping landscape of vines to the valley below where a dam sparkles in the afternoon sun.

Sommaliere, Alister Robertson is the son of a female friend and with a commanding “leave the wine selection to me’’ we settle in for an afternoon of wine tasting accompanied by tasty dishes prepared by chef James Brinkler.

“The restaurant is here to complement the wines,’’ begins Alister.

He places three wine glasses before us, pouring The Lane’s The Gathering Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, 2008, in one, and a Ravenswood Lane Chardonnay 2007 into another. “The Gathering is stored in French barrels,’’ says Alister, adding that Wine Business Magazine awarded it 96 points.

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