Wine Region	Adelaide Hills, SA
Wine Maker	Martin Shaw, Michael Hill Smith
Shaw + Smith began over a long lunch in 1989 when cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith decided to realize a long held dream to make wine together. They specialise in Sauvignon Blanc, a single vineyard Chardonnay, cool climate Shiraz and more recently small batches of Riesling and Pinot Noir.
Martin Shaw is a winemaker with considerable international experience. He graduated from Roseworthy College in 1981 and worked with Brian Croser at Petaluma for eight years prior to setting up the 'Flying Winemakers' network in France, Spain, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. Martin continues to consult to a number of companies within Australia and overseas. In 1988 Michael Hill Smith became the first Australian to pass the rigorous Master of Wine examination in London. Aside from being a wine producer, Michael is an international wine judge and consultant, and regularly represents the Australian Wine Industry at an international level.
Although grapes were planted as early as 1839, it was not until 1979 that viticulture was revived in the Adelaide Hills. Over the last three decades the Adelaide Hills has built a reputation as one of Australia's most exciting cool climate regions producing distinctive, refined and elegant wines. Today there are more than 60 producers and over 3700 hectares of vineyards.
Located in the Mt Lofty Ranges thirty minutes drive from Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills forms a narrow corridor 70 kms long and 30 kms wide. The undulating topography offers a wide diversity of vineyard sites. The elevation varies from around 400 metres at Macclesfield, to 600 metres at Piccadilly and 700 metres at Mt Lofty. This region is strikingly beautiful with its patchwork of vineyards, forests, beef and dairy farms, apple and pear orchards. The Adelaide Hills is bordered to the north by the Barossa and Eden Valleys with McLaren Vale to the South. Due to its altitude, the Adelaide Hills is significantly cooler than these more traditional regions - on average 4°C cooler during the day and 8°C at night. The cool, dry summer and autumn ripening conditions produces grapes with ideal fruit composition, in terms of concentration, spectrum of flavour and natural acidity. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are particularly well suited to the cool conditions of the region and produce some of Australia's finest examples. Shiraz, Riesling and Pinot Noir are equally impressive, but careful site selection and yield management are essential.
What the critics have to say!
2006 Shaw + Smith Shiraz awarded Gold Medal at 2008 Decanter World Wine Awards.
“Has progressively moved from a contract grape grown base to estate production with the development of a vineyard at Balhannah, followed in 2000 by a state-of-the-art, beautifully designed and executed winery, which ended the long period of tenancy at Petaluma. From a single wine (Sauvignon Blanc) operation, it now makes three benchmark wines (Sauvignon Blanc, M3 Chardonnay and Shiraz) and smaller quantities of cellar door specialties (Riesling and Pinot Noir) all of the highest quality.” Rating 5 star. James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion - 2010