5 Star Winery

The Place

The ‘Chain of Ponds’ initially described a creek which ran all the way from beyond Kersbrook to its confluence with the River Torrens near Prairie in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. The area was dotted at regular intervals with small ponds, having no visible connection above the ground but never drying up even in the driest, hottest summers. Much of the chain of water holes known as the Chain of Ponds vanished under the waters of the Millbrook Reservoir in 1918.

Viticulture

The Chain of Ponds winery was established in 1985 on the outskirts of Gumeracha, approximately 4km from the original township. While vineyards have been part of the makeup of the area since colonisation, the Chain of Ponds Winery was the first major planting of any note in the northern area of the Adelaide Hills Wine region. Four thousand vines were initially planted, covering 9 varieties, consisting of 470 vines of each variety, which was further increased with an additional 150 acres planted in 1989. The first vintage being in 1988.  The winery has more recently extended the vineyard boundaries to source fruit from a much broader area of the region, which has added further complexities and subtleties to the wines themselves. Chain of Ponds produces a wide range of products and varieties which are perfectly suited to this cool climate region. The white varietals include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Semillon and Chardonnay. The reds include popular Australian varieties: Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as emerging and exciting varieties for the region: Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Barbera.

Winemaker - Greg Clark

Chain of Ponds winemaker Greg Clack was awarded a winemaking degree at Adelaide University in 2003 and had extensive winemaking experience, working at wineries in the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale before joining Chain of Ponds in 2005. Greg initially working under our founding winemaker Neville Falkenberg, learning some of the secrets to producing elegant, cool climate wines. But in 2007 Neville moved on to other pastures leaving the gate open for Greg to step up and continue Chain of Pond’s drive to produce world class wines.  In 2008 Greg was a finalist in the Young Winemaker of the Year Awards. Throughout his career Greg has earned the respect of his peers for his hard work and attention to quality and has achieved many awards for his wines. He has meticulous attention to detail and is absolutely focused on quality both in the vineyards and in the winery . . . we are sure that his best wines are still to be made!