Australia · Adelaide Hills

Paracombe Premium Wines

On an ancient plateau in the Adelaide Hills, Paracombe turns hand-pruned estate and local-grower fruit into fresh Sauvignon Blanc, structured Cabernet and oak-spiced Shiraz.

The producer

Paul and Kathy Drogemuller began Paracombe after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, taking on a burnt-out former dairy farm at Paracombe with no previous winemaking or grape-growing background. The vineyard venture became Paracombe Wines in 1992; today, Paul is listed as both winemaker and viticulturalist. Fruit from the estate and specialist local growers is made, matured and bottled onsite, linking vineyard work directly to the finished wines.

Cut grass beneath the vines helps retain water and encourage worm activity, while hand-pruning limits yields. In the cellar, Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is fermented in stainless steel and held on lees for four months, bringing green apple, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, pineapple and lime over fresh acidity. Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 brings blackberry, dark cherry, plum, herbs and fine spicy tannin, while Shiraz 2018 combines blueberry and dark plum with French-oak spice, pepper, dark chocolate and cool mint.

Known for

Adelaide Hills wines from a family-founded plateau vineyard, spanning lees-aged Sauvignon Blanc and structured Cabernet and Shiraz.

Notable facts

The story

The tin-shed cellar

After the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, Paul and Kathy Drogemuller took on a burnt-out former dairy farm at Paracombe despite having no previous background in grape growing or winemaking. They planted vines and made their first wines in a tin shed. The early cellar equipment was assembled from what they could find: a homemade basket press, secondhand milk tanks and a secondhand crusher. The vineyard venture began from that damaged farm, and Paracombe Wines launched commercially in 1992 around the homestead gardens. At the launch, Kathy was eight months pregnant with their second child, Sarah.

From the atlas

Paracombe Premium Wines

At A Glance

Paracombe Premium Wines is a family-founded Adelaide Hills winery on an ancient plateau at Paracombe. Paul and Kathy Drogemuller began the vineyard venture after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, and the range now runs from aromatic Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, made, matured and bottled onsite.

The Producer

Paul and Kathy Drogemuller took on a burnt-out former dairy farm with no prior grape-growing or winemaking background. The farm became a vineyard after 1983; Paracombe Wines launched commercially in 1992. Paul is listed as both winemaker and viticulturalist, linking the hand-pruned vines directly to wines finished at the property.

Place

Paracombe sits in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, on the estate’s ancient plateau. The site is the fixed point for the estate fruit, while specialist local growers extend the fruit supply; Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz therefore sit in one Adelaide Hills range rather than in a single-vineyard catalogue.

Soil And Site

No named soil type is established here, but the ground is worked with practical measures: cut grass is laid beneath vines to retain water and encourage worm activity, while organic-based composts and fertilizers support soil health. Hand-pruning restricts yields, concentrating the crop the winery takes into its white and red wines.

Story

The estate began with recovery work rather than a ready-made winery. After the bushfires, Paul and Kathy turned the damaged dairy property into a vineyard, then built a business able to make, mature and bottle wine in the same place. The shift from farm to winery frames the current range: estate fruit is joined by selected local fruit, then handled under one roof from harvest through release.

Vineyards And Cellar

Vineyard work aims at grape quality through restricted yields, mulch and soil care. In the cellar, Paracombe describes a gentle, minimally interventionist approach; reds receive restrained oak and time in the cellar before release. That approach leaves Sauvignon Blanc able to carry bright fruit and lees texture, while Cabernet and Shiraz can hold dark fruit, spice and tannin without heavy oak flavour taking over.

Wines

The range has three clear shapes. Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is a varietal white fermented in stainless steel and kept on lees for four months, built around fresh fruit and a light textural layer. Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is 100% Cabernet, combining fruit from Paracombe’s 1992 plantings with Cabernet clones from the Waugh family vineyard; it brings dark berry fruit, herbs and fine spicy tannin. Shiraz 2018 spent 20 months in barrel, placing ripe blueberry and plum alongside French-oak spice, pepper and dark chocolate.

In The Glass

Sauvignon Blanc opens with green apple, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, pineapple and lime. Stainless-steel fermentation keeps the fruit direct, while four months on lees adds texture beneath its fresh acidity; the finish stays bright and dry. Cabernet moves from blackberry, soft leather, floral notes, oak and spice into dark cherry, plum and herbs, then closes with long, fine tannin and a spicy finish. Shiraz is broader in body: blueberry and dark plum meet pepper, chocolate and herbal notes, with cool mint at the finish after its extended barrel maturation.

A Bottle To Understand It

Begin with Paracombe Sauvignon Blanc 2025. It shows the producer’s white-wine side in a direct form: varietal Sauvignon Blanc, stainless-steel fermentation and four months on lees. Expect green apple, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, pineapple and lime, with fresh acidity carrying the fruit and lees contact supplying a little extra texture through the dry finish.

Anecdote

After the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, Paul and Kathy Drogemuller took on a burnt-out former dairy farm at Paracombe despite having no background in grape growing or winemaking. They planted vines and made their first wines in a tin shed. The equipment was improvised: a homemade basket press, secondhand milk tanks and a secondhand crusher. The commercial Paracombe Wines launch followed in 1992, around the homestead gardens, when Kathy was eight months pregnant with their second child, Sarah.

Final Word

Paracombe’s useful contrast is physical and easy to taste: plateau-grown Adelaide Hills fruit, hand-worked vines and onsite cellar work, expressed as citrus-and-lees Sauvignon Blanc, tannic Cabernet and barrel-spiced Shiraz.

Sources

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