Sidewood claims historic Royal Adelaide Pinot Noir Trophy after 17 years!

Single-vineyard 2025 signals a coming of age for Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

Sidewood Estate’s 2025 Pinot Noir has won the Trophy at the 2026 Royal Adelaide Wine Show, becoming the first South Australian Pinot Noir from the Adelaide Hills to receive the trophy in the show’s history after 17 years! 

Sourced entirely from Sidewood’s Mappinga Road vineyard in Oakbank, the wine combines six clones: Abel, Oberlin, 777, MV6, 667 and Pommard.

The addition of Pommard and 667 distinguishes the 2025 blend from previous vintages, expanding its composition from four clones to six. Together with what Sidewood describes as a perfect growing season, the additions provided greater scope for complexity in the finished wine.

“For us, 2025 brought together the benefits of vineyard development, a broader clonal palette and a perfect growing season,” says owner and vigneron Owen Inglis. “Pommard and 667 added another layer to the blend, complementing the four clones we had already been working with.”

Sidewood planted its first Pinot Noir vines 15 years ago. Its Pinot Noir programme now encompasses eight clones, with 114 and 115 coming on stream alongside the six used in the 2025 wine.

The estate’s approach is grounded in understanding how each clone performs at Mappinga Road and how the individual components work together to express the vineyard.

“Each vintage adds to our understanding of this site,” says Inglis. “Having more clones gives us more options, but the purpose is to make a more complete wine that reflects where it was grown.”

For Sidewood, the trophy also marks a coming of age for Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir. The estate sees the region’s continuing development as a producer of still Pinot Noir being driven by maturing vineyards and increasing familiarity with the variety among its winemakers and viticulturists.

“The quality of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir has come on enormously as the vines have matured and we have learnt more about working with them,” says Inglis. “This is a significant milestone for the region, and we believe the wines will continue to get better.”

 Wish to add the 2025 Estate Pinor Noir to the collection, Click here 

About Sidewood Estate

Founded in 2004 by Owen and Cassandra Inglis, Sidewood Estate is a family-owned Adelaide Hills wine producer. Its wines reflect a commitment to expressing the region through careful vineyard management and winemaking.

Sidewood’s Mappinga Road vineyard in Oakbank is the single-vineyard source of its trophy-winning 2025 Pinot Noir.

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