When James and Sophie Erskine paused for a moment to look out over their Adelaide Hills farm last weekend, they were moved. This magical patch of Peramangk Country is home to an organic orchard, vineyard, winery and, as of December 19, a new cellar door.
“It’s been a big week,” James says. “We bought the cherry farm in 2018 with some big visions, including the establishment of vineyards and new orchards. We finished planting the last of the vineyards this week.”
In addition to grape-growing, winemaking, and pick-your-own cherry experiences, the couple have run a hair salon, yoga studio and music festivals on the property. Sophie recently downed her hairdressing tools to focus solely on the cellar door and creating a space where the passionate Jauma community can converge.
“Opening weekend was such a success,” she says. “We’ve had a constant flow of incredible humans coming in – people who’ve followed us for a long time, people who have been to our festivals and events, and others who rocked up just because they saw it was open on the day.”
The cellar door is charming and wholesome, much like its owners. What was once an old worker’s cottage is now a rustic haunt with space for 30 visitors. The couple renovated it themselves with help from a carpenter, recycling many items from the farm, including a large barn door thought to date back to the days when the property was owned by geologist and Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson.
“The goal was to create something that feels like walking into a home,” Sophie says. “It’s very warm – it’s not meant to feel like it’s been pulled out of the interior design magazine.”
Seated tastings are $20 per person and include six wines, which could be grenache grown in McClaren Flat, chenin blanc from Blewitt Springs or an unusual blend like arneis, grenache and chenin. Everything is farmed organically and vinified with zero added sulphur (still a rarity in Australia) and no filtration. The wines are young, vibrant, “living” and always come with a side of good conversation.
“The connection and the community that can build around wine is what really brings us a sense of true purpose,” Sophie says. “Jauma is distributed to bars, restaurants and bottle shops all around Australia and internationally for 16 years now, which is beautiful, but having a regular place where people can come and try the wine in the place it’s made, and sit with us, was the most important factor.”
The cellar door is open every Saturday throughout the year, with two special extended weekends over the festive season. Food will be added early next year, leaning on the farm’s veggie garden for house-made bread, scones, pickles, purees, dips, cheeses and sausages. The couple also plans to host collaborative chef dinners for 20 to 30 Jauma members at a time.
“This is a small family business,” Sophie says. “We make the wine and we’re the ones pouring the wine. We’re not trying to make a huge commercialised business out of this. This is just an extension of what we already live and breathe.”
Jauma
677 Mawson Road, Lenswood
0408075138
Hours
Sat 12pm–5pm