It’s unsettling how quickly a dream can go up in flames. In 2015, Greg and Katrina Horner watched their Adelaide Hills vineyard and farm burn during the Sampson Flat bushfire.
Nearly a decade later, they’ve rebuilt, but the bar over which they pour their Mt Bera organic and biodynamic wines – a large slab of char-rimmed red gum salvaged from the burnt landscape – serves as a reminder of that day.
“It all went up in smoke, but that section of red gum is still beautiful,” Greg says.
In the years following the fire, they cut 25,000 vines back to ground level, and gradually replaced kilometres of posts, wires and dripper lines.
As 2024 draws to a close, the Horners are ushering in a new chapter for the property in the form of a restaurant renovation, an impressive new cellar door and an intimate 14-seater underground dining space.
Amanda Shier Design spearheaded the impressive fit-out, which incorporates the original winery cellar with plant roots weaving their way through the mixture of slate, sandstone and quartz.
“The aim was to highlight the rustic nature of the site,” Greg says. “We also wanted distinctly different spaces.”
A private underground cellar hosts intimate dining experiences, tastings and events, while the slick ground-level tasting space is dotted with tables made using timber from the property. Here, snacks prepared by the restaurant team, led by Colombian head chef Manuel Prieto, include kingfish ceviche, and chorizo and Wagyu empanadas.
Upstairs, the restaurant looks out over the Torrens Valley and towering Mount Bera, from which the label takes its name.
“The Torrens is like a spine through the middle of the property,” Greg says. “From the restaurant balcony, it feels like you’re in the treetops.”
The restaurant’s menu stretches from small plates to larger protein-driven dishes like Abelsway Farm chicken breast with gochujang tomato and potato puree, and lamb rack with burnt carrot puree. Dessert highlights include affogato, a Frangelico chocolate brownie, and a pinot noir strudel.
The steep, curvaceous landscape the Horners and their four children call home was originally an orchard farmed by brothers Frederick and John Hannaford in the early 1850s. The first vineyards were established in 1997.
Conversion to certified organic and biodynamic operation was a labour of love. “It’s all about enhancing the life and vitality of the vineyard,” Greg says. “And encouraging positive insects.”
Mt Bera produces a single-vineyard, natural wine offering that includes gruner veltliner, blaufrankisch, zweigelt, merlot, pinot noir, tempranillo, and shiraz. Alternative and emerging grape varieties such as new releases mencia, touriga and malvazija are also championed. Future plans include beer made with single-site hops grown on the property.
For now, special events and functions take place in the gardens, with conviviality fuelled by an outdoor bar, a wood-fired pizza oven, and live music. An 1880s homestead-turned-B&B sleeps eight and provides a beautiful backdrop for on-site weddings.
Mt Bera Cellar Door, Restaurant and Winery
198c Torrens Valley Road, Gumeracha
(08) 8189 6030
Hours:
Mon & Tues closed
Wed to Sun 11am–5pm
