The picturesque Chapel Hill vineyards stretch across the historic Seaview sub-region of McLaren Vale. The area was first settled soon-after the colony of South Australia was proclaimed in 1836.

During the 1850s the landscape of the region transformed from wheat growing, grazing and mixed farming to orcharding and vineyards. A colonial wine industry began to gather steam in the 1860s with growing exports to England, India, New Zealand and other corners of the Empire.

The settlers, mostly of English origin, were less religious than the Lutherans of the Barossa Valley, but the church still played an important part in the daily lives of family.

Our 1865 Chapel was a local landmark where social gatherings including tennis competitions and cricket took place. For many years it was also the Seaview community’s local school. The region’s proximity to Adelaide was brought nearer by better roads and the increasing use of motor-transport.

Village life changed and by 1965 the Chapel was deconsecrated and abandoned.

When Adelaide professor Tom Nelson stumbled on the derelict ironstone chapel and surrounding grazing paddocks in 1971, he first imagined using the land for his wife’s horses, but he soon changed his plans, by planting a vineyard in 1972. The first wines were made in 1975. By 1985 Chapel Hill was exclusively owned by Adelaide’s Gerard family who further invested in vineyards and winery development.

Importantly, the family employed winemaker Pam Dunsford, a wine industry legend, who paved the way for women working as winemakers in the Australian wine industry.

Under her stewardship Chapel Hill became a highly respected name and renowned for its easily accessible yet classic wine styles. In 2022, Pam Dunsford was the recipient of the prestigious Maurice O’Shea Award for her contribution to the Australian wine industry.