Under the Sun Is a Triple Threat Cellar Door From the Brash Higgins, Golden Child and Poppelvej Teams

Three mates. Three wine labels. One barn.

Meet Under the Sun, a new cellar door and three-way collaboration artisanal wine darlings – Brash Higgins, Golden Child and Poppelvej – recently opened in a converted Aldinga barn.

“Friends and future guests are chomping at the bit to come by and raise a glass,” says Brad Hickey, Brash Higgins winemaker and former sommelier. “Guests can meet the winemakers and taste wines from one winery, or all three.”

As well as Hickey, James Hamilton of Golden Child and Uffe Deichmann of Poppelvej are on hand to talk through their minimal intervention creations. The three wine labels share the same values when it comes to winemaking.

“Between us, we make pretty much every style of wine,” says Hamilton. “There’s synergy in our winemaking practices, although each of our brands has a distinct style and personality.”

According to Hamilton, having a cellar door is not a luxury, it’s an essential.

“The wine industry is in a tough spot. Opening our own outlet may be the difference between surviving and throwing in the towel. We love our distributors, but there’s something about looking someone in the eye, making conversation, and pouring them a glass of wine from a bottle you’ve grown and produced,” he says.

A vivid mural by local artist Ella Simpson on the southern wall shows a sun dipping behind the Sellicks Hills. It’s a sight that captured Danish-native Deichmann’s imagination on a 2012 trip to the region.

“I vividly remember driving on Victor Harbor Road towards McLaren Vale and the whole valley and Gulf opened up in front of me with colour combinations like a Claude Monet painting,” he says. “I remember thinking that if I ever settled down and made wine in Australia, this would be the place – and here we are 10 years later.”

There’s room for 20 indoors and an additional 40 seats in the courtyard.

The fit-out was a family affair for Deichmann. His wife, ceramicist Nicole Deichmann, made the crockery, and her father Gary McArthur crafted the wooden bars.

The old barn was once home to Fall From Grace wine bar, which relocated up the road and is now run by chefs Jimmy Toone and Jo Leal. The Little Rickshaw, Goodness Coffee Co, Rustic Thai and Kick Back Brewing are also nearby, creating a popular food and beverage precinct.

“[In its previous iterations], it had a nice vibe with a beer garden, outdoor pizza ovens,” says Hickey. “We look forward to firing those ovens up occasionally and having a nice spot for folks to chill before dinner at one of the neighbouring restaurants.”

From mid-January, Under the Sun will open as a wine bar after 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays when the vibe is right – keep an eye on the venue’s Instagram to know when that is.

It’ll be the sort of space where guests can relax outside with a bottle under the fairy lights. “We see the space as an asset to the community; we’ll introduce our neighbours to new winemakers, artists and chefs we dig,” says Hickey.

They also plan to host wine education classes and special events. “Anything under the sun that helps make this a better place to live.”

Under the Sun

22 Old Coach Road, Aldinga 

No phone

Hours:

Wed to Sun 11am–5pm

Open late on some Friday and Saturday nights, check Instagram for details.

underthesunwine.com

@underthesunwine