On a crisp morning in the Piccadilly Valley, the team at Ashton Hills swung open the doors of their cellar door after a three-month winter pause.
Marketing Manager Jessica Hamilton explains it simply.
“We closed after the June long weekend and reopened in September. The cellar door hadn’t really changed since Stephen George’s ownership, so it was time.”
Rather than rush through renovations, the team used the quiet months to rethink how the space works, feels, and welcomes people.
Jessica says they kept the original bones.
“It’s still the beautiful old shed. It still has all the exposed beams, but we softened the edges.”
One of the most striking changes is underfoot. The painted red floor was stripped back to reveal the concrete beneath.
“It’s beautiful, with soft creamy brown tones, and it completely changes the atmosphere.”
You’ll still see the corrugated walls, the fireplace, the timberwork, and now a long bench looking out across the valley.
“We’ve added a window bench with seating that runs almost the entire length of the cellar door. You can sit there with a glass of Pinot Noir and watch the valley change colour,” she says.
Jessica mentions that the focus this time was on comfort and texture. The original lounge chairs have been re-upholstered, and new tables and chairs sourced locally.
“There’s copper, timber and leather. The tones of the new space are warm and textural,” she says.
Behind the bar sits the brand’s signature artwork — the familiar Ashton Hills watercolour, recognised from the wine labels, now re-imagined as a rose-gold copper panel.
The refresh is all about how visitors experience the place. A new self-serve pantry stocked with local produce gives the space a relaxed, generous feel.
“People can help themselves to the boards, cutlery, all the things they need,” Jessica says. “It just makes the experience so much nicer.”
The layout has also evolved. There are new group seating options and a daily 10 am session where the cellar door is closed for a single group booking.
“It’s a really nice way to start the day,” she says.
Behind the scenes, much of the work was done in-house. Jessica credits site manager Shane Venning, who took on joinery and carpentry tasks despite being an agricultural metal sheet worker by trade.
“He built the joinery, the panelling and pretty much everything you see,” Jessica says.
The reopening arrives at an energised time for Ashton Hills, coinciding with four new releases – the 2025 Estate Riesling, 2024 Estate Pinot Noir, 2024 Woods Hill Single Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2024 Bowhouse Single Vineyard Pinot Noir.
The wines themselves continue to reflect the same careful approach that Ashton Hills is known for, thanks to winemaker Liam Van Pelt (feature image).
Each year, Liam sorts through individual barrels to decide which will become the single vineyard releases. The latest include the Woods Hill and Bowhouse Pinot Noirs.
Jessica says his attention to detail is what keeps the wines so distinct.
“Liam spends days tasting through every barrel,” she says.
“He knows the nuances of each vineyard and how to capture their differences. It’s what makes our small-batch wines so special.”
For Jessica, the refreshed space and the new wines feel perfectly aligned.
“People walk in and they say, ‘It’s still Ashton Hills,’ and that’s exactly what we wanted,” she says.
Ashton Hills Vineyard
Where: 126 Tregarthen Rd, Ashton
When: Friday to Monday 11am-5pm
For more information, click here.
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