The Simon Hackett story goes back well before the establishment of Simon Hackett  Wines. Four generations of the Hackett family followed agricultural pursuits in South Australia. In 1860, Simon’s great uncle attended the esteemed Roseworthy Agricultural College whilst Simon’s father was a graduate in the inaugural Oenology Course at the college in 1938.

Simon grew up in an atmosphere steeped in wine, spending his boyhood in the Barossa Valley alongside his father, who was General Manager and a Director of the giant Barossa Valley Distillery, Tarac International. The family home was situated next to the sprawling Saltram Winery outside Angaston. Given this environment, it was not surprising that Simon, at the age of eighteen, elected to follow a career in winemaking and joined the team at the neighbouring Saltram Winery.

Serving his apprenticeship under the watchful eye of master winemaker, Peter Lehmann, Simon progressed through the ‘Saltram ranks’. In 1970 he completed a vintage in the Hunter Valley Region of New South Wales, before returning to the Saltram Winery for another two years.

In 1973 Simon decided to move to McLaren Vale thus his association with the region began and continues today. Simon’s first vintage in McLaren Vale was at the Southern Vales Co-operative Winery, where he worked with the outstanding winemaking team of Grant Burge and Ian Wilson. After eight years he was appointed Senior Winemaker at Southern Vales Co-operative Winery, now known as Tatachilla Wines.

In 1984, Simon decided to leave Southern Vales Winery and concentrate fully on establishing his own boutique winery situated in McLaren Vale.

Once out on his own Simon quickly re-established his links with the Barossa Valley and now crushes grapes grown in McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills regions of South Australia at his own winery at the gateway to the McLaren Vale vineyards.

Today, Simon Hackett is a boutique wine maker in every sense of the word. He produces a selection of red and white wines under his own, very distinctive label. Having established his own company in late 1984, Simon’s dream was not to create an ‘empire’ but to remain small, producing limited stocks of wine each year for semi private use. Luckily for us he decided to launch the company as a full time project after only a few years. 

The Simon Hackett brand has gone from strength to strength and production is now around 20,000 cases per year. The last few years have seen Simon introduce a stunning limited release Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills.

Simon’s winery, originally a disused cellar on a hill overlooking the beautiful McLaren Vale, is situated on the last rise as you enter the McLaren Vale region from Adelaide, easily visible and just off Budgens Road. The cellar door is light, bright and magnificently appointed with a long arched veranda looking out over the surrounding vineyards and countryside.