‘Bittersweet’: Hills wine label on the market
A leading alternative Adelaide Hills wine brand and its cellar door are being sold with one owner overwhelmed by the response to the decision.
Adelaide Hills wine brand Artwine Estate is up for sale in a decision one of its owners describes as “bittersweet.”
Artwine Estate, which was established in 2008, specialises in alternative Mediterranean wines with varieties including Pinot Noir, Gamay, Prosecco and Arneis.
Owners Judy and Glen Kelly have announced they are selling the business and 21-acre property at Woodside, including its cellar door, the brand and existing stock and 15 acres under vine.
Owner and co-founder Judy Kelly felt it was time to retire, saying she “just wants a bit of real life”.
“When you’ve got a business like that, it’s seven days a week – even if you’re not working on it, your head’s there, so it’s very much a full-on situation for us,” she said.
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“We started a bit later than we should have, and at the end of the day, it becomes too much, and we’re tired”.
Kelly had previously tried to sell Artwine in 2025 but said that this is “another big push” rather than a second attempt, after silently trying to sell the business last year.
She was taken aback by the response to a social media post recently announcing the couple were selling.
“I was surprised that a quiet [social media] post, with no AI on it or anything else – just an honest, from-the-heart post – has had so many views. It’s unbelievable,” she said.
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“We’ve had close to 20,000 views between Instagram and Facebook, we’ve never had that on any post before.
“It’s been very heartwarming to read all the replies back to us.”
It comes as the South Australian wine industry faces significant pressures in the face of rising prices, a global grape oversupply and a decline in ‘wine tourism’, with total wine exports down 19.6 per cent on 2025 figures.
The state government pledged $109 million to the industry in support in September, including $100 million to help growers tear up and transition vineyards and $5 million to help drive international demand for South Australian wine over the next two years.
While Kelly said the turmoil facing the industry was not behind her decision to sell, Artwine had been able to survive thanks to their focus on “good quality wines and interesting varieties,” as well as their emphasis on creating personal experiences for visitors.
“I think wine tourism has certainly suffered since Covid days […] after Covid we now do seated tastings with a cheese tasting plate; we make it very, very personal, that’s what people are looking for.
“But I’m a great believer [that] it will come back, and it will make sense again.”
Kelly said she intends to travel more with her family in retirement, having family in Singapore.
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