Next we headed just north of Clare to Sevenhills, site of the first winery in the area.

Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) fled Central Europe in the mid 1800's to be relieved of the religious persecutions facing their order. Facing a four-month voyage to Australia, the Jesuits joined many emigrants in searching for a new life in the Great Southern Land, arriving on South Australian soil in 1848. 

After landing, one of the priests, Father Kranewitter, was sent North with a group of over 100 German and Silesian migrants, travelling 120km to the Clare village. Having arrived in December of 1848, he was soon joined by Brothers Georg Sadler and Joannes Schreiner, and amid the beautiful rolling hills of the Clare Valley is where they decided to establish their Mission. Purchasing 100 acres of land in 1849, the young priest named the property Sevenhill in honour of the seven hills of Rome. 

The creation of gardens and orchards were prioritised, along with the building of basic accommodation. The first grapevines were planted in 1851 to alleviate the costly need to purchase wine from Europe. Local production would begin 5 years later, with a focus on providing Sacramental Wine for faith communities to celebrate the Eucharist. In time, some 34 churches and 27 schools were established, and a college was founded at Sevenhill alongside a ministry for day and boarding boys. It operated as a novitiate and scholasticate for young men entering the Jesuit order. 

In 1858, a decade after Father Kranewitter set foot in the Clare Valley, Sevenhill Cellars entered their inaugural wine competition, going on to win first prize at the Auburn Agricultural Exhibition.

We tasted some of their very nice wines before taking a really interesting walking tour around the site. We visited the beautiful church and crypt underneath, and saw many references to Saint Mary MacKillop, whose brothers attended school here.