Beyond Ink : Winery, Tasting room & Restaurant Design, Council Planning
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
The Lane Vineyard has become an iconic Adelaide Hills destination and just last week won Best Winery Restaurant in AUSTRALIA at the National Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence under CEO Jared Stringer, Head Chef Tom Robinson and their team. Over the years we have been delighted to witness their growth and achievements, from very humble beginnings to the impressive success story they are today. This latest award has prompted us to reminisce about where our relationship with The Lane all began.
From 1993 the vineyards on Ravenswood Lane had been owned by John and Helen Edwards, both prominent figures in the Australian wine industry. A small production and woodworking shed was all that existed on the hill where the current main building now sits.
In 2005, somewhere, in a restaurant in Norwood, John Edwards and John Ashcroft were at lunch. The afternoon turned into an impromptu brain-storming session for a new winery and restaurant on the property at Ravenswood Lane. John A. grabbed an order pad from a passing waiter and began sketching out ideas of John E’s vision. That notepad has since been passed on to Johns E’s son, but it commemorates the moment where BEYOND INK’s journey with The Lane Vineyard began.
The first addition was the underground cellar / barrel hall and the extension of the production winery shed. The Lane Vineyard was born.
From the beginning John and Helen wanted to create a sophisticated space to enjoy a memorable pairing of quality food with their wines. The spacious restaurant and deck was designed to provide a bright dining area that made the most of the long panoramic views over the vineyards towards Mount Lofty.
The business was sold in 2012 to the UK’s Vestey Group with John Edward’s son, Marty Edwards continuing on as Co General Manager along with Ben Tolstachev.
In 2015 the building grew again, with the addition of the a dedicated tasting room. Providing another bright, spacious area to offer various tasting experiences, while still enjoying the spectacular views.
Up until 2018, the area to the north of the restaurant was utilised as a car park. It was felt this area could better utilised and another addition was realised. A large terrace replaced the carpark and provided a space for up to 400 patrons and options for more pared back experiences. This addition provided a more inclusive, family friendly offering.
As The Lane grew in popularity and its offerings were refined, BEYOND INK assisted to ensure the building evolved to suit new needs as they arose. Aside from the larger additions mentioned above, smaller adjustments were added over the years. A closed-in area was added to the deck to increase the restaurant space, a cool room was added in the rear, carparking areas, loading areas and licensing areas have changed, requiring new approvals through council and a servery assists in servicing the Terrace space.
In late 2019, Jared Stringer took the reins as CEO of The Lane and we have been privileged to continue to enjoy a good working relationship with Jared as he has lead his team from strength to strength.
At every stage of the design process there was a close collaboration between BEYOND INK and the passionate owners and managers, to bring their vision for The Lane to life. We have enjoyed a positive, long-term relationship with the Lane which has seen the built environs expand and evolve over time and the result is a project we are truly proud of. We look forward to continuing to work with Jared and The Lane team, and we are excited to see what is next for this magnificent Adelaide Hills success story.
The original shed still exists at the back of the building, a testament to it’s humble beginnings.