A mining company whose lawyers have been accused of engaging in bullying and intimidation against an Adelaide Hills winery says it will formally apologise to the family-run business.

Key points: Terramin is trying to block a planned expansion of the Bird In Hand winery next to its proposed gold mine

Terramin is trying to block a planned expansion of the Bird In Hand winery next to its proposed gold mine Its lawyers have been targeting family members' personal email addresses

Its lawyers have been targeting family members' personal email addresses The company says it will formally apologise to the winery over the emails

Terramin plans to establish a gold mine close to Bird In Hand winery near Woodside.

It is trying to block a planned winery expansion, despite the development already having council and State Government approval.

As tensions between the two companies escalate, emails sent between Terramin's lawyers that appear to admit they were targeting the private email addresses of the winery founder's family members were revealed in Parliament by local Liberal MP Dan Cregan.

The winery has accused the company of bullying and intimidation tactics.

One of the lawyers emailed the family members' personal email addresses, even though they were not involved in the case.

"I emailed it to [her] last night largely just to piss the whole family off," Mr Cregan told Parliament the email read.

"I'll get started looking for the grandparents' email addresses," was the reply from another lawyer.

The law firm accidentally copied in the Bird In Hand winery employees on the emails.

Mr Cregan said one of the emails was received by a family member not involved in the dispute when she was taking her son to hospital.

"This does not appear to be the way that any mining company would want or should be represented," Mr Cregan said.

"I raised this matter directly with the Minister [for Mining, Dan van Holst Pellekaan] immediately after becoming aware of it."

A map of the proposed gold mine location, next to the Bird In Hand winery. ( birdinhandgoldmine.com.au )

Terramin chief executive Richard Taylor told ABC Radio Adelaide he was shocked when he saw the content of the emails, and said the law firm was not working under Terramin's instructions.

"When I saw these emails late last night, it was the first time I heard about this and I was appalled," Mr Taylor said.

"The first thing that we did was take severe action against the law firm that provided that information and we're just working with them at the moment to understand, through an investigation, what happened.

"But it was no part of Terramin and we definitely do not condone the messages that were in those emails."

Legal action doesn't suggest co-existing, winery says

Mr Taylor said Terramin was trying to work with Bird In Hand winery over the dispute.

"We have some concerns about the development, concerns that we think we could work with Bird In Hand winery to address, but we weren't provided with the opportunity to do it," he said.

"We believe we can co-exist.

"Bird In Hand winery has made it clear they cannot co-exist with their application."

But the winery's communication executive, Chiara Marling, questioned that sentiment, given the legal action Terramin is taking.

"The notice of appeal that we received, the orders that were sought was for the development planned consent that has been granted to be completely quashed," she said.

"There are no orders sought to co-exist in any way and we keep hearing Terramin wants to co-exist with the community, but its actions suggest otherwise."

Mr van Holst Pellekaan said it was "terribly disappointing" to learn of the emails, but there was not much else he could do.

"The mining company has said that they were not aware of it. The mining company has said that they are incredibly disappointed with what the legal firm did of its own volition," he said.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if the mining company was considering if they wanted to stay with that legal firm or not, but of course that's their business to decide that."