Uh oh, South Australian wineries. Where to start!

If you’re planning a trip to wine country, you better be well prepared. All 18 of SA’s regions are swirling with local wine producers – many known nationwide and around the world – earning the state the enviable title of Australia’s “Great Wine Capital”.

Whether you’re tripping through Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley or Adelaide Hills (or all of the above) we’ve scouted out our favourite spots to taste some local drops. These are 20 of the best wineries in South Australia.

Jump to:
Barossa Valley
Adelaide Hills
McClaren Vale
Clare Valley

Barossa Valley
 

Château Tanunda

Image credit: Food Wine Travel

Château Tanunda is one of Australia’s most historically significant wineries. Established in 1890, the Château is a cornerstone of the Barossa wine industry and is the site of the Valley’s first winery, as well as its first vineyards planted back in 1843. Surrounded by vineyards and landscaped gardens, the majestic bluestone winery houses one of the most beautiful cellar doors in the country. Here you can taste and purchase from the famous Château Tanunda wine range while surrounded by hundreds of oak barrels of maturing wine, before a stroll around the gardens or a game on the croquet lawn. 

Seppeltsfield Vineyard

Image credit: Seppeltsfield Vineyard

Established in 1851, Seppeltsfield Estate has been hailed by some as the most historic winery and greatest showpiece in the Barossa. The Estate has evolved into a tourism village offering wine, food, craft, design, art and retail experiences, with the winery and cellar door at its heart. Seppeltsfield is most famed for the Centennial Cellar, housing the longest unbroken line of Single Vintage Tawnys in the world, dating back to 1878. Each year, the winery releases a 100 Year Old Tawny from the collection, and visitors can taste this wine directly from the barrel on a tour.

Jacob’s Creek

Image credit: Wineries of South Australia

World-famous Jacobs Creek is based at the centre of the Barossa, with a wine estate that boasts a range of sophisticated food and wine experiences. You can take a cooking class, match wine with food, learn about the fermenting process, explore the vineyards and discover the history of the Barossa’s first commercial vineyard. You can even hire a bike and cycle down the Jack Bobridge Bike Trail with a picnic and a bottle of wine.

Kies Wines
Image credit: Kies Family Wines

Recognisable by its 1800’s ironstone cottage cellar door, Kies Wines  takes you back in time with a raw rustic charm, where you can taste its extensive range of wines, all sourced from the surrounding vineyards.You can also tour the state-of-the-art winemaking facility with winemaker Bronson Kies, indulge in a feast at the Monkey Nut Cafe or relax with a tea from Kies Teas.

Yalumba

Image credit: Yalumba

Fun fact: Yalumba is the only winery in Australia – and only one of a few worldwide – to craft their own oak barrels onsite. During the week, visitors can explore the cooperage on a self-guided tour, smell the woody scent and see the coopers in a workshop that dates back to the late 1800s. Elsewhere, you can take a stroll round the landscaped grounds overlooked by the estate’s historic clock tower. 

Adelaide Hills
 

Shaw + Smith

Image credit: SALIFE

Shaw + Smith owns two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, totalling 55 hectares. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz. Visitors can join a tour of the winery and vineyard at Balhannah and tuck into some bottles at one of the estate’s tasting rooms, alongside seasonal plates from its cold larger menu. 

Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyards

Image credit: Australian Good Food Guide

This family-owned boutique winery opened one of Adelaide Hills’ first cellar doors back in the ‘90’s, and has since added a hatted restaurant based on local and regional SA-sourced produce. Once an apple orchard back, Mount Lofty Ranges is all about cool climate premium wines, with minimal intervention to enable its fruity flavours to shine through. The owners have also maintained half of the property as natural bushland, home to a bunch of koalas, kangaroos and echidnas.

Sidewood Estate

Image credit: Tripadvisor

Set on a gently sloping corner of the Adelaide Hills, Sidewood Estate prides itself on being the largest certified sustainable winery in the region. Its 120-hectare Mappinga estate near Oakbank grows premium Sauvignon and Chardonnay vines, while Sidewood also owns a specialist shiraz site at Echunga, with winery and bottling facilities at Nairne.

Golding Wines

Image credit: Hills Wanderer

Situated high in the Adelaide Hills on the outskirts of Lobethal, Golding Wines’ Western Branch Vineyard is home to a tasting room, a restaurant and a lush garden and landscaped terraces. Its restaurant, named for the beautiful Ginkgo Biloba trees that grow at the winery, is abundant with local seasonal produce, while visitors can also tuck into a wine tasting at its stone barn – which includes vintages exclusive only to cellar door patrons.

CRFT Wines

Image credit: CRFT Wines

CRFT Wines’ winery and tasting rooms are based within its stunning organic Arranmore property in Piccadilly Valley. You’ll find the tasting room inside a converted 1900’s shearing shed and stables, where you can make your way through five CRFT small-batch wines while nibbling at a grazing plate stacked with local produce. There’s a roaring fireplace for cold days, and a terrace bar for when the sun’s shining, and you can also grab wines by the glass and takeaway bottles. 

McClaren Vale
 

Down The Rabbit Hole

Image credit: Tripadvisor

As you can tell from the name – and the fantastical pale-blue double-decker bus out front – Down The Rabbit Hole isn’t your standard winery. This Insta-famous venue, featuring a creek-side cellar door and eatery, is well worth a visit. You can experience a guided wine tasting aboard the bus, join a picnic of cheeseboards and pizzas, and shop at the on-site Source of Love store, which supports those in need in the local community. 

Hither & Yon

Image credit: Adelady

What started out as a “bottle project” in 2011, Hither & Yon has quickly become one of Mclaren Vale’s most-loved wine brands. Its cellar door lives within the walls of a 1860’s butcher’s shop, sharing the space with a café and providore next door, de Rose Kitchen. Only 14 people can enter at one time, with a sumptuous tasting list composed of five wines that changes seasonally. 

d’Arenberg

Image credit: Great Wine Capitals

Now for something completely different… The d’Arenberg winery is a family-owned estate, best known for the d’Arenberg Cube – a five-story building noted for its distinctive geometric design that resembles a glass Rubik’s Cube. The building features a restaurant, a wine tasting room, a virtual fermenter, a 360-degree video room and its Alternate Realities Museum, housing a number of art installations. 

Wirra Wirra Wines

Image credit: Wirra Wirra Vineyards

The ironstone cellars of Wirra Wirra were built in 1894 by an eccentric former state cricketer, who absconded to McLaren Vale after embarrassing his family too many times (or so the story goes). In keeping with his reputation for shenanigans, visitors to the winery may hear a ¾ tonne bell ringing at random, or watermelons being thrown off a giant mediaeval siege machine (don’t ask). As its Indigenous name suggests, Wirra Wirra is “amongst the gums”, and is best known for its famous red “Church Block” blend.

Coriole Vineyards 

Image credit: Mclarenvale.com.au

The cellar door, winery and restaurant at Coriole Vineyards sits on the Seaview ridge of the picturesque McLaren Vale region. Steeped in the region's wine making history, Coriole has been known for producing estate-grown shiraz and cabernet, and since the 1980s, has pioneered a range of Mediterranean varieties including sangiovese, fiano and piquepoul.

Clare Valley 
 

Jim Barry

Image credit: Tripadvisor

Jim of Jim Barry Wines was – or so we’re told – the first qualified winemaker in the Clare Valley, and went on to become a pioneer of Australian table wine. Over the last 60 years his family has worked to establish as many as 17 vineyards covering 320 hectares in the Clare Valley as well as two vineyards covering 35 hectares in the Coonawarra. His eponymous winery, which doubles as boutique accommodation,  features a cellar door with immersive tastings and the chance to try premium wines no longer available to the public. 

Skillogalee Wines

Image credit: Skillogalee Wines

Since 1970, Skillogalee – or Skilly, as it’s known – has been committed to the art of authentic, hand-crafted winemaking, producing acclaimed wines that embody the unique terroir of Clare Valley’s high-elevation, hillside vineyards. Skilly Valley is a unique single estate property that embraces the pristine natural beauty and rich biodiversity of the Spring Gully Conservation Park.

clos Clare

Image credit: clos Clare

Majoring in Clare Valley riesling, grenache and shiraz, clos Clare is a boutique winery located in a private corner of the famous Florita vineyard in Watervale. Run by brothers Tom and Sam Barry – of Jim Barry descendancy – the cellar door is located within the iconic Warilto Homestead, originally constructed back in 1892.

O’Leary Walker Wines

Image credit: Tripadvisor

O’Leary Walker Wines was established in 2000 by winemakers (and best buds) David O’Leary and Nick Walker. The pair are known for making a diverse range of varietals, including riesling, shiraz, chardonnay and the lesser-known nero d’avola. Visitors to O’Leary WalkerFrom can sip everything from single-vineyard chardonnay to shiraz grown from century-old vines, with the choice of a house-made grazing table, an intimate dinner, or a picture-perfect picnic experience.

Kilikanoon Wines

Image credit: Kilikanoon Vineyard

Named Australia’s best producer eight times by the Mundus Vini Grand International Wine Awards, Kilikanoon is a bit of a big name in Clare Valley. Set in an original 1860s farmhouse in Penwortham, its cellar door offers cosy indoor tastings, where you can huddle up by the wood fire or gaze upon panoramic views of Skilly Valley and Tregea vineyard from its terrace. They also offer something called the “Diversity of Clare” tasting, a selection from over 20 wines that showcase the variety and quality of Clare Valley vintages.