Wineries near Adelaide

Hello,

I have a friend who is going to Adelaide for three weeks for work and would like some recommendations on wineries to visit while he is there. He will be there with his wife and 7 year old son, and he will be with them when they taste.

Thanks

There are lots of options - Adelaide is very well served by wineries within 2 hrs.

Adelaide - Penfolds Magill Estate - great restaurant, Australia’s most famous wine. Only 10 minute drive from the CBD.

Adelaide Hills - most wineries within 1 hr of CBD, Try Shaw & Smith, Deviation Rd (great Fizz), K1 by Geoff Hardy (Italian Varieties), Longview, Ashton Hills (Pinot Noir), Scott La Prova to name a few.

McLaren Vale - less than 1 hr - many, many cellar doors - d’Arenberg, Coriole, Samuel’s Gorge, SC Pannell are some favs. Make time for lunch at the Victory Hotel overlooking the gulf. Say g’day to Doug and Nikki.

Barossa - 1 to 1.5 hrs - lots of famous names - Henschke, Rockford - newcomers like Sons of Eden, Spinifex worth schecking out. Lunch at Fino a must as is dinner at Fermentasian.

Clare Valley - 2 hrs - lovely rolling countryside, great Rieslings. Eat at Seed and Mr Mick.

Langhorne Creek - 1 to 1.5 hrs- past McLaren Vale. Home of Malbec in Australia. Check out Bremerton, Bleasedale, Lake Breeze, Ben Potts

Based on the thread title, I opened the thread to say, “Tablas Creek,” but won’t.

I am also planning a trip to Australia for next year and these recommendations are helpful, many of my favorites on the list. How are the accommodations and restaurants in the towns around the wineries? I would like to avoid lots of driving after dinner and tastings and staying in the local area is always interesting. I could stay in Adelaide and travel back and forth as a backup.

Lots of good Accommodation in the wine districts including good B & Bs which can often be good options.
In Clare Valley Mintaro has some good B & Bs and is a nice quiet spot. Adelaide Hills, Mt Lofty House used to be very good, haven’t stayed there for some time. I am out of touch with McLaren Vale and the Louise is exxy but very good in the Barossa, but I am sure Jeremy Holmes will chime in with more reccos.

For the Barossa:

Dining
fermentAsian: Wonderful wine list. Excellent food.
Vintners Bar and Grill: Food is very good. Decent wine list.
Fino: Some interesting wines on the list. Very good food and a lovely setting. Seppeltsfield cellar door is here too.
The Eatery: An outstanding new lunch only joint run by Elli Beer at Maggie Beer’s farm shop. The cooking is wonderful. Take your own wine.

Wineries
David Franz Lehmann has a fantastic new Cellar Door just out of Tanunda. Food offering is good for lunch.

Standish Wines: By appointment only. Excellent wines.

Elderton: have just opened a new ‘fancy pants’ cellar door. Haven’t been yet but have heard good things.

Langmeil: Good, full flavoured wines.

Rieslingfreak and Michael Hall share a cellar door opposite Langmeil.

Turkey Flat: Excellent set of wines. Cellar door of real character.

Rockford: On most people’s list and with good reason.

Yelland & Papps: Great cellar door. Some interesting and quirky wines.

Flaxman Wines: Col and Fi are awesome people. The wines are well crafted and whilst tucked out the way it is a cellar door worth visiting.

Artisans: Home of several small producers. The attached restaurant is good.

Izway: Really lovely new cellar door out past Seppeltsfield.

Henschke: Quality wines from top to bottom. Nice cellar door.

Yalumba: Larger winery but the cellar door has good character.

No cellar door but look out for their wines: Sami-Odi, Ruggabellus, Cirillo, Eperosa.

Here are a few of my tips:

D’Arenberg’s cube finally opened last December. I haven’t been inside yet but everyones talking about it. There’s a restaurant, tasting room, museuem among other activities. Might be worth a visit.

I’m suprised nobody’s mentioned Yangarra. Wonderful wines, especially if you’re interested in Grenache and Rhone varities, and great cellar door.

The view from Samuel’s Gorge is WONDERFUL, and the wines are nice and the staff friendly and unpretentious.

In the Adelaide Hills, I’d reccommend Tappanappa (Brian Croser). Tiers Chard comes from what I think is the oldest commercial vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Their Pinot is also very good. Also, I’d second Deviation Road, not only for their sparkling but for their Pinot Noir as well.

For something different, check out Handorf Hill winery. They were the first to grow Gruner Veltliner in South Australia, and are making some really interesting wines from it now. The Blaufrankish is pretty good too

If you’re interested in some of the more new wave/alternative/“natural” Australian wines, particularly from the Adelaide hills, the Summertown Aristologist has fantastic food and a really great collection of small producer, natural wines…however, buyer beware! Alternatively, just visit any wine bar in Adelaide.

The Crafters Hotel has a back room with a lot of old European vintages. I think they have rooms also. They’re really close to the freeway and easy to get around to other wineries in the Adelaide hills. As for Clare, I think Mintaro is bit of a drive from most of other wineries (and civilization), but it depends on the experience you’re looking for.

Spent a week in the area. Highly recommend Kingsford Homestead. Huge property. Great dinners included. There is a shower and tub on the property where you have the innkeepers drive you and your spouse out into an area overlooking a river and you can watch kangaroo while taking advantage of the tub. You let them know when you want to be picked up. Completely secluded and private. No charge. Awesome experience. They knew we loved wine so on their own they arranged a four hour dinner with Greg Hobbs a local winemaker and he brought a dozen bottles to taste. Visited Henscke, First Drop, Two Hands, Penfolds and a few others. Beautiful area.

Thanks for the suggestions. We are still planning the trip and this is a great start, hopefully more will add to this thread. Not sure if we will head back to Margaret River or just spend most of our time in the SE where we have never visited.

Some great advice for Restaurants and Wineries so I won’t bother with that.

I’ve stayed in these two places and both were fantastic.

Clare Valley with a big group - https://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/sa/clare-valley/watervale/220322

Barossa - small group - https://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/sa/barossa/tanunda/9018646