There's nothing better than tasting a wine at its source and the hospitality at these SA cellar doors will have you staying for another glass, or two.

Words Kate Hill, Melissa Keogh, Liz McKinnon, Gretel Sneath, Christine Webster and Belinda Willis

Adelaide Hills

Artwine
Share an appreciation of alternative wine styles at Woodside cellar door, Artwine. Experience a seated tasting of the emerging and rare varieties accompanied by a selection of nibbles including cheese, lavash and house-roasted almonds. A range of local produce platters and small dishes are also available to enjoy in the tasting room or outside on the terrace overlooking the vines. Artwine winery produces its wines from vineyards in the Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills and is known for fondness of alternative grape varieties.

Golding Wines
You’ll find a range of food and wine experiences to enjoy at Golding Wines’ beautiful Lobethal cellar door. Wine flights are offered in the tasting room seven days a week, including a paired wine and cheese flight showcasing the locally-produced Section 28 cheeses. From Monday to Thursday, there is a grazing menu for lunchtime visitors, while from Friday through Sunday guests can enjoy delicious seasonal dining in the Ginkgo restaurant. Enjoy the fresh Hills air in the garden terraces in summer, and the rustic ambience of the stone barn in winter.

Longview Winery
Take a 45-minute drive from Adelaide to the small town of Macclesfield to discover Longview Vineyard – not only a producer of great wines, but a maker of delicious foods. Visit the rustic-chic cellar door for a seated wine tasting and cheese board or stay for a long lunch made from fresh, local and seasonal produce. Fill your glass with popular drops such as the Devil’s Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon with its medium-bodied wild berry and capsicum notes. White wine lovers will enjoy The Whippet Sauvignon Blanc, a classic, crisp and refreshing drop.

Mt Bera Cellar Door Restaurant and Winery
Overlooking beautiful gardens and views of the Torrens Valley, this Gumeracha cellar door and restaurant makes for a well-spent afternoon tasting wines, enjoying a meal and spending time with family. The family-owned boutique winery produces single-vineyard, estate-grown wines that can be enjoyed through a wine tasting, over a shared lunch or sweet treat. On special days the wood-fired pizza oven is stoked up and pizzas are made from scratch with quality ingredients.

Fleurieu

Bremerton Wines
Located in Langhorne Creek, Bremerton Wines welcomes visitors to a cellar door that’s right at the heart of the family – in a restored 1866 stone barn. Earlier this year, Bremerton Wines completed an expansion to its cellar door and tasting room and introduced its own gin range to its tasting experiences. Run by sisters Rebecca and Lucy Willson, the cellar door encourages wine drinkers to sample a range of their premium drops, as well as enjoy a regional food platter with a glass of wine.

Zerella Wines
Continuing a family tradition started by his grandparents in Southern Italy, Jim Zerella today oversees 58 hectares of vineyards as managing director of McLaren Vale’s Zerella Wines. The intimate cellar door is one of the region’s hidden gems, overlooking old-vine grenache and shiraz plantings, alongside sangiovese, barbera and nero d’avola. Jim says the current vintage is shaping up to be one of the best. “2021 kicked off with a great sense of optimism and that carried through to vintage in what can only be described as a gift, in both the vineyard and the cellar. Yields came in slightly better than initial expectations and the quality is simply sublime. I cannot wait to begin releasing these wines,” says Jim.

Shottesbrooke
Whether you plan to drop in for an hour or stay the whole day, Shottesbrooke vineyard has something to delight all kinds of visitors. The family-owned business in McLaren Flat runs a few different wine experiences including tastings, behind the scenes tours of the winery and lunches at nearby The Currant Shed restaurant. The cellar door is located among the vineyards and guests can relax in the courtyard garden with a glass or bottle of their favourite drop. A picnic area is also available for hire for up to 20 people. Hamish Maguire is Shottesbrooke’s chief winemaker and general manager with experience at wineries in France and Spain.

Barossa

Two Hands Wines
The fun starts on arrival at Marananga-based Two Hands Wines, where you are greeted by Brutus, the mascot Scottish Highland cow, who proudly parades the property fence lines guarding the ripening vines. The entertainment continues beyond the cellar door with a selection of appealing red varieties, including the popular Picture Series, which takes guests through a pop-quiz of ’90s culture. Two Hands strives to differentiate itself with a unique, fun and innovative approach to winemaking, while also warmly welcoming guests to join them behind the scenes for a personal tasting in the vineyard.

Elderton Wines
Elderton’s 1918-built homestead, the largest example of a gentleman’s bungalow in South Australia, provides a relaxed garden setting to enjoy the Nuriootpa estate’s rich reds. First planted in 1894, the Elderton vineyard has produced one of Australia’s most recognised icon wines – their flagship Command Shiraz – in addition to other award-winning cabernet sauvignon and merlot varieties. The vineyard homestead features a number of amazing public and private tasting rooms to enjoy a wine and chocolate masterclass or be tempted by the array of produce platters, including locally crafted cheeses. Unique and personalised behind the scenes tours are available by appointment, including a visit to the 120-year-old Command vineyard.

Pindarie Wines
Meaning “hilly place” in the local indigenous language, Pindarie is a boutique winery nestled within a 300-acre mixed farming enterprise in Gomersal, west of Tanunda. Owners Tony Brooks and Wendy Allan are among the Barossa’s early pioneers of the full-bodied tempranillo variety, traditionally grown in Spain. Enjoy a paddock-to-plate lunch in the Grain Room, including their iconic home-made pies before heading to the Stables for an intimate wine tasting while enjoying the picture-perfect 180-degree views of the vineyard. Don’t miss the popular Vino and Views live music sessions, held at sunset throughout spring on the lawns.

Clare Valley

O’Leary Walker Wines
Follow the tree-lined driveway to a hilltop to find the strikingly contemporary cellar door with glorious views of the valley. O’Leary Walker Wines overlooks Watervale vineyards, and the tasting room and restaurant have super tall windows to ensure the vista remains uninterrupted. This James Halliday Five Red Star Winery is locally owned and operated, celebrating 20 years of great wine in 2020. Taste award-winning rieslings to cool climate sauvignon blanc, choose from an elegant selection of white wines from the Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley, or a Clare Valley shiraz, pinot noir or classic cabernet sauvignon. The matching tasting platters are heavenly.

Shut the Gate Wines
Rasa Fabian and Richard Woods are the owners and producers behind the boutique wine label Shut the Gate Wines. The wines reflect their passion for targeting small parcels of individual vineyard fruit that display expressive and unique flavour profiles. Visit their atmospheric cellar door, set amongst vineyards on the main highway into Clare, for a tasting, or enjoy a glass in their lounge or in the various outdoor areas. There is also an onsite provedore store The Little Grocer so you can create a DIY picnic or take a selection of goodies home. Pop in for a chat, a glass of vino and chill in the garden. The team also has a new cellar door in Auburn called Mr Nobody; stop in for a taste of fortified wines.

Skillogalee
A boutique, family-owned and operated winery making handcrafted, world-class wines, offering tastings at the cellar door, as well as a destination restaurant. Skillogalee operates from an old stone cottage built in 1851 by Cornish miner John Trestrail, who settled the property, then called Trevarrick Farm. He and his wife had 17 children of whom 13 survived. He was a religious man who, it is said, ironically did not approve of drinking. Skillogalee has a small modern winery crushing only around 250 tonnes, giving the family the opportunity to hand-make individual wines in small batches.

Limestone Coast

Bellwether Wines
Bellwether’s boutique winery in an 1868 shearing shed at the gateway to Coonawarra is rustic, earthy and welcoming – all the good stuff. Visit during vintage, and you’ll see magic happen as winemaker Sue Bell creates her exquisite range of hand-made wines using small parcels of fruit. Bellwether also has its own campground and community kitchen, and the fabulous Sunday Sessions, monthly high teas, live music gigs and gourmet food experiences sell out fast.

Zema Estate
Zema Estate is a family-owned winery with a proud Italian heritage and a passion for producing premium-quality Coonawarra cabernet and shiraz. The limited-release Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon represents the cream of the crop, but you also can’t beat a generously-priced Cluny, with its perfect balance of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. The cellar door also features a large selection of gourmet food and gifts, including Mrs Zema’s homemade chilli paste and olive oil.

This information was first published in SALIFE FOOD+WINE+TRAVEL 2021