South Australia wine experiences are some of the best in the world. The state is home to some of the most world-renowned wine regions, such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Clare Valley. Here are some unique and interesting ways to enjoy tasting and learning about the SA wine that you will remember forever.
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Feature image photo credit: Destination Riverland, Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre, Riverland
TL;DR? Here's the outline
- South Australia Wine Experiences
- Taste Your Birthyear at Seppeltsfield
- ChocoVino Experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery
- Penfolds Magill Estate Iconic Experience
- d’Arenberg Blending Bench
- Helivista Wine Flight
- Raidis Estate Vertical Tastings
- Kalleske Wines Blind Tasting
- Langmeil Freedom Experience
- Yalumba Cooperage Tour
- Horse Drawn Wine Tours
- Maxwell Winery Heritage Tour & Tasting Experience
- Kies Wines Food and Wine Experiences
- Gemtree Wines Being Biodynamic Tour
South Australia Wine Experiences
South Australian wines are known for their intense flavour and varietal character. And when it comes to winery experiences Adelaide is the perfect base.
There are many different ways to enjoy these wines, whether you visit a cellar door for wine tastings, go on a wine-tasting tour, or simply enjoy a glass at a restaurant or bar.
I suggest you try one of these special wine experiences found in the nearby regions. No matter how you choose to enjoy them though, South Australian wines are sure to leave a lasting impression as you explore.
Taste Your Birthyear at Seppeltsfield
Seppeltsfield is an iconic Barossa Valley winery, and home to the longest lineage of a single vintage wine anywhere in the world.
The tour starts with a visit to the Centennial Cellar, where you can find a barrel of tawny from every year between today and 1878.
After learning the history, you will have the opportunity to taste the wine from your birth year, straight out of the barrel.
One of the best winery experiences South Australia has to offer, the Taste your Birth Year experiences are available Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm.
Sessions are limited to six people, so booking well in advance is recommended. See here for the details.
ChocoVino Experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery
I discovered Hahndorf Hill years ago when they held a chocolate and wine pairing session at a local shopping centre. I just had to go along because I did not believe that chocolate and wine could go together.
I mean, have you ever tried a square of Cadburys with a glass of wine? Not good!
But the right wine paired with the right chocolate turns out to be sensational! You can join in on a ChocoVino experience at Hahndorf Hill in the Adelaide Hills and see for yourself! Book via their webpage here.
Penfolds Magill Estate Iconic Experience
The Penfolds name is synonymous with South Australia wine, and their “Grange” is internationally renowned. Visit the place where it all started at Magill in the suburbs of Adelaide.
The Penfold Magill Estate Iconic Experience starts by showing your around the estate, including through the original cottage and the cellars.
There is a tasting of premium wines, including Grange, before enjoying a delicious three-course lunch in a private dining room with matching wines.
The Iconic Experience is available from Wednesday to Sunday, but it does book out, especially on the weekends, so booking well in advance is recommended. See here for more.
d’Arenberg Blending Bench
The d’Arenberg Cube is arguably the most recognisable cellar door in South Australia. It’s not just all about the looks though, they also have some great McLaren Vale wine experiences here too.
A favourite is the opportunity to play winemaker. Learn about wine blending, have a go yourself and take home a bottle of your very own blend of d’Arenberg shiraz.
The d’Arenberg Blending Bench experience is available every day, but numbers are limited, so booking in advance is recommended. See here for more details.
Helivista Wine Flight
This wine tasting is not so much about the wine itself, but how you are getting between the three wineries you will do the tasting at.
Make the day extra special with a Helivista wine flight – wine tasting by helicopter in McLaren Vale. Enjoy views over the vineyards and along the coast as you also experience tasting at some of the acclaimed cellar doors.
Booking for this bespoke experience is done by phone. Find the details here.
Raidis Estate Vertical Tastings
Raidis Estate is located in the Coonawarra wine region, best know for its world class Cabernet Sauvignon.
Raidis offer three different vertical tastings of their wines, so that visitors can taste the difference between vintages and understand the differences caused by sun, rain, and other external factors.
Choose a tasting of “The Kid” Riesling, “Billy” Cabernet Sauvignon or “The Trip” Cabernet Sauvignon.
Raidis Estate is open 7 days a week. Bookings are recommended by not required. See here for more details.
Kalleske Wines Blind Tasting
This one is something a little different. At Kalleske Wines in the Barossa Valley visitors can do a blind tasting. They will pour you six different wines, and the challenge will be to work out the wine variety.
They do give you a hint with some tasting notes, but this would be a fun experience for that person who really wants to test their wine knowledge – or for that one friend in your group who claims to know wine.
The Blind Tasting experience is available every day, but booking in advance is required. Bookings can be made here.
Langmeil Freedom Experience
Would you believe the oldest proceeding shiraz vines in the world are found right here in the Barossa Valley?
Those vines were planted in 1843 by Christian Auricht after fleeing persecution in Europe and finding freedom in his new home.
The vines are found just behind the Langmeil Winery cellar door, and are used to make the appropriately-named old vine wine, 1843 Freedom Shiraz.
The Freedom Experience takes visitors behind the scenes to learn about the history of winemaking in the Barossa Valley, and specifically the history of those old shiraz vines.
It includes a visit to the vines themselves, before retiring to the “Freedom Cellar” and tasting the wines that make up the Old Vine Garden Wines collection.
Tours run Monday to Friday and need to be booked well in advance as they often book out. Find all the details here.
Yalumba Cooperage Tour
You don’t just taste wine on this tour at Yalumba in the Barossa Valley, but you also get to see inside the workings of the only cooperage located at a winery in Australia.
Learn about the craft of barrel-making and see the coopers at work. Of course wine tasting is involved, and after the tour of the cooperage, visitors make their way to the tasting rooms and try a variety of Yalumba wines.
The tours are available every day, but they do sell out, so it is recommended that you book at least two weeks in advance. Book your Yalumba Cooperage Tour here
Horse Drawn Wine Tours
This one is fun! Spend an afternoon in the Langhorne Creek wine region doing a private wine tour by horse and carriage. The usual itinerary calls into three wineries for tastings, before returning you to the starting point at the Bridge Hotel.
Learn about the region as you travel in a sedate manner through the vines in this memorable and unique tour. Tours can include a long lunch, and can be altered to suit your particular requirements.
The tours are arranged on an individual basis, contact Carriage of Occasion through the website here.
Maxwell Winery Heritage Tour & Tasting Experience
This tour at Maxwell Wines in the McLaren Vale region has two aspects that make it a little different to the run-of-the-mill winery tours.
The tour takes visitors behind the scenes, including into a 100-year old lime cave that has been used to store wine for decades.
Before that though, it was used to grow mushrooms, and word has it that it is often possible to pick some mushrooms while you are visiting.
The tasting on this tour is a little different too, with the opportunity to try some of the wines straight from the barrel, allowing a comparison of the different types of oak that can be used in wine-making.
Tours are held only on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. A minimum of two people are needed, and bookings should be made in advance. See here for all the details.
Kies Wines Food and Wine Experiences
This is definitely going to be a memorable experience. It includes not only wine tasting, lunch and vineyard tour, but a fifteen minute helicopter tour over the Barossa Valley vineyards too.
The wine part of the day occurs at Kies Wines and the two-course lunch is at their Monkey Nut Cafe. The tour includes a bottle of wine to take home with you too.
The tour is offered every day except Tuesday and because numbers are limited, I recommend booking a few weeks in advance to secure your favoured date. Bookings can be made here.
Gemtree Wines Being Biodynamic Tour
Judged the world’s best winery for Sustainable Wine Tourism at the Best of Wine Tourism awards in Bordeaux, Gentree Wines offer a range of experiences that promote their biodynamics philosophy.
Discover what that means and how it is put into practice during the winemaking process with their Being Biodynamic tour. Also included is a glass of wine and a tasting platter to enjoy.
The tours are offered every day and should be booked in advance as numbers are limited. See here to book.
For more South Australia wine, you might like these posts
Barossa Valley Wineries You’ve Never Heard Of
Best Coonawarra Wineries for a Wine Tasting Weekend
Riverland Wine Tasting
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