21 Best Sights in South Australia, Australia

The 1860s stone cellar door at Coriole Vineyards sits among nasturtiums and hollyhocks on a hill with stunning views of Gulf St. Vincent and the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. The surrounding vines produce some of Australia's most exciting Italian varietal wines, such as Fiano, Sangiovese, and Montepulciano. Coriole also grows olives and makes olive oils, which you can taste along with their wine. Enjoy all three as part of a meal at the on-site restaurant, which foregrounds foraged and estate-grown ingredients on a seasonal menu of delicate share plates. 

Since 2001 this winery on the former Jurlique herb farm has practiced biodynamic farming by following lunar cycles, growing vegetables, raising livestock, and abstaining from chemical treatments. The welcoming cellar door is open for tastings and on Friday and Sunday morning guests can embark on a vinous journey on the Vine-to-Glass tour. The winery also hosts occasional events including memorable paddock-to-plate dining experiences showcasing Ngeringa wines (try the sprightly pét-nat) alongside incredible produce grown on-site. The farm supplies most of Adelaide's top restaurants and there is also a dedicated chamber music venue on-site.

Founded in 1844 by immigrant English doctor Christopher Rawson Penfold, this is the birthplace of Australia's most famous wine, Penfolds Grange, and one of Australia's only city wineries. Introduced in 1951, Grange is the flagship of a huge stable of wines priced from everyday to special-occasion (collectors pay tens of thousands of dollars for complete sets of Grange). Book ahead for the two-hour Magill Heritage Experience (10 am daily) to hear some of the stories behind the site; if you're a serious wine lover take the Ultimate Penfolds Experience to visit the original Penfold family cottage followed by some some premium wine tastings, or go for the Iconic Penfolds Experience, which includes a three-course lunch and wine pairings in addition to the tour.

If you find yourself needing a break from the heavy reds for which the Barossa is famous, this glass-fronted cellar door is the perfect antidote. Winemaker John Hughes is the titular Riesling Freak, and sources fruit from all across the state to make everything from lean, acid-driven numbers bursting with minerality and citrus to sweeter, European-style wines, sparkling, and even fortified versions of Riesling.

Joseph Seppelt was a Silesian farmer who purchased land in the Barossa after arriving in 1849. The wine-making business flourished under the control of his son, Benno, and today Seppeltsfield Winery and its splendid grounds are a tribute to the family's industry and enthusiasm. Fortified wine is a Seppeltsfield specialty; this is the only place in the world where you can find an unbroken lineage of vintages stretching back to 1878. Most notable is the exquisite 100-year-old Para Liqueur Tawny. Book ahead for the Centenary Tour (A$229) that allows you to walk through the cellar and taste it directly from the barrel. The Rosé Grenache and No. EC3 Portuguese blend are also worth tasting before exploring the rest of the complex that includes an excellent on-site restaurant, an art gallery and studios that you can visit, a soap factory that runs workshops, a gin distillery, and a coffee roaster as well as the Seppelt family mausoleum that overlooks an avenue planted with more than 2,000 palm trees.

The ancient sands of Blewitt Springs produce the finest Grenache in the country, and the most sought-after fruit in this subregion comes from Yangarra’s beachlike High Sands vineyard. While the A$325 price tag means the High Sands Grenache is best reserved for special occasions, there are plenty of other options ready to be tasted at this modern, light-filled cellar door, which lets you peek into the working winery and see how the wines age in ceramic eggs, clay amphorae, and large format oak barrels. The white Rhône varietals are also well worth trying.

The cool-climate Adelaide Hills wine region has developed a reputation for excellent Pinot Noir, and nowhere is this more in evidence than Ashton Hills. Founder Stephen George helped to put the region on the map when he founded the vineyard 40 years ago, testing dozens of Pinot Noir clones before deciding on the five that make up the premium releases. Current winemaker Liam Van pelt continues that legacy, and the shedlike cellar door is a delightful spot to while away an afternoon with a tasting that takes in cool-climate touchstones, including sparkling and Chardonnay alongside the obligatory Pinot Noir.

There’s no dress code, no formalities, and a no-children policy at this unconventional but fun-loving winery, where local musicians get the dance floor pumping on Friday night and Sunday afternoon (and interstate touring acts sometimes pop by during the week). The musical styles on display are as eclectic as the wines, which are made with long summer days in mind and run the gamut from an enticing barrel-fermented Chardonnay to a fruit-forward Sangiovese Montepulciano blend.

Tasting here is a casual affair in a rustic timber-walled cellar door, which is warmed by a log fire in winter. After making sure the resident cats have vacated it first, settle into a director's chair at the long wooden table and let the staff pour. The signature wine is Nine Popes, a huge, decadent red blend named for a mistranslation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and the ruby-red Rose of Virginia is an iconic Australian rosé. You can enjoy a glass of either with a cheese platter on the veranda and even stay the night in the converted church out the back. 

Winemaker Chester Osborn is known for powerful reds and fortified wines as well as quality whites with eye-catching names (the Cenosilicaphobic Cat, anyone?). The winery, which has been family-run since 1912, is dominated by the stunning architecture of the d'Arenberg Cube, which resembles a giant off-kilter Rubik’s Cube looming over the vineyards, and d'Arry's Verandah Restaurant, where the seasonal modern Australian menu uses plenty of local produce. The Cube also contains a modern Asian restaurant and a Salvador Dalí exhibit.

This is one of the most successful of the Barossa's younger wine labels. Wines include impressive Chardonnays, sought-after sparkling, and powerful reds. Don't miss the Holy Trinity—a highly acclaimed Rhône blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre. The cellar door overlooks the vines at Krondorf, 5 km (3 miles) south of Tanunda and offers regional grazing platters in addition to tastings.

One of the most recognizable and popular wineries in the Clare Valley, Knappstein is located in the original 19th-century Enterprise Brewery, a Heritage-listed building and a well-known landmark of a township that's oozing with history. The four Rieslings are consistently excellent, as are the lovingly handcrafted Cabernet and Shiraz.

A very big brother to the 19th-century Magill Estate in Adelaide, this massive wine-making outfit in the center of Nuriootpa lets you sip Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling blends at the cellar door. The Barossa Ultimate Tasting offers a rotating selection of the winery’s heaviest hitters, and you can add a taste of the celebrated Grange for A$50. There are also 90-minute blending workshops for A$95 per person.

This winery was founded by a larger-than-life Barossa character who had an influence on just about every winemaker in the valley. Art-hung stonework and a wood-burning fireplace make the 1880s tasting room one of the most pleasant in the valley and it is the only place to find the Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz. There are occasional concerts on the expansive lawns, and wooden tables encourage picnicking on the Weighbridge platter, a selection of local smoked meats, cheeses, and condiments that's big enough for two.

A few kilometers to the east of the valley floor, this family-owned winery overlooks the famed Polish Hill River, which produces some of the most sought-after fruit in the Clare Valley. Lean, mineral-led Riesling is a standout, but it’s well worth taking the time to taste some of the interesting Mediterranean varietals including Albariño, Sangiovese, and a drink-now Novello. There’s also an excellent on-site restaurant and brewery.

The area's first winery, Sevenhill Cellars was founded by the Jesuits, and they still run the show, with all profits going to education, mission work, and helping the needy within Australia. In the 1940s the winery branched out from altar wine to commercial production, and today makes a variety of styles including Riesling, Viognier, Touriga, and fortified wines. Enjoy a tasting, then head on a self-guided tour of the grounds that takes in the cellars, the cemetery, and the church crypt where Jesuits have been interred since 1865.

The small, no-frills tasting room means there is nothing to distract you from discovering why Tim Adams Wines has a big reputation. The standout in an impressive collection of reds and whites, which includes a celebrated Riesling and delicious Fiano, is the purple-red Aberfeldy Shiraz, made from century-old vines. You can buy wine by the glass or bottle to enjoy with a cheese platter on the large deck.

This is one of Australia's top estate wineries and a good representation of classic, artfully made Barossa wine. The modern and airy tasting room complements its original 1850s settler’s cottage cellar door, with subtle color tones and earthy textures. Taste the iconic Shiraz wines on the deck overlooking its renowned Descendant vineyard or upgrade to the more premium experience with the renowned Côte Rôtie–style RunRig that is blended with Viognier to create a powerful, elegant wine.

The interior of this 19th-century sandstone cottage is every bit as surprising as the wines produced here. Polished wood and glass surround the contemporary counter where the excellent staff leads you through the tasting of several "out of the box" reds, whites, and blends. The main event is the Garden Series range that showcases Shiraz sourced from six wine regions;. compare and contrast versions from the Barossa, McLaren Vale, and Adelaide Hills, among others. The Search For The Holy Grail (A$150) takes you into the estate vineyard for a behind-the-scenes look at how the wines are made.

Australia's oldest family-owned winery, the iconic Yalumba sits within a hugely impressive compound overlooked by an imposing clocktower. It's the only winery in the southern hemisphere with a functioning cooperage on-site, and that can be visited on one of the many tours that start from A$60. A range of tastings are available in the cellar door that is decorated with antique wine-making materials and mementos of the Hill Smith family, whose ancestors first planted vines in the Barossa in 1849. Try the award-winning Viognier and The Signature, a classic Australian "claret" blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. Private tours can be arranged upon request.