The Winery Cellar Door 320 Angas Plains Rd, situated in the Langhorne Creek wine area, is a must…read morevisit. The winery has won some prodigious awards, Cellar Door with Best Foods, Australia's Best Cellar Door, Cellar Door with Best Food Langhorne Creek. We were seated in an undercover purpose built alfresco, this is a very large area with great views over the vinyard and Plains. We enjoyed from a very good menu, two large homebaked steak pies, with salad and fries. Our choice of wines from the wine list was a sparkling chardonnary, mixed Sauvignon Blanc, and a very soft pleasant tasting smooth 2009 Emily Cross Shiraz. We found the service excellent and informative. Totally a very relaxing Australia Day experience. Accomodation is available on request. Highly recommended.

Run by hubby and wife team Herb and Sandie Van De Wiel, they produce some of the mature wines here…read moreas most of their dry bush vines are said to be over 85 years old! The wines emerge from their own vineyards in McLaren Vale and having one of the region's oldest plantings, you can expect a strong bodied flavour in their bottles. Some of my favourite would have to be: a) 2011 White Moscato b) 2006 Red Dodge Shiraz c) 2006 Old Bush Wine Grenache Apart from wines, they also make a great Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sell their own merchandise. A smart and creative business plan indeed.

A tiny little winery but I have always loved it here, and having Beau the beagle to coo over is an…read moreadded bonus. If you are into sweet wines, they have a really yummy moscato and a sparkling pink moscato as well. Plus you can always get a great bargain and a chat with the owners. A place I always like to visit.

I still can't work out how I found out about this place but I am glad I did. We went up one lazy…read moreSunday afternoon for wood oven pizzas as once a month they host a Sunday pizza lunch (visit the website to find out when). The service was great and we were welcomed to the winery like we were family. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful view as well as getting to watch our pizzas being made fresh in an epic wood oven. Not your standard pizza toppings but they were very yummy - we had the marinated lamb and smashing pumpkin! The pizzas were delicious and it would be remiss of me to mention that the wine was delightful. I'd suggest booking, it got pretty busy pretty fast.

Great Wines in the Adelaide Hills, Just outside of Mt Barker is this little gem of a Winery. Not…read morejust your everyday wines. The staff believe in healthier sustainable bio-dynamic wines (keep an eye out for sheep in the vines as you drive to the Cellar Door. What is also great about this place is their regular 'Last Sunday of the Month' Lunch. Most often they serve up some tasty Organic Wood Oven Pizza, but there are also other occasions, such as the annual Feral Feast. If you aren't doing anything one Sunday and love some great wines, it's well worth the short drive (especially for the last Sunday of the Month)

Our favourite winery spot, their wines never disappoint, if you're in the area and wondering…read moreMcLaren Vale, do yourself a favour and pop in for a glass and take some gorgeous bottles home. Highly recommend their Shiraz, Comet Tail, Mosaic of Dreams and/or Kaleidoscope Horizons.

Our favorite winery when visiting from America! I love the small, inviting feeling this cottage…read morewinery boasts. The best red wines I've tasted and I could use a bottle of Tempranillo ASAP! Also one of the best views in McLaren Vale. My only complaint is it's not available in the states, however, that makes for a much sweeter treat when we visit. This place will always hold a special place in our hearts.

We drink a lot of wine. Like, a lot a lot. While I should probably be more reserved about sharing…read morethis sort of thing in public, I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I very much enjoyed Gemtree's wine. (We just finished our last bottle last week. Sad face). Generally, when people start talking about bio-dynamic growing techniques, organic whatnot, our eyes gloss over because I usually interpret that as compensation for why the wine doesn't taste as good. It's often been the case for me this past decade. Gemtree, however, blew a massive hole in this trend, theory, assumption or whatever. Massive hole. These are bold, character-filled, and pretty damn good wines that dare you to diss them. They are un-dissable! We followed the completely backwards directions of our GPS, which directed us to the administrative offices, not the tasting room. Bad GPS. However, because of this misdirection, we were able to see just how expansive the Gemtree estate was. This is quite a bit of grape-growing land! Which made a lot more sense later, when the floor cut-out in the tasting room showed the different soils across the area and how they relate to the wines. The wines were amazing, the playground came in SUPER handy for the kiddo, I kicked the soccer ball on the grounds, learned some new things about poo, and gained a greater appreciation for all the science and care that goes into making all this very lovely wine. Stop, visit, take in the breathtaking scenery, learn some new things, and buy tons of their wine.

A fantastic start to our wine tour, Gemtree cellar door really was...well...a gem!…read more This was a great location to start our day as the staff were friendly and knowledgable, talking us through their wine selection with plenty of quirky details and gusto! Their thorough knowledge allowed us to start the day with plenty of info ready to take to following venues. The wines were all superb and I certainly didn't leave empty handed! Although it was a chilly summers day when we visitied, I can see this being a fantastic place to soak up the sun with a few drinks in hand - their balcony area has a great view and there's even a playground to keep any children tagging along happy. Check out this gorgeous little winery - well worth a stop in!

I should begin by saying I'm not a wine buff. I like it, but I'm by no means an expert. However I…read moredo like my wine, and visiting South Australia i wanted to have an experience at a winery down here. We chose this winery not because we had heard of it, or for its reputation but because I tend to just make a selection on a whim and go with it. I was not disappointed. When you drive off of the road onto the dusty gravel drive and follow this to the tin building at the end, you would be forgiven for thinking this is a poky little place with little to offer. Think again. From the moment you step inside it is crystal clear that a great deal of thought has been put into it. It is simple, but very warm and friendly. It is very rustic, but welcoming and family friendly. This isn't a winery where your ignorance of wine is dismissed or where you are made to feel as though you should know more than you do. We sampled around 9 or 10 wines whilst at Mount Jagged, and the selection was very varied. They produce Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and there was a real cross section available to taste, catering for all of the different palates of my party. In addition, there are tables and chairs inside and out, sign fantastic views. And for those visiting with children, a fantastic children's corner to keep the little ones busy while we sampled their wares. As if this was my good enough, the staff are very welcoming and very engaging, showing a lot of interest in our children, offering them juice and spending a lot of time with us to explain the wines each in detail. Nothing was too much trouble. I would definitely recommend stopping by. The pictures on previous reviews may be a little out of date now in 2017...so I have supplied a few of my own. Definitely recommend visiting Mount Jagged

This is a great little winery…read more Super basic and rustic in its decor and presentation. The cellar door is literally a tin shed which displays its own special charm on entry, not contributed least of all to by the view. The green rolling hills covered in vines with a well appointed dam just to the left work their immediate winery magic on me. The sparklings are of particular note and if you enjoy a medium bodied red you will likely find something here to appeal to your palette. I love trying reds such as those from the cool climate vineyards of Mount Jagged which are so different in character to the highly commercialised and popular Barossa and McLaren Vale offerings typical in South Australia. Their whites were not for me with some pleasant food wines, including grape varieties such as sem, sauv and chardonnay which for the most part displayed distinctive mineral characteristics. The liberal use of french oak may also be of interest to certain connoiseurs. Me - I just like to pick a glass and enjoy the scenery!

Sea & Vines Festival on the June long weekend is a plethora of food & wine events in the crisp…read morewinter air of McLaren Vale. Some of these events are big - very big - and you find yourself sharing the experience with hundreds of others. Some are more modestly sized, so you can still have some one on one time with the winemaker and cellar door staff. Dowie Doole specialise in these more intimate events. So far we have been to a Pulled Pork day in December 2013, a Raclette & Petanque day at Sea & Vines 2013, and now this special Raclette & Wine day as part of the Sea & Vines 2014. Dowie Doole wines is on California Rd in McLaren Vale, on the way to Willunga. Three friends, Norm Doole, Drew Dowie and Leigh Gilligan joined forces with winemaker Chris Thomas to run the business. One of the newer wineries, the tasting room opened for seven days a week trading in December 2013. The beautiful modern tasting room sits overlooking an estate vineyard to the north, with a lovely green lawn edged with native gum trees, full of local birds. The green provides an ideal surface for playing a round of petanque. In partnership with the Smelly Cheese Shop's Lulu Lunn, freshly grilled authentically French raclette cheese was offered with a plate of cheese friendly extras for $15. Lulu and her trusty French raclette griller were churning out bubbled, hot, crunchy slathes of delicious cheese. We opt for a bottle of the G&T - not gin and tonic - but Grenache and Temparanillo, two of McLaren Vale's most well suited varieties. The G&T is a medium bodied drop, with red fruits on the nose including spicy ripe strawberries. A nice structure complemented the roundness of the rich cheese, and good balance meant the wine didn't overwhelm the wine, nor the wine the food. A raclette plate has a variety of tastes, temperatures and textures. Crunchy pickled onions and cornichons, hot melty cheese, fresh baguette, and meaty charcuterie. It takes a well balanced drop to stand up to that kind of variety. The scale & creativity of Dowie Doole's events, and the integrity of their wines and food partners, all means we'll be back - again!

Beautiful winery located amoungst the trees in McLaren Vale. Enjoyed a yummy chhese board filled…read morewith lots of local cheeses and fruit n nuts. Nice relaxing atmosphere.

This was our first stop on our private wine tasting tour of McLaren Vale…read more This place has an interesting story and logo having been started by a bunch of left-handed folks. Their logo is a left-handed boxer. They also have a bit of whimsy in their labels with most of the varieties having an association with one or more members of the family. We enjoyed meeting the friendly folks and tasting their great wines. Some of our favorites were Blue eyed boy and carnival although all of the six or so we tasted were great. They have some distribution in the states (unique among the wineries we visited) and a warehouse in California for ordering through a website. We also had a quick peek into the winery itself with a guide. We had to don fluorescent orange safety jackets in compliance with safety regulations even though there was no activity underway in the place. We did get to try some wine in the tanks getting ready for final blending and bottling. Definitely a high point of the six wineries we stopped to visit during our visit to the area.

This is one cellar door with a view for sure! I really would love to return to this cellar door…read moreduring the summer months to sip a glass of wine and take in those almost 360degree views of the Adelaide Hills & Onkaparinga Hills. This cellar looks almost like someone's home. It probably once was and has now been converted into a Cellar door. There is a cute little gas fireplace upon the entry. Check out the photos. Very inviting for sure! It has a very simple layout and tasting room towards the back. Throughout the cellar door you will find cardboard cut outs and posters on display of the various characters and art pieces for the wines. Each have their own story. Be sure to ask about them. There are a lot of wines here to try! So, be sure to set aside a bit of time to try them all. What is first attractive about the wines is the thought and stories attached to the imagery. I am a sucker for cute art, so you won me there! As for the wine, I think my favourite was The Maitre D, Cab Sav. It had a lovely deep berry smell and was quite smooth to drink. Priced right and is my recommendation here. I really wanted to try the Velvet Glove (with a really cool Velvet Label), but it was unavailable for taste. Dang!