Set in the world famous McLaren Vale, the aptly named McLaren Vale Beer Co. is set in a perfect…read morelocation amongst vineyards and between some of the worlds best wineries. Their tap house and kitchen makes delicious gourmet pub foods including wood oven pizzas, burgers and salads. But it is the setting that brings you here. I chose this place for my 25th birthday lunch amidst a wine tour and we were all impressed. The bright, rustic, unique and trendy interior brings a young crowd interested in boutique beers and local wines. The ales are refreshing and not too much and have won numerous awards around the country for taste and design. The wine cellar is small and rustic, but hey - you're here for the beer and the socialising!!

The McLaren Vale Beer company is certainly a favourite of mine to visit while in the region…read morenormally famous for its wines!! They produce around 5 beers - an indian pale ale, dark ale, lager, a new cider and their flagship Vale Ale. They are all very drinkable...and can be sampled in a paddle featuring small measures of them. Also available are the traditional pints, handles and stubbies for takeaway. The food served at cellar door is fantastic, a favourite side is always the Duck Fat Chips.... something very special. They are all reasonably priced for the area. They is plenty of parking here, but on busy periods its gets quickly filled up. There is an ample beer garden with some outdoor seats. A very nice place to visit after a few wines of just on its own!

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.

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.

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.

Follow the signs to Ducks In A Row and you'll soon see why this is the McLaren Vale cellar door…read moreworth the go! Not only do you feel like you are walking into someone's home and backyard, you actually are. Roger, the resident Golden Retriever and apparent assistant wine-maker will come up and give you a warm, sloppy welcome on arrival. And of course a cellar door experience wouldn't be worth it without the wine tasting part! Stand underneath a vine covered verandah quaffing and having a chin wag with Amanda and Glen (the winemaker himself) about their unusual varieties of wines for Australia. Italian grapes like Mataro, Fiano and Vermentino are used to create wines that will impress your friends at BBQ's and dinners in the future. Like the Roses commercial, if you're asked not to bring a thing, a Ducks In A Row wine will help you say "we spent some money on this," and "we are a quirky and hip couple" who now knows what a Fiano grape tastes like - of course darling! Amanda and Glen open their cellar door when they are not busy (which is quite often) so it is worth a phone call before making the 40 minute drive. Also keep a look out for their pop-up events they run too, including a Vintage Celebration during vintage which had a vintage clothes pop up at it or their afternoon of Elbow Room popup stall and wine tastings. It makes for a perfect day trip!

I AM IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE!!!…read more At first our little group were worried that we were lost, or about to enter the scene of our own personal version of Wolf Creek as we entered a dry paddock, but the lovely Amanda came out to greet us and show us the way and we soon stepped in to an oasis - her own back yard! We were also greeted by Roger, the friendly Golden Retriever whom we all wanted to take home with us! Ducks in a row is open by appointment only and our group of 24 were very lucky to be told all about some wonderful wines by Amanda and Glen while we nibbled on our own picnic lunch - which we brought, but the team helped by providing some utensils we forgot - so thanks guys!!! The wines pleased everyone in our group - and there were some real wine snobs amongst us! Many a bottle was purchased over the course of the visit and I'll be recommending Ducks in Row - the wine and the winery to all my friends!

Think of some of the best comfort food for a cold winters night - curries, pizzas and pastas. Now…read moreput it all on the one menu, serve it up in a pub style place that looks like Paul Hogan has spewed Crocodile Dundee all over it after having a night out on too much Hawaiian tiki food. It sounds like a recipe for disaster doesn't it? Well for the first (and probably only) time in your life that's where you'd be wrong. This place is packed, even on a Sunday night in winter in the quiet, peaceful Victor Harbor. With people drinking beers at the bar, old school 70s bands playing over the radio, or live (think Wendy Matthews and Rick Price - not the impersonators), to cramming in large tables of families inside the cafe and out, it has a buzz and atmosphere that is refreshing for this town. We ate the salmon pizza with a dill and caper mayo, the meat lovers and the vegetarian. The family sized are huge and probably 1 pizza between 2 is enough. I was so incredibly impressed with the pizzas though. A crispy base with medium crust, plenty of toppings and great, simple flavours that didn't get lost in too much cheese or tomato sauce base. Service is painfully slow. You have to go up to a packed bar to order everything and when the place is busy you can expect to wait up to 30 minutes for your food. But it makes a good excuse for tearing into a tasty pizza when it arrives.

The price was reasonable, however they advertised a grilled chicken fillet burger and it came out…read morewith a McDonald's style chick nugget crumbed and fried fillet that was dry as anything. Chips and pies and other sorts of food looked ok.

Whilst waiting in the car park for my family to arrive the staff member of the gift shop section of…read morethe train came up and abused me about parking spaces. She didn't listen to anything I was saying to try and diffuse the situation continuing to repeat herself in her anger. After this horrendous display of customer service I decided to take my business elsewhere

Food was over cooked and took forever (30 min for coffee and over an hour for breakfast)…read more Cute ambience but not worth the wait.

Geddes Wines…read more.... This business will be in it for the long run. The owners are one of a kind, you will have to search long and hard to find such good people like the owners here. The wine is on point, I can't wait to come back out. To be able to let all my friends and there friends enjoy the time out here. Get your hand on a bottle of Shiraz 2008 (each), as you will not be sharing it at any point!.