McLaren Vale wineries and cellar doors

You don’t just drink wine in McLaren Vale — you taste the land it comes from.

The vines grow between rolling hills and ocean air, soaking up the long, dry summers and cool coastal breezes. Winemakers here know their patch of earth like the back of their hand, working with the seasons, the soil and a deep respect for time.

Best known for its bold shiraz and grenache, McLaren Vale is also where Mediterranean varieties — fiano, vermentino, tempranillo — thrive in the sun. With over 90 cellar doors to choose from, you can sip your way through the region however you like — on a picnic rug, in a century-old barn or even inside a double-decker bus.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE CELLAR DOOR & RESTAURANT

Fall down the rabbit hole and experience a wine tasting like no other — inside a vintage double decker bus. A pastel-blue beauty parked permanently among the vines, where tastings feel more like a chat with an old friend than a lesson in terroir. Before long, you’re outside, shoes kicked off and sprawled on a rug with a grazing board. Think oozing brie, ribbons of prosciutto and the kind of olives that demand another sip of wine.

On Friday evenings during summer, live music kicks in as the sky turns honey-gold, and what was meant to be just a quick glass with friends turns into barefoot dancing under the stars.

HITHER & YON

Some places wear their history well. Housed in an 1860s butcher’s shop, Hither & Yon is a cellar door with character — slate floors underfoot, limestone walls that have heard their fair share of stories and a tasting room that feels more like a cosy lounge than a bar.

With space for just 14 guests at a time, tastings here are unhurried and personal - six wines, all thoughtfully poured, tell a story of the land they come from. In winter, the fire does its job - warming hands, glasses and anyone who settles in. When the sun’s out, the courtyard takes over — bottles open, cheese disappears and it’s only when the lights flicker off inside that you realise the day has slipped away.

ALPHA BOX & DICE

 At Alpha Box and Dice, learning your ABCs comes in bottles, not books. Their ‘Alphabet of Wine’ is a collection of bold experiments — each letter a different variety, style or idea but all celebrating South Australian wine.

Inside the heritage-listed shed, wines arrive like characters — Shiraz, dark and moody; Vermentino, bright and full of sun. Outside, the lawn is its own kind of scene — someone lounges in the sun, a game of cards drifts on without keeping score and hands gesture over half-full glasses debating the best drop of the day.

D'ARENBERG

Some wineries stick to tradition -  d’Arenberg built a cube and threw the rulebook out the window. Step inside  and you’ll notice how nothing is quite as it seems. Surrealist art warps perception, a sensory room rewires taste buds, and a virtual fermenter takes you through the winemaking process. At the top, a tasting room with sweeping views of McLaren Vale tells the story of this wildly diverse region.

It’s a little weird, a little wonderful and exactly what you’d expect from a winemaker called Chester, who only wears bold printed shirts and built a Rubik’s cube in the middle of his vineyard.

CORIOLE VINEYARDS, CELLAR DOOR & RESTAURANT 

Some places don’t just stand the test of time — they grow with it. Coriole is one of them. Vines thick with history, an old stone farmhouse softened by climbing greenery and bursts of bright flowers, garden beds overflowing with whatever is in season.

Step inside the cellar door, where bottles rest against storied limestone — chenin blanc as crisp as the coastal breeze, nero d’avola brooding with dark fruit and the kind of shiraz that put McLaren Vale on the map. Out in the courtyard, the scent of rosemary drifts from the restaurant’s kitchen, where just-dug vegetables land on plates to share.

WIRRA WIRRA VINEYARDS

In Kaurna language, Wirra Wirra means “among the gums”— a name that still fits like a glove. This ironstone winery has been part of McLaren Vale for over a century, its history ringing out with every toll of the Angelus bell — a three-quarter-tonne church bell repurposed for celebrations and milestones.

Famous for its Church Block blend, Wirra Wirra makes reds with depth, texture and just the right amount of mischief - alongside crisp, cool-climate whites from the Adelaide Hills. If lunch calls, Harry’s Deli answers with local produce, good company and a long table that always has room for one more.

MAXWELL WINES

At Maxwell Wines, the vines tell one story and the kitchen tells another. Together, they make their little slice of McLaren Vale something very special.

In the cellar door, taste your way through estate-grown shiraz and bright, expressive whites, each glass carrying the mark of this sun-soaked land. Then, just a few steps away, settle in for an award-winning feast at Maxwell Restaurant. In the hands of Michelin-starred chef Fabian Lehmann, ingredients are pulled from the garden and  plated like artwork - matched so seamlessly with wine that the line between bite and sip dissolves.

SAMUEL'S GORGE

At Samuel’s Gorge, time is an ingredient. Indigenous yeasts set the pace, ferments tick over slowly and each vintage is shaped by instinct, patience and the land itself. Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Graciano and Tempranillo evolve under open skies, taking on the character of the season.

Housed in an old stone barn, the winery sits high on a ridge, overlooking the cliffs of Onkaparinga to the north and the ocean to the south. Stay a while, take in the view and taste wine that’s been given the space to breathe.

CHALK HILL WINES

The vines here have seen six generations come and go — hands pruning, harvesting, passing down the know-how of when to wait and when to pour. Planted before regional stalwarts Barossa and Clare even had the seed of a vine, these fruitful shrubs have weathered storms and stretched deep into McLaren Vale soil. Today, they spill down the hillside, ripening under the same wide sky.

From your seat at Chalk Hill, you can see it all — Mt Lofty behind you, the Fleurieu coastline ahead and rows of vines following the same path they have for 185 years.

GEMTREE WINES

When it comes to winemaking, Gemtree doesn’t do chemicals or quick fixes. They’ve swapped herbicides for the humble sheep (aka nature’s lawnmowers), clearing any weeds that might fight the vines for water, one munch at a time. Instead of synthetic fertilisers, the winemakers bury cow horns packed with manure into their soils to create a natural compost – a hallmark of the biodynamic practice. Even sunlight gets a helping hand, with fine ground quartz misted over the vines, strengthening them leaf by leaf.

You can taste the difference. Grenache that’s bright and brimming with red berries, Shiraz with that deep, earthy spice, Chardonnay so fresh it feels like biting into a just-picked peach. Pick up a bottle from the tasting room to enjoy within the Gemtree Eco Trail.

DANDELION VINEYARDS

Turns out, an old tractor shed makes a pretty spectacular cellar door. Dandelion Vineyards’ wine tasting room, aptly named the Wonder Room, is globally recognised for the way it blends architecture with landscape. Once a humble farm shed, it’s now a striking glass-walled space that wraps visitors in 180-degree views of McLaren Vale, the Willunga Escarpment and the Gulf St Vincent.

Inside, the light moves across polished concrete, reflections ripple in wine glasses and every seat feels like the best in the house. The design does what all great architecture should — it marries itself with the view, allowing you to blend into it, one sip at a time.

LOOKING FOR MORE IN MCLAREN VALE?

McLaren vale is bursting with flavours beyond the vines. With beautiful cuisine and equally magnificent views, prepare to be deliciously dazzled with our guide to the best McLaren Vale restaurants. Or simply continue the wine tasting through South Australia and discover the best cellar doors in Barossa, Clare Valley or Adelaide Hills.