Just 40 minutes south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is a creative, progressive place with ocean views, a Mediterranean climate and 30 kilometres of coastline. The harvest is in full swing during Adelaide Festival season, so visitors can catch all the grape picking and winemaking action, and the sheer number of cellar doors is dizzying.

Cellar Door Highlights

Battle Of Bosworth
Gaffney Road, Willunga
Simply oozing character. Joch and Louise Bosworth pour their certified organic wines in a beautiful old 1850s chaff shed. It’s intimate, genuine and proudly organic.

Berg Herring
Lot 21 Sellicks Beach Road, Sellicks Beach
A beautifully restored church with meticulously tended lawns looking out over Sellicks Beach. It’s the perfect spot to grab a picnic rug and enjoy some tasty alternative varieties. 

D’Arenberg
58 Osborn Road, McLaren Vale
A trip to the Vale isn’t complete without visiting the giant Rubik’s Cube-inspired structure here, with a museum featuring a multi-million-dollar Salvador Dalí exhibition.

Gemtree
167 Elliot Road, McLaren Flat
There’s a lot to love about this biodynamic wine producer. Join Ngarrindjeri elder Mark Koolmatrie on a stroll through the Gemtree Eco Trail to hear ancient stories of his people and land.

Ivybrook Farm
34 Thomas Road, Maslin Beach
This boutique family winery makes savoury, minimal-intervention wines. Expect to see family members pouring Nick Hunt’s creations in a lovingly restored barn: wholesome.

McCarthy’s Orchard
207 Sand Road, McLaren Vale
Lisa and Mark McCarthy grow apples, pears, stone fruit and cherries as well as grapes on this working farm. Rusty old farm relics hang on the walls and curious farm animals drop by to say hello.

Oliver’s Taranga
246 Seaview Road, McLaren Vale
A 182-year relationship with the land is the heartbeat of this estate-grown wine brand and family, where Corrina Wright tells her family story through wine.

Samson Tall
219 Strout Road, McLaren Vale
A heavenly hideaway, with a tasting space set in in a little renovated church with cemetery views. Ask winemaker Paul Wilson for Samson Tall’s story: he’s buried here. 

Samuel’s Gorge
193, Lot 10 Chaffeys Road, McLaren Vale
It doesn’t get more evocative than an 1853 farm shed atop a ridge, with spectacular wines and equally spectacular views over the Onkaparinga River National Park.

SOMOS Wines
333 Foggo Road, McLaren Flat
Expect small batch, lo-fi wines (the weird and wonderful kind) at this tasting space run by winemakers Ben Caldwell and Mauricio Ruiz Cantu. Visitors can BYO food.

Yangarra Estate
809 McLaren Flat Road, Kangarilla
Yangarra Estate Vineyard’s impressive new space offers tasting experiences and certified organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard views.

Getting there

McLaren Vale is a 40-minute drive from Adelaide. It’s possible to get taxis/Uber but be prepared to wait. The Route 31 Coastal Drive hugs the coastline from O’Sullivan Beach to Sellicks Beach (mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast.com.au). Metro rail services operate between Adelaide and Seaford and there are bus services between Adelaide and the area’s townships (adelaidemetro.com.au). Plenty of tours are also available.

Discover more about regions only a stone’s throw from Adelaide’s CBD in our guides to the Adelaide Hills and Barossa. This article is a part of our Adelaide Summer Festival Guide. Find the print edition at select stockists across the CBD and Adelaide Airport now.