From the coastal slopes of McLaren Vale and the cool, vine-draped Adelaide Hills to the Barossa’s wine-making legacy and Clare Valley’s distinctive varietals, South Australia delivers world-class wine paired with adventures worth savouring. Don’t just sip on your escape here though: soar above vineyards in a helicopter, explore them on a Segway or even taste a wine from the year you were born.
Here are our favourite experiences to add to your next South Australia wine escape.
1. Discover the iconic d’Arenberg Cube
The d’Arenburg Cube is more than a tasting room: it’s a sensory gateway into McLaren Vale’s creative heart. An incredible feat of architecture, this one-of-a-kind winery is a visual representation of the complexities of winemaking.
Along with immersive and experiential wine encounters, the Cube is home to an Alternate Realities art gallery on the ground floor and a second-floor Salvador Dalí exhibit of Surrealist sculptures and artworks. After exploring multiple floors of installations, sip rare regional wines while looking out over rolling vines and glimpses of the nearby Fleurieu coastline.
2. Take a scenic helicopter flight over McLaren Vale
Take your winery experience to new heights with a bird’s-eye view over the McLaren Vale region by helicopter. See the Fleurieu Peninsula’s patchwork greenery, coastline, beautiful beaches, cliffs and vineyards unfold – you might even be lucky enough to spot dolphins below in the surf. Include a winery stop and a long, lazy degustation lunch and you’ve got a day with a real sense of occasion.
3. Explore vineyards on wheels
South Australia’s wine regions invite exploration through motion. In the Adelaide Hills, self-guided electric bike tours trace quiet backroads and forested trails, weaving through Belair National Park and conservation lands before climbing towards Mount Lofty or drifting into the Piccadilly Valley. The reward comes in the form of a relaxed winery stop, where cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling wines are paired with a platter of local produce. In the Barossa, adventurous tasters may glide through Seppeltsfield Estate on a guided Segway tour, navigating heritage-listed buildings, manicured gardens and the Great Terraced Vineyard, before finishing with a classic cellar-door tasting.
4. Learn the art of perfect pairings
Located on the Seppeltsfield estate, Vasse Virgin is Barossa’s answer to all-natural, handmade skin and body products. Their 45-minute extra virgin olive oil masterclass teaches you everything from the oil-making process to what ‘extra virgin’ really means, spotting faults in oils and selecting the best oil for your home cooking. You’ll take home a 250ml bottle of Vasse Virgin olive oil and can round off your visit with a wine tasting at the Seppeltsfield cellar door.
For those with a sweet tooth, Grant Burge offers an indulgent 45-minute chocolate and wine pairing with Adelaide’s Just Bliss chocolatier. Four exquisite wines pair with handcrafted artisanal truffles and exclusive Grant Burge ‘Filsell’ chocolates.
Want to dive deeper into South Australia’s food scene? A full-day Kangaroo Island tour introduces you to leading producers including Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Clifford’s Honey Farm and False Cape Wines. Beyond incredible wildlife, it’s an immersive way to discover the island’s thriving food and wine industry.
5. Be vined & dined at a hatted restaurant
Part of Barossa’s rich wine heritage, St Hugo’s roots date back to the late 1800s, and prides itself on providing guests with one-of-a-kind experiences from the fruits of the land, not only when it comes to wine, but dining, too. Its restaurant draws from the onsite kitchen garden and local providers for its seasonal menus. From Franklin Harbor oysters to the confit duck with hand-cut pasta and tomato ragu, every dish is designed to work in harmony with the accompanying St Hugo wines.
Over in McLaren Vale, The Kitchen at Bec Hardy offers a relaxed yet refined setting among the vines. This hatted restaurant is driven by seasonal South Australian produce, with menus that might feature pomegranate-glazed spring chicken, or slow-roasted lamb shoulder. Thoughtful pairings highlight Bec Hardy’s McLaren Vale shiraz and Mediterranean-style whites, elevating dishes without overpowering.
At Fino Seppeltsfield, housed within the historic Seppeltsfield winery estate, contemporary Barossa dining takes a distinctly regional, produce-led turn. The ever-changing menu is guided by what’s coming out of local paddocks, gardens and farms, with dishes such as wagyu brisket, Hampshire pork with celeriac remoulade and Spencer Gulf kingfish. Relaxed yet refined, Fino pairs its plates with classic Barossa wines, encouraging long, leisurely lunches in one of the region’s most atmospheric settings.
6. Experience the magic of barrel-making and rare heritage pours
Gain insight into barrel-making at Yalumba cooperage – Australia’s only onsite winery cooperage and one of just five in the world. Your experience begins with a short introduction to the winery and its owners, the Hill-Smiths, before a rare look at barrel-making, something which has been perfected here for more than 100 years.
Depending on the time of year, you’ll see coopers hard at work preparing or maintaining the barrels, ready for Yalumba’s finest wines. Afterwards, it’s off to the tasting room, where a Yalumba ambassador will introduce you to five iconic wines from the portfolio.
7. Taste your birth year vintage
For a truly unique experience (or an unforgettable gift for any oenophile), you can’t skip Seppeltsfield’s ‘taste your birth year’ experience. Drawing from its vintage Tawny collection dating back to 1851, you’ll sample your birth year blend straight from the barrel while you learn the craft behind its creation from a knowledgeable educator. Seppeltsfield is the only winery in the world to release a single vintage tawny every year without interruption for more than 170 years, making some vintages older than electricity, photography and the telephone.
At Penfolds Magill Estate, heritage tastings unfold beneath the original working winery, in underground drives carved into the hillside. Experiences such as the Ultimate Penfolds and Signature tastings lead guests through historic tunnels and barrel-lined cellars before concluding in a private tasting room, where coveted back-vintage wines, including Grange and Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, are poured just metres from where they were matured.
