As the historic heart of Australian winemaking, South Australia boasts the country’s oldest vines, most iconic cellars, and world-renowned regions. Beyond the bottle, each area offers its own distinct charm—think lush hillside retreats, dramatic coastlines, welcoming country towns, and standout local produce. Whether you are mapping out your next road trip or simply curious to learn more, this guide will help you explore the best of South Australia’s wine country.
The historic heart of Australian wine
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In the Adelaide Hills wine region, winemakers make bold decisions to produce unique wines. Just 20 minutes from Adelaide, it’s a lush, leafy retreat with more going on than meets the eye.
The landscape here is as diverse as the wines. Roads twist and turn, and steep hills and valleys create different microclimates. It’s a region that inspires creativity – in its artists, its food producers and its winemakers.
The Adelaide Hills is a relatively young wine region that’s playing a vital part in the evolution of Australian wine. It’s acclaimed for cool-climate classics like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and is pushing the case for alternative varieties.
A stone’s throw from the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Plains wine region promises gourmet discoveries and a growing collection of small wineries crafting vibrant wines.
The sunny Adelaide Plains wine region is just 30 minutes from Adelaide, and offers parklands, rose farms and good food and wine. The Italian community who helped pioneer the region brought a passion for produce – olive oil is a specialty – along with Italian grape varieties.
Many locally grown grapes find their way to nearby regions, but there’s a clutch of wineries and cellar doors to explore, and they’re proving just how good Adelaide Plains wines can be.
Just under an hour from Adelaide, the Barossa Valley wine region is an easy place to get to and an even easier place to stay. More than 150 wineries produce a deliciously diverse range of wines. Markets and festivals dot the calendar and historic villages host contemporary restaurants.
There’s a rich wine heritage in the Barossa Valley, with sixth-generation grape growers, fiercely proud winemakers and some of the oldest grapevines in the world. Fame can lead to complacency, but not here: Barossa is a region that never stands still.
In the Clare Valley wine region, old stone buildings and majestic gum trees dot the landscape of rolling green hills and vineyards against a deep blue sky. A growing food scene and world-class wines make it a popular tourist spot.
A hidden gem, Clare Valley is tucked away in South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges. It’s a two-hour drive from Adelaide but offers a retreat from the world – with plenty to entertain including stone-cottage cellar doors, hiking tracks and local produce.
In some ways it’s a place of contrasts: a small wine region with a global reputation. A long history in Australia but a readiness to make wine differently and embrace the new. One thing is sure: Clare Valley wines are up there with the best – its Riesling sets the benchmark in Australia.
Coonawarra is a small region with a big reputation. It’s part of South Australia’s picturesque Limestone Coast. Premium wines are the big drawcard here.
Coonawarra is a wine region known for quality wines that have evolved over time. Some vineyards have been tended for generations, premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz age for decades, and locals and visitors enjoy the scenic serenity of the surrounds.
Coonawarra has remained true to the classic Shiraz and Cabernet wines, but a new generation of young winemakers are re-energising the region with alternative grape varieties and new winemaking styles.
Coonawarra is famed for its age-worthy red wines and strip of terra rossa (‘red soil’) – one of the most valuable patches of earth in Australian wine. Cellar doors are packed close together, ready to welcome those who drive the distance.
The Fleurieu Peninsula’s picturesque Currency Creek wine region is the place to go for hiking, picnics and wildlife watching. A place to unwind with a standout wine.
Immerse yourself in nature, history and wine. Stretching from the coastal village of Port Elliot to Lake Alexandrina in the east, Currency Creek is home to beaches, bush trails and relics of the region’s Aboriginal and European settler past.
There are vineyards large and small in this growing wine region, and wineries crafting bold wines from a diverse range of red and white grapes.
The Eden Valley wine region is a land of rugged beauty and premium wine. A place to escape and explore.
In Barossa’s high country, Eden Valley is one of Australia’s top cool-climate wine regions. Its pockets of hidden vineyards are surrounded by hills and ancient red gums. Native wildlife, boutique wineries, and food and wine events add to the list of reasons to visit.
Eden Valley is home to a passionate wine community of fifth- and sixth-generation growers and influential winemakers who never settle for second best. The wines here are some of Australia’s best and brightest.
Kangaroo Island is unquestionably one of the world’s most beautiful wine regions. A stunning place to unwind and indulge.
Australia’s answer to the Galapagos Islands, Kangaroo Island is a paradise of unspoilt beaches, forests, desert dunes and abundant wildlife.
It’s known for its exceptional produce – including seafood pulled from pure waters – along with experimental red blends and other award-winning wines to discover in boutique cellar doors. It’s a treasure island for wine and nature lovers.
There’s a laser-like focus on quality in the Langhorne Creek wine region, where vivid green vines make photo-worthy scenes and small-batch, one-off wines keep things interesting.
Langhorne Creek is farming country and there’s fresh, local produce at every turn. It’s a picturesque place on the Fleurieu Peninsula, and one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, home to fifth-generation winemaking families.
With its unique climate and soils, Langhorne Creek is an ideal region for growing grapes. The winemaking community is a collaborative one – from boutique winemakers exploring alternative varieties to vineyards growing fruit for some of Australia’s biggest names in wine.
With its natural beauty, incredible wine riches and enough great restaurants to keep the fussiest gourmet traveller happy, McLaren Vale is one of Australia’s most exciting wine regions.
It’s a good thing it’s only 45 minutes south of Adelaide, because the list of things to see and do is long. Premium, boutique cellar doors, food, art, beaches and walking trails – you choose.
The birthplace of wine in South Australia, today the McLaren Vale wine region is home to one of the most progressive and environmentally conscious wine communities in Australia. Demand for its premium wines is at an all-time global high, and its spirit of innovation lives on.
Where the Limestone Coast meets the Southern Ocean, you’ll find the budding Mount Benson wine region. It’s home to innovative winemakers, sustainable vineyards and a clutch of welcoming cellar doors.
The peak of Mount Benson overlooks a rugged landscape dominated by forestry, grazing and a scattering of vineyards. The region’s wine scene is young, led by trailblazers rather than traditionalists who make elegant, prize-winning wines.
Take in the long stretches of sandy coastline as you sip a glass and sample local seafood or explore the region’s national parks and the popular seaside town of Robe.
On the gentle slopes of a dormant volcano in South Australia, the landscape of the Mount Gambier wine region creates a dramatic backdrop for its elegant wines.
The coastal region’s lush countryside is punctuated by sinkholes and lake-filled craters, including the famous Blue Lake. Lava caves and aquifers lie below the surface.
When you’re not exploring geological marvels, sample standout produce, from Wagyu beef and lobsters to dairy, fruits and vegetables. Mount Gambier is Australia’s newest wine region and thanks to its premium cooler-climate wines, its future is bright.
The Padthaway wine region on the Limestone Coast is a down-to-earth place where the wines reach great heights.
Just over three hours’ drive from Adelaide, Padthaway was first a grape-growing region and rows of premium vineyards line the highway that runs through it. Today it’s also home to a small and close-knit community of winemakers punching above their weight.
Chardonnay is the star, but creative winemakers produce everything from sparkling wine to Pinot Gris to Shiraz. Diverse wines that don’t hold back in flavour and intensity.
Vineyards stretch to the horizon in the Riverland wine region, a powerhouse producer of Australian wine. With the Murray River winding through from east to west, this is water and wine country.
It’s less than two hours northeast from Adelaide to the southernmost town of the Riverland. This vast and temperate region is popular for its wildlife and waterways; its outdoor activities and ochre limestone cliffs.
As the largest producer of wine in Australia, the Riverland is home to household names making popular wines that are poured all over the world. And its story goes beyond volume, with a growing number of small, premium producers planting Mediterranean varieties new to the region and adding diversity to the landscape.
Discover exciting wines and fresh seafood against a backdrop of aquamarine waters on the rugged Limestone Coast.
The emerging Robe wine region grows grapes good enough for some of Australia’s best wineries. Its local wines include everything from rich yet elegant reds to vibrant whites – perfect with the region’s famous lobster.
Robe’s wines come with unspoilt ocean views, heritage buildings and a laid-back lifestyle. It’s easy to see why this is one of South Australia’s favourite holiday destinations.
At the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula lies this burgeoning wine region, popular for its bright beaches and vibrant wines.
National parks, sandy beaches and top restaurants make Southern Fleurieu one of South Australia’s most popular holiday destinations. Its vineyards punctuate a diverse landscape of gentle slopes and hills, and small wineries produce a growing range of premium wines.
Once in the shadows of McLaren Vale, its high-profile northern neighbour, today Southern Fleurieu has its own spotlight and a bright future in wine.
Tourists, campers and wine lovers have much to discover in the ruggedly beautiful region of the Southern Flinders Ranges.
Vineyards dot the mountain slopes of this emerging wine region, where small, family-owned wineries craft award-winning wines. Red and white varieties produce bold wines here, and you can taste them in a handful of cellar doors.
With its national parks, gorges and local produce, the Southern Flinders Ranges wine region is a playground for outdoor adventures and gourmet discoveries.
The dynamic Wrattonbully wine region is no longer one of Australian wine’s best-kept secrets. The spotlight is on its high-quality wines and natural wonders to explore.
Just north of Coonawarra, Wrattonbully is a young wine region with all the makings of one that’s world-class. The grapes here are premium quality and are used by big names in Australian wine, as well as producing delicious local wines.
Beyond the vines there’s more to discover. Limestone caves are a major attraction, including the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves. With its growing community of big wine players and boutique producers, and expanding list of cellar doors, Wrattonbully is a region on the move.