Fleurieu Wineries & Cellar Doors

The Fleurieu Peninsula has more than 75 cellar door wineries. You'll find most at McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek - producers of some of Australia's most exciting wines. And make sure to visit our emerging wine centres at Currency Creek, Victor Harbor and along the southern coast.

If you approach the region from Adelaide, you catch a glimpse of the whole valley, with McLaren Vale in the middle distance surrounded by a patchwork of shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay vines.

This marks the start of a journey taking in some of Australia's most acclaimed wines and a bounty of regional produce.

Langhorne Creek, on the eastern edge of the Fleurieu Peninsula, has become one of Australias most important grape growing regions. Visit Bleasdale Winery, Australia's second oldest family-owned winery. Other local labels include Bremerton Wines and Lake Breeze Wines, all featuring cellar door sales.

As well as being one of Australia's oldest wine regions, Langhorne Creek is one of the fastest growing and already the third largest grape producing area in South Australia. Traditionally a red growing region, it's best known for its outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, with other red varieties gaining popularity such as Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Grenache and Petit Verdot. White varieties include Chardonnay, Semillon and Verdelho.

John Reynell planted the region's first grapes in 1838 at Reynella, where he employed a young labourer named Thomas Hardy and laid the foundations of two wine dynasties that would dominate the region for more than a century. John Reynell's original hand-excavated cellar is still in use in the gardens of Hardy's Reynella winery. Some of the cellar doors don't seem to have changed much since then. Pirramimma is one where, if you peek into the winery, not a screw or a piece of leather seems ever to have been thrown away. Tatachilla is another that reeks of history and looks like a good old-fashioned winery, so too does Hardys Tintara. d'Arenberg has a splendid cellar door and restaurant. There's a constantly growing new generation of stylish small wineries, many of them family owned such as Penny's Hill, Tapestry, Hugh Hamilton, Shottesbrooke, Hugo and Fox Creek.

If you hear a bell tolling just as the first grapes are ready to pick, it will be coming from Wirra Wirra. It signals the start of vintage and its end.

Cool sea breezes benefit the vineyards around Goolwa, where Currency Creek and Ballast Stone wineries, and Angus Wines on Hindmarsh Island, produce premium wines.
Southern Fleurieu Peninsula is experiencing extensive vineyard and winery growth, from Twin Bays,Mt Jagged Wines, Parri Estate and more.