Epicurean Way Road Trip

Grab your picnic basket and esky and journey through the iconic wine regions of McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare Valley. Let your taste buds lead the way along the Epicurean Way road trip as you sip and dine your way through South Australia’s best wineries, restaurants and artisan produce.

Kick-off your culinary crusade through South Australia at the Willunga Farmers Markets, an institution for local Fleurieu Peninsula foodies offering the region’s best produce. Buy direct from local farmers and artisan producers and sample a smorgasbord of seasonal fruits, vegetables, pastries, olive oils and smallgoods. Next stop? Happy hour in a giant Rubik's Cube! Imagine Willy Wonka was a wine, not chocolate lover, and we reckon the result would be something very similar to the d’Arenberg Cube. This otherworldly cellar door offers one of the most iconic and unique wine tasting destinations in Australia. Just down the road, seasonal produce awaits at The Currant Shed. Set between a delightful lime grove and beautiful vineyards, The Currant Shed was once a part of a homestead where early McLaren Vale residents made their living from mixed farming enterprises. Looking for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience? Welcome to Maxwell Wines – the home of degustation dining in McLaren Vale. Open for lunch from Friday to Sunday, this premium restaurant refuses to be overshadowed by the vineyards that surround it, serving up unique combinations of fresh, locally sourced meat, veggies and herbs in their six or 10-course tasting menus. Stay a night or two among the vineyard’s at one of McLaren Vale’s best winery accommodation options including the Vineyard Retreat, Hotel California Road @ Inkwell Wines, or Shadow Creek.

Next, set your coordinates for the fairy-tale villages, world-class wineries, and award-winning regional restaurants of the Adelaide Hills. Pull up at The Lane Vineyard restaurant and cellar door, where the only thing that rivals the food and wine is the view. Nothing compares to the taste of fruit plucked straight from the field, and some of South Australia’s best produce awaits in orchards across the Adelaide Hills. Nestled just outside the tourist hot spot of Hahndorf, picking your own strawberries at Beerenberg Farm is a rite of passage during any trip to the Adelaide Hills, plus you can sample their famous jams, sauces, and condiments straight from the farm shop. You’ll also find seasonal and pick-your-own cherry, apple, pear and fig orchards tucked all over the hills, so take the pick of the crop with our guide to the best places to pick your own fruit in South Australia and make a few foodie detours.

The perfect accompaniment to your freshly picked fruit? Award-winning artisan cheese crafted with milk straight from the Adelaide Hills. From gooey to crumbly, creamy and sharp, Woodside Cheese Wrights create seasonal cheeses using locally sourced goat, cow and buffalo milk. Gin lovers, make sure you stop by Ambleside Distillers on your Adelaide Hills adventure. Just moments from Hahndorf, enjoy a picturesque setting while kicking back, relaxing and sipping one of the handcrafted signature gins and a food platter in this cellar door distillery. Also dishing up delicious gin is Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo Wines. Enter a labyrinth of distilling rooms and watch how the cellar door’s incredible range of wines and gin are made. When you’re done, chill out in the super-stylish bar and tasting area, sipping Applewood cocktails, Unico Zelo wines, wine and spirit flights, and of course, bar nibbles. Take your time tasting your way through all of the foodie offering of the Adelaide Hills and cosy up nestled in nature at one of the best places to stay in the Adelaide Hills including Mount Lofty House, Pavilions at Lenswood or Ode to Orchard.

Still hungry and thirsty? Perfect, because the next stop is one of the world’s best wine regions, the Barossa Valley. No visit to the Barossa is complete without stopping in at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, and with a new restaurant on site it’s an unmissable stop on the Epicurean Way road trip. Speaking of Barossa legends, next stop is iconic winery, Seppeltsfield. Arguably the Barossa’s most iconic winery, spend the afternoon sipping wine as old (or young) as you. Founded in 1851, today the historic bluestone cellars of Seppeltsfield produce a plethora of award-winning wines which stand tall among the world’s best, including the sublime 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny. For an extra special experience, drink in the history of Seppeltsfield and descend into stone cellars dating back to 1878 to taste your own birth-year Tawny directly from the barrel, guided by a Seppeltsfield wine educator in the beautiful Centennial Cellar. From Friday night fiestas that see people gather over a glass of vino and wood-fired pizzas, to mouth-watering pastries adorned with fresh and dried botanicals - there is something for everyone at El Estanco. The restaurant has a uniquely South American flavour and flare with owners Abby Osborne and Julian Velasquez focusing on ethically sourced produce and sustainable practices. If the name Hentley Farm rings a bell, it's probably because this winery is globally acclaimed for its culinary prowess. Perhaps one of the most unique cellar door experiences in the Barossa, Hentley Farm is housed inside a petite heritage cottage that looks imported from the German countryside. Their award-winning onsite restaurant - The Atrium - has a strong focus on local produce and is geared towards intimate experiences – so we recommend booking ahead of time!

Continue on the Epicurean Way to Clare Valley, where a legendary glass of riesling awaits. You'll find more than 50 cellar doors between the towns of Auburn and Clare, and the region’s signature wine, riesling, is among the world’s best. The Clare Valley is home to some of the oldest wineries and cellar doors in the state; the oldest being Sevenhill Cellars, that was established in 1851 by Jesuits priests. They planted the first grape vines in order to make sacramental wine, and now the historic site offers one of the most unique cellar door experiences. Stop by for a wine tasting then tour the historic underground cellars and crypt. Just down the road in Sevenhill, Pikes Wines' riesling, shiraz and cabernet varietals are not to be missed. Tucked away on 100 hectares of rolling vineyards, the estate is home to more than 20 different grape varieties that produce an impressive array of wine styles. Pull up a seat in the tasting room for a free tasting of five of Pikes’ signature wines. Ready to move on to beer? Pikes Beer Company, brewed on-site, has you covered. Afterwards, settle in for lunch at the adjoining Slate Restaurant. The menu showcases the best produce from around the Clare Valley and is constantly evolving depending on what is seasonal and abundant.

Nearby, the historic town of Mintaro's crowning glory is the Martindale Hall. A short 20-minute drive from Clare, the hall is one of the prettiest country mansions in Australia, presented as a miniature version of Britain’s Chatsworth House.