Our suggestions for visiting each wine region in SA

The key to a successful day visiting cellar doors is a little bit of planning in advance. Not too much, as you don't want to organise things so thoroughly that you take all the fun out of them. But it is worth knowing whether you want to take the quick route or the pretty route there and back, how long that will take, and where you can eat or get a coffee break nearby.
​If you have non-wine enthusiasts with you, a list of alternative attractions to break up the day can be helpful and, of course, you should have a short list of the cellar doors you'd most like to visit.
​During the course of our cellar door odyssey we have had a few disastrous days out when we didn't make any plans at all. So here is a list of the key things we've learned about visiting each of the following regions.

A note about navigation and suggested routes:
In this age of Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and a satnav in almost every car, much of what follows is superfluous. We suggest using your favourite piece of GPS technology to plan the best route on the day and keep you on it, avoiding any traffic incidents or delays in real time.  It should take you directly to whichever cellar door you have chosen.
The following suggestions are simply to help you explore alternatives and expand your options with other information that your satnav may leave out. All of them start from Victoria Square in the centre of Adelaide, and the journey times were calculated on a fairly quiet Sunday morning in mid January.  Expect to take longer during busy periods such as holidays or rush hours - again, your satnav will advise in real time.

Adelaide Hills North
(of Balhannah)

Suggested Routes:
The best route into this region will depend upon exactly which cellar doors you plan to visit (and where you start from), but Lenswood is a good target destination.  There really isn't a quick route to get there, but they are all very pretty drives.
The important thing to know is that almost every route into this region includes very twisty and steep Adelaide Hills roads. Not everyone enjoys this sort of driving, and any passenger prone to feeling carsick will almost certainly suffer from it here. The alternatives to the North (along Gorge Road or North East Road) are little better.
This route takes you out along Greenhill Road to Uraidla, then along Basket Range Road and Lobethal Road. Depending on where you start from, you may prefer to go via Norton Summit and follow Lobethal Road all the way.
​The gentlest drive into the region is via the South Eastern Freeway towards Hahndorf, then turn left towards Verdun and follow the (comparatively) straight and flat Onkaparinga Valley Road through Balhannah, Woodside and Charleston. From this route you can then minimise the number of twisty, hilly roads to be negotiated as you head North via Lenswood or Lobethal.
NB: there are a lot of unsurfaced minor roads in this region, and some satnav devices will not hesitate to route you along them. You may wish to re-program yours accordingly, if you prefer sealed roads.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Uraidla Republic Cafe, Bakery and Brewery - this is a delightful place to stop if travelling via Greenhill Road
Fourth Hill Providore, Verdun (opposite Stanley Bridge Tavern) - ideal when using the Freeway/Onkaparinga Valley Road route
Lobethal Bakery, Lobethal - a large and cheerful bakery, with plenty of seating
Lobethal Bakery, Woodside - ditto, but located actually on the Onkaparinga Valley Road
The Cudlee Cafe, Cudlee Creek - a lovely riverside setting outside in summer, or snug inside with a wood burner in winter

Other attractions the area 
Melba's Chocolates, Woodside and Woodside Cheese Wrights shop - next door to each other at Henry Street, just North of Woodside
Gorge Wildlife Park - not too big to see everything in one visit
The Big Rocking Horse, Gumeracha (it's big but it doesn't actually rock)
Fox Creek Mountain Bike Park (appeals to active teenagers of all ages, take your own bikes)
The Adelaide Hills Sculpture Trail - comprises 26 striking sculptures scattered through the Hills and Southern Vales. Which is your favourite?

Adelaide Hills South
(of Balhannah) 

Suggested Routes:
​The best route into this region will depend upon exactly which cellar doors you plan to visit (and where you start from), but Hahndorf is a good target destination.  This historic Germanic country town is a day out in its own right, quickly and easily reached via the South Eastern freeway.
As with the more Northern Hills cellar doors, plenty of alternative routes will take you along those tight, steep and twisty Adelaide Hills Roads. Besides Greenhill Road, you may also enjoy the climb up to Belair and Blackwood via Windy Point, or the drives out through Aldgate and Mylor or Coromandel Valley and Clarendon. All are breathtakingly pretty.
If twisty roads are not your thing, you can either head out along the Freeway, or else due South along the Southern Expressway (which also leads to McLaren Vale) to minimise the amount of travel on minor roads.
NB: there are a lot of unsurfaced minor roads in this region, and some satnav devices will not hesitate to route you along them. You may wish to re-program yours accordingly, if you prefer sealed roads.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Behrenberg's Strawberry Farm, Shop and Cafe at Hahndorf
Uraidla Republic Cafe, Bakery and Brewery - this is a delightful place to stop if travelling via Greenhill Road

Other attractions the area 
Hahndorf Main Street
Behrenberg's Strawberry Farm, Shop and Cafe
The Cedars - artist Hans Heysen's family home located just outside Hahndorf
The Adelaide Hills Sculpture Trail - all 26 sculptures were created at The Cedars - which is your favourite?

​BAROSSA NORTH
​(of Tanunda) 

Head for Nuriootpa first. Either you can shoot around at 100kph plus via the new Northern Expressway - allow an hour - or you can pick from several pretty routes up through the Northern Adelaide Hills region.
This will take around ninety minutes, and you will spend the first half of the journey winding through picturesque countryside on very twisty roads - you have been warned.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Angaston Bakery - 

Other attractions the area 
Barossa Chocolate Factory
Barossa Mini-Golf
​The Whispering Wall (en route via Williamstown)

BAROSSA SOUTH
​(of Tanunda) 

Head for Lyndoch first. The quickest route (but only just) is to head for Lyndoch via the Northern Expressway to Gawler. This will avoid the narrow and twisty roads of the Adelaide Hills
For a prettier (and not much slower route) head up North East, Lower North East or Gorge Roads to Gumeracha and round through the Mount Crawford Forest (per map). A slightly more direct alternative takes you up through Kersbrook and Williamstown (along the B31).
​All of these routes will deliver you to the rolling countryside around Lyndoch, from where it is less than a ten minute drive to over half of the Barossa's amazing cellar doors.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Lyndoch Bakery - 

Other attractions the area 
The Whispering Wall
The Lavender Farm - for those of a quieter disposition
Barossa Chocolate Factory
Barossa Mini-Golf

CLARE VALLEY

The Clare Valley region really starts at Auburn, so you can reach the Southern boundary from Adelaide in only 90 minutes. This makes it ideal for a day trip. The drive up from the motorway through Roseworthy and Tarlee is actually very pretty, certainly far more interesting than the alternative route through Mallala and Balaklava.
The Clare Valley region also offers a lot of appealing accommodation, so an overnight or long weekend visit is highly recommended at any time of year. The pace of life in the Valley is noticeably slower than around Adelaide, or in other wine regions located closer to the city.
 
This is just one of the many reasons we love it. Clare is the only sizeable town (it has a Woolworths), but Auburn and Watervale also offer a handful of shops and a general store respectively. The other settlements (including Sevenhill, Penwortham, Leasingham and Mintaro) are really more like hamlets. Each has its own attractions on offer and is worth a visit.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Watervale Bakery and Cafe - 
The Little Red Grape Company, Sevenhill - fantastic cafe
​Room 21 Auburn

Other attractions the area 
Martindale Hall, Mintaro - you may recognise it from the film "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Very interesting and very atmospheric.

COONAWARRA

This wine region is a long way from Adelaide - not a day trip - but well worth the visit. There is really on one route to get there (although if you have a couple of hours to spare, you might enjoy taking the longer coastal route past the Coorong and down to Kingston, Robe or Millicent before heading inland to Naracoorte or Penola. You might want to spend the night in Robe or Beachport and enjoy the sunset before heading on. But we digress).

Taking the main road and driving straight there, remember that it can be a long drive between coffee stops (and fuel stops) in rural South Australia, even on main roads. We often like to stop around Tailem Bend or Keith on the way down.
Coming home, aim to drop in at Padthaway if they're open - after a tasting and platter lunch there you can collect an excellent coffee at Henry &  Rose in Keith before settling into the rest of the journey back to Adelaide.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops
Henry & Rose - Keith
​Padthaway Wines, Padthaway

Other attractions the area 
Naracoorte Caves

LANGHORNE CREEK

It's closer than the Barossa, it's a nicer drive, the cellar doors are cheaper but both they and the wines they sell are every bit as enjoyable. What on earth are you waiting for?

Get down there quickly before everyone else finds out how good it is.

​MCLAREN VALE
​(NORTH & SOUTH) 

PADTHAWAY

CAPE JAFFA

Honestly, this is really one for the hard core cellar door tragics like us. This fledgling wine region has only a handful of fairly quirky cellar doors, but they are worth a visit. That's why we included them.

What you might well want to do is combine your visit with a seaside trip to Robe or Beachport, or perhaps birdwatching at the Coorong on your way down?

There is really only one way to go and it is a long and mostly characterless drive. It is quite interesting the first time you do it though! Be warned, after Meningie, there is only one place to buy fuel or refreshments (at Salt Creek, if it's open) until you reach Kingston SE.

Suggested lunch or coffee stops

Other attractions the area 
Robe historic township
Beachport
​Naracoorte Caves