The good news is that whichever of South Australia's wine regions you head for, you can't go wrong — whether it's a day winding through the small towns and valleys of the Adelaide Hills or a weekend spent soaking up the wine and scenery of the Barossa and Clare Valleys.
For those looking to cut down the options though, Coonawarra/Padthaway is the region to miss.
Despite the high quality of wine coming out of the region, the small number of wineries and the length of time it takes to get there means that it is probably not worth visiting Coonawarra on a tight schedule.
As part of a longer stay — or even better, a trip from Adelaide to Melbourne — it is definitely worth a visit. The Naracoorte National Park, South Australia's only world heritage listed site, is worth the trip by itself. But for those primarily interested in wine, it makes more sense to stay closer to Adelaide and pick up some of the Coonawarra and Padthaway wines from bottle shops there.
With it's beautiful mix of Australian native vegetation and English countryside, the Adelaide Hills is possibly the most scenic of the wine regions to visit. But for those looking for a hardcore wine tasting experience, similar to the Coonawarra, the number of wineries is limited and quite spread out, so better to head for McLaren Vale or the Barossa for a broader range of wines and a higher concentration of vineyards.
Venturing into the realm of vineyard criticism is not an easy task. With several hundred wineries across the state, singling out a handful is risky business, particularly given how different peoples' tastes can be, and the extent to which a wineries output changes from year to year. That said, any winery that begins with 'Chateaux' (and there are quite a few in the Barossa) is best kept clear of in my experience.
Strangely enough — and despite my suggested 'big reds' itinerary — it may also pay to give some of the big names a miss. Not only can they get crowded on a busy tasting weekend, but I find that staff at smaller wineries (often the owners or winemaker themselves) are much happier chatting about their wines instead of looking down their nose at inexperienced wine tasters. They'll also be happy to recommend other wineries to visit or places to eat. Even more appealing is the fact that small wineries often have some real gems that are only available from the cellar door.
Now this may sound like sacrilege (and yes, I've included the place in the itinerary section), but you may want to skip Penfolds as well. Sure it's one of the first places most people head to in the Barossa and don't get me wrong, Penfolds wines are great, but the problem is they take years to mature. This means that most of the young wines available for tasting aren't up to par yet. So give the place a miss, check out some of the small producers, and order a bottle of aged Penfolds' wine over your dinner instead.
Got any more places to avoid? Have your say using the comments form below.
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