The Barossa Valley is one of the world’s premier wine regions, known for its big, bold red wines, grand chateaux and for being home to Australia’s most beloved heritage wineries. Widely considered to be the best wine region in Australia (although, the competition is fierce!), the Barossa Valley is a must-visit for food & wine lovers. There are 80 wineries to visit in the Barossa Valley with cellar doors (tasting rooms), out of the 150 wineries in the region, so visitors are spoiled for choice! Some of the best wineries to visit in the Barossa Valley include iconic heritage wineries like Yalumba, Seppeltsfield, Chateau Tanunda and Henschke.
I spent 3 days exploring the best wineries in the Barossa Valley, and loved discovering the iconic wines that have made the region famous, like bold Barossa shiraz, GSMs and tawny fortified wines (port). Below, I’ve rounded up the Barossa Valley’s best wineries and cellar doors that we visited, to help you plan your trip to the Barossa!
What is the Barossa Valley known for?
The Barossa Valley contains two sub regions: The Barossa Valley and the Eden Valley. The Barossa is most famous for its bold, complex Shiraz (Syrah), GSM (Grenach Shiraz Mourvedre) and Cabernet Blends. The Eden Valley, which produces strikingly different wines, producing more delicate Shiraz and riesling, as well as Semillon. The Barossa Valley has a warm Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and cool, wet winters.
Where is the Barossa Valley?
The Barossa Valley is a 1 hour drive from Adelaide, in South Australia. It’s close enough to Adelaide that you could do a day trip to the Barossa Valley, but with so many spectacular cellar doors and excellent restaurants, you’ll want to spend 2-3 days in the region at least.
Yalumba
Yalumba is one of Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, and is a household name in Australia. Six generations of the Hill-Smith family have built Yalumba into one of Australia’s best-known wineries, over 170 years. Yalumba is easily one of the best wineries to visit in the Barossa Valley, with a beautiful and historic property including a chateaux-style main building, surrounded by gardens. The wine tasting room here is one of my favourites, and all tastings are seated – no jostling at a crowded tasting bar. Sink into one of their deep couches in front of a roaring fire, and try their line up of Barossa Reds for the perfect introduction to the Barossa Valley. There are a number of other wine tastings to choose from, including Eden Valley Whites, as well as guided tours of the cellar, the vineyards and the property.
Yalumba also has impressive sustainability credentials, having won more than 40 sustainability awards and operating the largest solar power system in a winery in Australia.
Henschke
Henschke is a prestigious, family-owned Barossa Valley winery with six generations of history. Henschke was one of my favourite wineries we visited in the Barossa Valley, because of their spectacular whites. Henschke is adored by wine buffs, and the Henschke Hill of Grace is one of the most highly anticipated wine releases of the year. Henschke’s cellar door is much smaller and quieter than the wineries listed so far, so I’d recommend booking in advance. We were very lucky to get a spot as a walk in! Their wine tasting room is beautiful, and housed in a former grain barn from the 1860s which has been beautiful renovated.
Seppeltsfield
Seppeltsfield is another historic Barossa Valley winery, with a grand estate complex that includes a large, airy tasting room, picnic areas, a fine dining restaurant, cafe, art gallery and a local crafts workshop and studio. Seppeltsfield offers a number of wine tastings and tours, including a tasting of their latest release of their 100 year-old Para Vintage Tawny, which they release every year. Tawny is the Australian name for what is known as Port in Portugal – Port is now a protected term, so in Australia its’ called tawny. I’ve never been a fan of tawny/port, until I tried it in the Barossa Valley, which has ideal growing conditions for fine aged tawnies.
We did a tasting in the wine room, the general tasting experience of six wines for $15, seated experience we chose between reds, whites, rose and tawny. The host here was one of the best we met in South Australia (we visited three wine regions!), and found some extra tawnies for David to try after he found out that he was a fan.
St Hugo
St Hugo is a critically acclaimed winery, known for its award-winning vintages that balance power and elegance. It’s one of the best wineries to visit in the Barossa Valley, with a gorgeous cellar door and on-site restaurant, offering views over the vineyards and the rolling Barossa Valley hills. St Hugo offers a number of tasting experiences, we did the entry level St Hugo Experience tasting of six wines, including white, reds and premium vintages.
Turkey Flat
Turkey Flat is one of the oldest wineries in the Barossa Valley, and has a rustic and charming cellar door not far from Tanunda. Christie Schulz is the fourth generation of the Schulz family at Turkey Flat, and is dedicated to sustainable management practices that encourage a biodiverse ecosystem within the vineyards.
Rockford
Rockford is a small and highly awarded winery, which sells exclusively from the cellar door. When we visited the Barossa Valley, we had many requests from friends to bring them back a bottle of their Basket Press Shiraz! The wine tasting at Rockford is very casual, gathered around a central bar in one of the small stone cottages on site. It flies under the radar of the mainstream Barossa tourist trail, and I suspect it doesn’t accept bus tours.
Chateau Tanunda
Chateau Tanunda is one of the Barossa Valley’s landmark wineries, with a grand 19th century estate and property. Established at a time when most Barossa wineries were very small, Chateau Tanunda was the first large winemaking estate and would become at its peak, the largest winery in the southern hemisphere. It was a leading winery in developing the Barossa Valley’s reputation, and attracted the best minds in Australian winemaking who would study Chateau Tanunda. It fell nearly to ruin in the late 20th century, and was revitalised by current owner, the Gerber Family. Today, Chateau Tanunda is once again one of the best wineries to visit in the Barossa Valley.
Jacob’s Creek
Jacob’s Creek is well known for its affordable, mass market wines that are widely available across Australia. I didn’t realise before visiting that Jacob’s Creek also makes premium, highly-awarded wines as well, and I really enjoyed our visit to the cellar door. Jacob’s Creek has a large, purpose-built cellar door in Rowland Flat, with a large tasting room, on site restaurant and cafe, beautiful grounds and small exhibitions that tell the story of Australian winemaking as part of the winery’s history.
Chateau Yaldara
Chateau Yaldara is one of the best wineries in the Barossa Valley to visit for a cellar tour, before your wine tasting. We took a guided tour of the property and cellars, which is a must-do at some point when you’re wine tasting in the Barossa Valley. My favourites from Chateau Yaldara were their fortifieds, and the grenache.
When is the best time to visit the Barossa Valley?
You can visit the Barossa Valley year-round. Harvest is typically between February-April. We visited in winter, and it was cold, misty and rainy but it was the perfect weather for enjoy big Barossa reds in front of a roaring fire!
