South Australia
Clare ValleyFollow the region's much-loved Riesling Trail through rolling hills and charming villages, where you'll meet the makers and growers of some of Australia's finest wines and produce.Nestled in the heart of South Australia, the Clare Valley is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Renowned for its world-class wineries, picturesque landscapes, and rich history, the region offers an idyllic escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The Clare Valley is a relatively small wine region, but it punches well above its weight when it comes to producing some of the best wines in the world. With over 40 wineries scattered throughout the region, each with its unique charm, visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to wine tasting experiences. Whether you're a lover of crisp rieslings or full-bodied shiraz, the Clare Valley has something to offer every palate.
From locally grown produce to artisanal cheeses and small-batch wines, the area is a foodie's paradise. Farm-to-table restaurants, gourmet food stores, and bakeries offer a diverse range of culinary experiences, showcasing the best of South Australia's food culture. The annual Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend is a highlight for visitors, featuring the region's finest food and wine. Whether you're looking for a hearty country-style meal or a gourmet fine-dining experience, the Clare Valley's food scene is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
The region's wineries are not only famous for their wines, but also for their stunning surroundings. Rolling hills, vineyards, and charming villages are just a few of the picturesque scenes that make up the Clare Valley's unique landscape. Visitors can take a leisurely drive along the Riesling Trail, which winds through the region's vineyards, offering stunning views of the countryside and opportunities to sample some of the best wines produced in the area. Outdoor enthusiasts can explore the region's stunning natural scenery on foot, with several excellent hiking trails to choose from. The Riesling Trail also offers a great opportunity for cycling, with bike rentals available for those who want to explore the area on two wheels. Visitors can also take a hot air balloon ride, offering a unique and unforgettable view of the picturesque countryside.
For those looking for a cultural experience, the Clare Valley has plenty to offer. The region is steeped in history, with several museums and heritage sites showcasing the area's rich past. The Sevenhill Cellars, for example, is not only a working winery but also an important piece of South Australia's Catholic history, with the winery's underground cellar serving as a crypt for several Jesuit priests. The Clare Valley is also home to several art galleries, showcasing the work of local artists, as well as numerous events throughout the year.
Accommodation options in the Clare Valley range from cozy bed and breakfasts to luxurious hotels and resorts, ensuring there is something to suit every taste and budget. Many of the region's wineries offer on-site accommodation, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the wine experience. The region's stunning natural scenery also provides ample opportunities for camping and caravaning, with several excellent campgrounds and caravan parks in the area.
So pack your bags, grab a bottle of your favourite wine, and get ready to discover the beauty and charm of one of South Australia's most beloved regions.
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Clare Valley Brewing Co, Sevenhill
Clare Valley Brewing Co (CVBC) is a craft brewery based in the Clare Valley producing a quality range of craft beer.
Our cellar door shared with Jeanneret Wines provides tastings and sales to visitors. Open 7 days a week, it is a must-visit destination when visiting the Clare Valley. You will be able to enjoy the serene settings of the cellar door and brewery.
Riesling Trail
Traversing the picturesque Clare Valley wine region, the Riesling Trail is one of the first rail-trails to be developed in South Australia.
The trail runs for 35 kilometres from Auburn to Clare and onto Barinia and is located approximately two hours drive north of Adelaide. The Riesling Trail is suitable for recreational walkers, mountain and touring bikes, as well as wheelchairs and pushers. Bike hire is now available from Clare and Auburn, and many bed and breakfast are in the region.
Named after the grape and wine variety that the region is famous for, the Riesling Trail travels past many cellar doors and other visitor attractions, making it ideal for those wanting a leisurely walk or ride with a distraction or two.
There are three loop trails, which allow you to return to your starting point without travelling over old ground. Car parking is available in Clare, Sevenhill, Watervale and Auburn.
Mount Horrocks Wines
Producing 3,500 cases a year, Mount Horrocks Wines is a boutique winery creating high quality, award-winning wines from a single vineyard, estate-grown fruit.
Owner/winemaker Stephanie Toole carefully handcrafts her wines, which she describes as essentially 'handmade food wines' and all her wines are 100% Australian Certified Organic Wines and vegan and vegetarian friendly.
Seven wine varieties are produced under the Mount Horrocks Wines label including riesling, semillon, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, nero d'avola, rose and the Cordon Cut Riesling which was served to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at her 80th birthday.
James Halliday awarded Mount Horrocks a red five-star rat-ing in his 2018 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion and Stephanie were nominated as one of the eight finalists for the prestigious 2007 Gourmet Traveller Australian Winemaker of the Year Award. Visit Mount Horrocks cellar door at the Old Railway Station where you can taste Stephanie Toole's award-winning wines.
Sunday lunch at Paulett Wines, Polish Hill River
Just two hours north of Adelaide you will find the glorious Clare Valley and Paulett Wines.
We are nestled into the hills just on the southern side in the beautiful Polish Hill River Valley. Our Cellar Door has views that will take your breath away. We also have a viewing platform that lets you peek into the depths of our operational winery, and see behind the scenes.
And the best part, try some wines made by one of the best winemakers in the world, Neil Paulett. Famous for Riesling, you will be able to taste this grape variety made into four different styles, something quite amazing. Also on offer are a Sparkling Red, Semillon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot, Botrytis Riesling , and a stunning Shiraz. Cellar Door is open 10 -5 , 7 days.
We also have a cafe situated on the deck overlooking the stunning views. Bush DeVine Cafe opened in 2015 and has been a fantastic way for visitors to enjoy our wines matched with bush food-inspired dishes.
The cafe is Open 11-4 , 7 days a week.
Sevenhill Cellars, Sevenhill
The first winery in the Clare Valley, Sevenhill Cellars was established by Jesuits in 1851 to produce sacramental wine.
Today, the award-winning cellar door offers a diverse range of table wines that are highly regarded throughout Australia and overseas. Outside, the park-like grounds provide an ideal picnic spot and play space for families or visitors can explore the many spiritual and historical sites, including the winery museum and underground cellar, the stately St Aloysius’ Church and its crypt or the surrounding vineyards, which are some of the oldest in the region.
Sevenhill Cellars is a short ride from the region's renowned Riesling Trail and a place you can spend several enjoyable hours.
Sevenhill Hotel, Sevenhill
If you try and picture your ideal country pub, your imagination will almost certainly conjure up a warmly inviting atmosphere. Hopefully, a log fire or two.
It would probably picture quality but traditional design and genuinely friendly service. It would serve delicious hearty meals and accompany them with award-winning local wines and beers.
Of course, it would have its own wine cellar, lots of inside and outside spaces to choose from and the locals would treat the place like it was the centre of their universe. Welcome to the Sevenhill Hotel.
The Sevenhill Hotel is in the heart of the Clare Valley. We are five minutes south of Clare and twenty minutes south of the top end of the valley. So we really are at the epicentre of all the goodness that defines our region.
Winner of AHA Best Country Dining in SA 2019, 2018, 2017. So our local pub really is a destination in its own right and, if you have time for only one pit-stop, this is the place to choose.
Terroir Auburn, Auburn
The Terroir Auburn building is circa 1860s, with modern fittings, high ceilings and large window frontage creating an airy Parisian feel.
Terroir Auburn boasts a sophisticated locavore dining experience in a relaxed atmosphere. We use as much local produce as humanly possible, with only ingredients such as spices and some dairy products outsourced, as they are not produced in the Clare Valley. Our strong focus on seasonality and a weekly changing menu ensures a contemporary representation of seasonal Clare Valley produce.
All produce is sourced locally - fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown in the kitchen garden. With both current and old school cookery techniques used. We buy small amounts of wine to make sure the wine list is constantly rolling over and staying relevant to what is happening wine wise in the valley. Our wine list has a strong focus on locally grown varieties, with a small selection of comparison varieties sourced domestically and internationally.
Terroir Au-burn is a true representation of the modern Clare Valley.
Tim Gramp Wines, Leasingham
Tim Gramp is a fifth-generation direct descendant of the wine family that made the Barossa Valley-based company, Orlando, famous. Tim continues the tradition in the beautiful Clare Valley, making a selection of wines from the historical Watervale region. The winery and cellar door are nestled in the picturesque hamlet of Leasingham, two kilometres south of Watervale.
Three times winner, Champion Dry Red Wine of Australia (Shiraz), ASW National Wineshow
Explore Auburn
Auburn is a small town in the southern edge of the Clare Valley. It lies in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges just east of the Skilly Hills. Auburn is bisected by the Wakefield River as it makes its way to the sea at Port Wakefield.
The town has many historical buildings with many beautiful State Heritage-listed building located at the centre of the town particularly along with St Vincent, Church and King Streets. Often considered the “gateway” town to the Clare Valley, the town is on the Horrocks Highway, approximately 111 kilometres from Adelaide and 25 kilometres south of Clare.
Auburn has historically been a transport hub. In the 1850s it was on the Gulf Road, used by bullock teamsters carting copper ore from Burra, through Mintaro, to Hoyles Plains and on to Port Wakefield. Today it is on the Hor-rocks Highway, connecting Adelaide to the north, and also connects the Riverland district with the Yorke Peninsula.
The southern end of the Riesling Trail also begins here, alongside the former railway station, which is now a winery cellar door. Auburn has many charming historical buildings. As a result, since the 1970s the town has become a popular tourist destination, with several local winery cellar doors and B&Bs.
Auburn is serviced by the historical Rising Sun Hotel and several cafes, a gallery, roadhouse, bike hire, post office, hairdresser, Primary School, CFS station, supermarket and many other services. The Auburn oval hosts sporting facilities for cricket, bowls and netball and is also the location of a small, self-contained caravan park.
Martindale Hall, Mintaro
Martindale Hall is a Georgian style with Italianate influenced sandstone mansion which has significant heritage value in South Australia.
Built in 1879 - 1880 for Edmund Bowman Junior at a cost of 30,000 pounds it has some 32 rooms and boasts a large cellar of some seven rooms.
To visit Martin-dale Hall today is a unique experience of a living museum, a step back in time to the days of gracious living on a large pastoral estate late in the 1800s to early 1900s. Where a rumoured 14 servants, four of whom lived in the hall and on-call 24 hours a day looked after the needs of two people, such as the extravagant upper-class lifestyle of the wealthy pastoralist.
Your hosts Sharon and Michael Morris welcome you to wander the hall and enjoy its remarkable history and grandeur. Group bookings are welcome.
Bonina Olive Grove, Auburn
Bonina Olive Grove is a Clare Valley Locally grown producer of Wine and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Les is a Hungarian born chap who travelled to Australia in 1957 in search of a better life. Picking up roots in Maitland NSW learning fluent English he got straight to it. Working on dairy and sheep farms he soon realised that agriculture was to be his lifestyle.
Travelling throughout Australia, getting to know his new country, Fruit picking in QLD, Uranium mining in the Northern Territory, his holiday-ing destination was always an annual visit to The Clare Valley, Knowing that one day this was going to be his own utopia.
It was then that Bonina was introduced to The Valley as a little slice of passion. With over 800 olive trees and 2 and a half hectares of Reisling, Sanjoivese, and Shiraz. This little farmgate has sure made an impression on the locals. As current renovations are underway for a small Cellar Door and Farm Gate, all produce is currently available to purchase at the Clare Valley Wine, Food & Tourism Centre, located just 3km south of Clare.
Bungaree Station, Clare
Offering 178 years of history, unique accommodation and activities, in the picturesque Clare Valley, staying at this iconic property is an immersive country experience.
Guests will stay in beautifully ren-ovated heritage cottages on the 7000-acre farming property. The cottages are self-contained, with 1-4 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom/s and sitting rooms with wood fires and air conditioning.
All bedding is provided as well as full breakfast provisions, with other catering available by prior arrangement. While staying at Bungaree, guests can do tours of the station complex, enjoy wide-open spaces, feed animals, use the swimming pool, or simply relax around the fire with some local wine. Walking trails through the paddocks and guided farm experiences are also available.
Tours of the many attractions of the Clare Valley, including wineries, art galleries and museums, can also be arranged. Located just a 2-hour drive from Adelaide, in the beautiful Clare Valley, the property is also well located for short trips to this world-renowned wine region as well as a worthwhile stopover on longer trips to the Flinders Ranges and the Eyre Peninsula.