If a show-stopping view is what you’re looking for in a cellar door, then stop the show right here. Samuel’s Gorge winery occupies a picture-perfect 1853 stone farm shed, sitting high on a ridge above a gorgeous gorge. Far below, the Onkaparinga River snakes its way through the green of its namesake national park. What a spot!
The vibe at the cellar door is handmade and unpretentious, with no sign of the glass-and-steel architectural glam of many of its neighbours. Instead, Samuel’s Gorge is all stone, timer and weathered corrugated iron, surrounded by rambling flower beds and herb gardens. In your tasting glass, the focus is squarely on five red varieties: grenache, shiraz, mourvèdre, graciano and tempranillo, all of which grow beautifully in McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean airs. New directions are afoot with the Samuel’s Gorge ‘Piñata People’ label, which ventures into the arena of rosés and whites. In pre-Covid days, BYO picnics were de riguer here – we miss them! Tastings are free, but it’s a compact little place: book ahead.
