The 30 best wineries to visit in Australia

Even if Chester Osborn hadn’t invented the undeniably amazing d’Arenberg Cube, the winery itself would still be somewhere near the top of the list of Australia’s best. But he did – and now d’Arenberg has evolved from being merely an excellent winery to an essential McLaren Vale ‘experience’, its towering Cube the poster child for all and sundry regional promotions. In the tasting room on the top level, sip your way into d’Arenberg’s dizzying array of reds and whites (the Dead Arm shiraz and Broken Fishplate sauvignon blanc are perennial faves) – then launch into lunch at the spectacular d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant in the adjacent 19th-century homestead – still one of SA’s best regional restaurants.

Set against a backdrop of the Brokenback Range, Mount Pleasant Wines consistently ranks as one of the top three wineries in Australia. Each bottle is a tribute to Mount Pleasant’s 100-year-old history, with the winery now boasting four vineyards in Lovedale, Rosehill, Old Hill and Old Paddock. Taste more than a century’s worth of Australian winemaking history with a Discovery Tasting at the bar, or treat yourself to a Wine and Food Pairing experience showcasing four signature Mount Pleasant wines matched with snack-sized bites, including blue swimmer crab tartlets or pork croquettes.

Magically secluded in the western Barossa backblocks, Seppeltsfield is less like a winery and more like a historic wine village. This sprawling complex of gorgeous stone buildings, founded in 1851, was Australia’s biggest wine producer in the early 1900s. Cellar door tastings kick off at $15, ramping up through ‘Taste Your Birth Year’ experiences and tours of the Centennial Cellars, home to Seppeltsfield’s flagship barrels of 100-year-old tawny.

Sustainability is at the core of this leading Margaret River winery, which is one of Australia’s most innovative certified organic producers of world-class chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Curate your own tasting with a selection of premium cheese and charcuterie platters, or go beyond the tasting table and explore the land with an authentic Voyager vineyard tour and restaurant experience.

It’s rare to find a top-tier winery so close to an Australian city centre, but Josef Chromy estate is exactly that. Hidden inside an original 1880s homestead on the 61-hectare vineyard, Josef Chromy offers one of Tasmania’s most memorable food and wine experiences. With its minimal intervention methods, the winery sets the benchmark in cool climate winemaking and is particularly renowned for its exemplary Tasmanian sparkling wines, which have a signature Granny Smith apple acidity. Drive ten minutes from Launceston city for an afternoon at the cellar door where you can sample a flight of four wines, followed by an immersive two-course lunch at the seasonally-driven restaurant.

It’s difficult to overstate the significance of Penfolds – both as an essential Barossa cellar door and as an iconic Australian wine producer, founded in 1844. Penfolds’ famous Grange is one of Australia’s most collectible wines, and the only Australian wine granted heritage status by the National Trust. If you’re in Adelaide, we recommend a visit to Penfolds Magill Estate where the story began. The property features a fine dining restaurant, cellar door, underground drives, Grange Cottage (the original home of the Penfolds family) and the Magill Estate Kitchen – a casual bistro offering brunch and lunch.

Taking the crown for Australia’s Best Sparkling in 2023, House of Arras is a must-visit for any fans of bubbly. This winery and cellar door is hidden inside lush lofty woodlands near the Pipers River and sources fruit from six pristine regions in Tasmania with varying terrains and climates. Start with a seated tasting experience through the different terroirs, or walk along the river boardwalk with a glass in hand, as you try to spot local platypus and native flora. House of Arras is Australia’s most-awarded sparkling wine brand, so don’t go home empty-handed.

If there was an award for the most picturesque winery in the Hunter, Audrey Wilkinson would win it hands down. Best of all, the wines inside the country-house tasting room stand tall as well. Soak in the breathtaking views of the Brokenback Mountain Ranges as you sip standouts, such as semillon, chardonnay and shiraz, with cellar-door tastings starting at $10. It’s worth a peek at the Wilkinson family winemaking museum too, which is free to enter, or settling amongst the vines for a picnic with wine and cheese. 

Visit one of the legends of the Yarra Valley (and the wine dogs!) at Rob Dolan. The winery uses fruit from all over Victoria to make a cracking range of cool-climate wines, from the entry-level, fruit-forward True Colours range through the premium Signature Series drops. You can do a guided tableside tasting, or go on your own wine-and-cheese pairing adventure, with four Rob Dolan wines matched with specially chosen Stone and Crow cheeses, which are also made on-site. Real oenophiles (or those who want to learn more about wine) should book into a private masterclass in the Wine Cube, a glass-walled (and temperature-controlled) space for wine education. Oh, and the best bit – many of the staff bring their dogs to work, so you might get to scratch an ear or two as you taste your way through Rob Dolan's fantastic drops.

The shining star of the Eden Valley sub-region, just over the hill from Angaston in the eastern Barossa, is Henschke. The vineyards here have been producing grapes for more than 150 years – plenty of time for the Henschkes to figure out how to make a great red. And indeed, their Hill of Grace Shiraz – big, booming and velvety – is second only to Penfolds Grange on most people’s lists of vin rouge must-dos. The Hill of Grace Experience ($300) is your chance to slip some across your lips, with tastings, a winery tour and a look around the namesake Hill of Grace vineyard, with its chunky vines and cute stone chapel. Or book a visit to Henschke’s cellar door for a suite of less wallet-threatening tasting experiences, starting at $10 (waived if you buy a bottle).

All hail chardonnay! Dating back to 1970, Brokenwood may be known for its Cricket Pitch red, but the real standouts are its award-winning chardonnays from Beechworth (VIC), Hunter Valley and Orange (NSW). Opt for a casual tasting at the cellar door for $25, a paired wine and food flight from $70, or a four-hour Soil to Cellar experience for $1,320 per person.

There’s no doubt that the Mornington Peninsula has an abundance of quality wineries and eateries. Pt Leo Estate is one such place, though it still manages to stand out from the crowd. Set across 130 hectares, the winery perfectly captures the crossover of art, fine dining and grandeur, with two restaurants and an awe-inspiring sculpture park. If you’re heading to Pt Leo on the weekend, the cellar door offers three tiers of wine tastings with over-the-counter snackettes. On Saturday nights, things get a little fancier with the Champagne, cocktail and caviar bar.

When Peter Lehmann passed away in 2013, the Australian wine world went into collective mourning. Lehmann was a fifth-generation Barossa winemaker – a much-loved figure across the valley, and across the nation. He’s often credited with saving the Barossa wine industry in the 1970s when a grape glut was sending many growers to the wall. With an epic redgum tasting bar, the cellar door here occupies an 1880s stone structure nooked into the banks of the North Para River. Book yourself in for an introductory group tasting ($10) or a one-hour premium session ($50). Afterwards, nab a picnic table on the rolling lawns and share the infamous Weighbridge Platter with local cheeses, olives, charcuterie and sourdough.

Xanadu has been around since the early days when the Margaret River was only just being considered as a potential wine-producing region. Since 1977, the family-owned and operated winery has crafted some of the finest wines on offer in the region with Xanadu’s Reserve range worthy of those truly special occasions. Scope out your next investment with a tasting of their current release wines, along with a range of Cellar Door exclusives and back vintage, museum releases.

On the outskirts of Angaston, Yalumba is Australia's oldest family-owned winery, harking back to 1849. As any Australian alive in the 1980s will tell you, Yalumba is a brand synonymous with the humble wine cask. They may have built a modern fortune at the budget end of the wine spectrum, but at the cellar door, you can broaden your understanding of their offerings with some exceptional Barossa reds. Tastings range from $10 to $100, the latter granting you a sniff at four vintages of the Caley, Yalumba’s top drop. Book ahead, or walk-ins are welcome. 

Red drinkers will find their spiritual home at Clonakilla Vineyard, which is the place to try their rare and small-batch releases before you drop all your earnings on a case of the really good stuff. Just pack away everything you know about those full-bodied, punchy, peppery shirazes from the Barossa – these are not the shiraz you’re used to. Of course, if reds just aren’t for you, that’s A-OK because Clonakilla also does a barrel-fermented viognier and a zippy riesling.

Surrounded by sloping hills of vines and an impressive kitchen garden, Oakridge Wines is the home of some seriously spectacular wines (hello, 864 Funder chardonnay) and a buzzing cellar door. You can take in views of the stunning vineyard from Oakridge’s picturesque cellar door, with tastings ranging from $15 to $50. Why not even make a day out of it by enjoying a two- or three-course lunch at the restaurant where excess products from the winery and vineyard are upcycled into the likes of shiraz-washed cheese and lees ice cream.

While there are far easier places in Australia to grow wine than in the wild, windy eastern coast of Tasmania, ease doesn't often result in interesting wines. At Devil's Corner, the winemaking team prides itself on harnessing the challenging aspects of the landscape and bottling the resulting intense flavours. The Apslawn winery and its cellar door is a frequent pitstop for travellers on their way to Cole's Bay and Freycinet, but if you're hankering for a trip, it's worth a visit in its own right. Taste your way through Devil’s Corner’s award-winning ranges with either a self-guided tasting paddle for $20 per person or a wine and chocolate tasting at $35. Or, you can choose to keep things simple by grabbing a glass at the cellar door window and lounging out on the lawn where you can sip and soak up those grand views. 

Similar to some of the other big-ticket Barossa wineries, the cellar door at Jacob’s Creek, one of Australia’s leading wine exporters, is less of a tasting booth, more of a lifestyle – the kind of place where you come to sip some wines, then stay all day. Tastings are democratic and affordable, starting as low as $5 (non-redeemable). If you want to grab a bottle or two to go, ask about Jacob’s Creek’s adventurous ‘Limited Release’ range, featuring the likes of vermentino, gewürztraminer and fumé blanc, plus organic and biodynamic wines.

Innocent Bystander is conveniently located across the street from fellow Healesville winery Giant Steps. In fact, the two wineries used to be housed under the same roof, but since the businesses (amicably) split up in early 2017, Innocent Bystander took over what was once the White Rabbit Brewery. In a nod to its predecessor, Innocent Bystander's stand-alone venue has a beer hall atmosphere, with its prosecco to Syrah served out of temperature-controlled, 100 per cent recycled draught taps. Choose your own adventure with a tasting from $5, or settle into a seat at the restaurant where you can order a carafe or a flight of wines that come in measuring beakers straight out of science class. 

With its giant barnyard-style doors and exposed beams strung with fairy lights, there's a sense of the ethereal when you walk into Printhie Wines’ cellar door. Helmed by the Swift brothers, who've gleaned the art of wine-making in the Champagne houses of southern France, this relatively new winery has been making a splash in the sparkling scene. There's a dedicated sparkling tasting, where one of the charming duo will run you through the wines on offer, from a cool, crisp cuvée to a rosé blend, and finally, to the ultimate sparkling wine, the blanc de blancs made exclusively from chardonnay grapes. In the cooler months, warm up with a stroll around the lakefront beside the cellar door, or sit by the fire pit and gaze out over the surrounding hills. 

Good enough for Daniel Ricciardo? Good enough for us mere mortals, too. Actually, St Hugo is more than good enough. And you don’t have to be a hot-blooded Formula 1 driver to enjoy yourself here. St Hugo remains an essential Barossa winery, offering a slick, contemporary cellar door experience grounded in Barossa bloodlines. Tasting experiences start at $20, elevating to $225 for a lunch-and-wine extravaganza in St Hugo’s lofty glass-and-timber diving space. 

Though the Dominique Portet winery was only founded in 2000, it's the project of a ninth-generation winemaker from Bordeaux. The Dominique Portet winery in the rolling hills of Yarra Valley offers a cellar door open daily, and the restaurant serves country-style lunches (think snack platters, cheese, charcuterie and even snails) ideal for a post-wine tasting meal. The winery offers tastings for $15 at the bar or as a special behind-the-scenes experience, with a purpose-built tasting room overlooking the barrel room. Taste the Fontaine rosé, which is an exceptional berry-driven summery blend of merlot, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, and a steal at $26 a bottle.

Made entirely out of shipping containers, First Ridge’s small cellar door boasts a west-facing glass frontage to catch those pretty Mudgee sunsets. The winery specialises in Italian varietals that go beyond your standard pinot grigio and sangiovese (though they do those too), so drop by for a tasting to sample something you haven’t tried before.

It’s perhaps ironic that one of McLaren Vale’s most widely recognised wines – Wirra Wirra’s eternally popular allrounder Church Block – is a blend, not a purist varietal. But really, when a blend is this palatable (merlot/shiraz/cab sav), there’s not much room for singular snobbery. You could spend the whole day here, cavorting on the lawns; exploring the historic, vaulted-brick facilities (parts of which are 125 years old – tours from $40); and quaffing coffee and eating panini at Harry’s Deli. But most folks are here to lean on the woody tasting bar and enjoy some of McLaren Vale’s richest, most fulsome wines and decadent stickies (tastings from $15). 

Healesville cellar door and restaurant Giant Steps is named after saxophonist John Coltrane's 1960 album of the same name. Owner Phil Sexton, a massive jazz fan, named his wines in the jazz musician's honour. The winery is a large space split up into a wine bar and dining area towards the front, and an open kitchen and barrel hall in the back. The barrel hall is where you can taste the single-vineyard wines Giant Steps is known for, such as winemaker Steve Flamsteed's chardonnays, which have set the benchmark for the Yarra Valley region. 

Regularly finding itself on top of ‘SA’s Best Regional Dining’ lists, the restaurant at Hentley Farm is just as well known as the cellar door. The first Hentley Farm wines – shiraz, zinfandel, grenache and viognier – rolled off the (charmingly modest) production line in 2002, all grown within the estate’s boundaries. Today, Hentley Farm is memorably high-end but remains understated and unhurried. Cellar door tasting fees vary with quality, quantity and duration, starting at $40. But why not stay for lunch? Hentley Farm restaurant is a total knock-out, serving up regional fare, all sourced from the farm, from along nearby Greenock Creek, or from local farmers’ fields and veggie gardens.

Up on the hill and overlooking the rolling hills of NSW’s Hunter Valley, you could be forgiven for paying too much attention to the view at this top cellar door. But you better sit down and taste some wine (that’s how it’s done here) and get your beak into all three chardonnays Scarborough produces. Tastings range from 30 to 60 minutes and you’ll get to sample five or six different pours, all served with an individual cheese platter.

Brown Brothers is one of the country's oldest and most loved wineries; its Milawa vineyard located in the northern reaches of Victoria’s King Valley. The winery was established all the way back in 1889 and has been a family-owned company throughout its long history, with the third and fourth generations now running the show. There are more than 50 varieties to try at the cellar door and you can choose between no-fuss tastings at $10, personalised tastings at $15, or premium tastings where you’ll have access to their total wine collection at $20. 

No Hunter trip is complete without a trip to Tyrrell’s, an Australian family-owned winery dating back to 1858. The Vat series wines are world-class, particularly the chardonnay, semillon and shiraz. There’s also a top-notch line-up of sparkling wines, alongside some fine tawny port that’s best enjoyed at a B&B amongst the vines during winter. Pick up a bottle when you drop by for a tasting, which is conducted at five set times throughout the day.