The 7 Best Hidden Gems Things to do in , South Australia

Fox Creek Wines is an iconic, award winning winery located in McLaren Vale, South Australia. With a rich heritage in crafting fine regional wines since 1994, Fox Creek Wines portfolio ranges from Sparkling white through to Shiraz and includes exciting Italian varietals. Our commitment is to cultivate a unique wine brand that embodies the qualities of craftsmanship, innovation, consistency and authenticity. We invite you to visit our historic 19th century stone Cellar Door cottage, conveniently located 45 kilometres south of Adelaide, between the villages of McLaren Vale and Willunga on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The expansive grassed areas surrounded by flower beds, gum trees and of course vineyards, allow visitors to find their own tranquil spot from which to enjoy a view of the cottage, the Fox Creek winery and our iconic wine region, McLaren Vale.

Chook's Little Winery Tours offer you a unique wine experience, to discover some of the little known boutique wineries in McLaren Vale. Sample wine straight from the barrets, stroll through the vineyards and chat with the owners and winemakers themselves.Tours are available for groups or individuals and can be adapted to suit your taste. A standard full day tour will visit up to six cellar door wineries and include pick-up and drop-off in Adelaide city or Glenelg. Optional extras or alternative stops include chocolate, glass and cheese manufacturers, beer brewery and olive crushing (May-June only).Prices vary depending on the size of your group and the length of the tour. All prices include a cheese platter and light lunch prepared with seasonal local produce.Chook's Little Winery Tours is a small family company and your host will be Chook, a local McLaren Vale personality and wine lover.

Picture this: a calm, relaxed creek-side setting amongst gum trees in a revegetated native corridor filled with abundant wildlife. Your picnic hamper is by your side as you sit back, listen to birdsong, and sip a James Halliday 96 point rated DogRidge Cabernet. Afterwards, you wander through the Cellar Door and art gallery and settle in at the handmade refectory table to be guided through a comprehensive tasting experience. Such is the DogRidge experience, and it's one not to be missed. The 'Dog Ridge' is a very old grapevine rootstock, no longer used in modern viticulture as it is too vigorous. This remnant of wine history, combined with the fact that Jen and Dave Wright have been breeders of curly coated retrievers and live on a sandy ridge...well, the name makes sense. DogRidge began when Jen and Dave discovered their first 40-acre vineyard in the ancient soils of McLaren Flat's Kurrajong Formation. In 2005 Jen's son Fred, and his wife Sarah, joined the team, with the sole ambition of making great McLaren Vale wines. Before long the Cellar Door opened, and shortly after that the art gallery did too. The 1940s vineyard on ancient Kurrajong soil makes for wines that are heavily perfumed on the nose, with a gentle tannin. DogRidge specializes in the juicier varieties and blends that the McLaren Vale is known for. Take, for example, DogRidge's pride and joy, its 'Most Valuable Player' - the 2012 Shiraz. With an aromatic dominance of mud cake, after dinner mints and cut cedar, you know you're in for something special. The palate starts with a vibrant burst of dark berry fruits up front, with a spiced Christmas cake middle and baked plums on the finish. Sounds too good to be true! But fear not, it's the real deal. The fruit is picked super ripe and vinified in open fermenters with extended skin contact, then pressed delicately into French oak to mature for nearly three years. It's no wonder James Halliday gave it a 95 point rating. Jen and Dave recommend you buy a bottle and enjoy it with a BBQ rib eye steak, mushrooms and red wine jus: spectacular. DogRidge harvests from late January into March, and grows chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, shiraz, grenache, cabernet, and petit verdot grapes. The Wrights are proud of DogRidge's environmental record, having received property management awards for sustainability and minimal impact on the environment. These awards recognise DogRidge's efforts at incorporating biodiversity into the vineyards, recycling of wine barrel oak and green waste, and conservation of precious water resources. When you arrive for a tasting, you'll be provided with Jen's sourdough bread and Wild Tree extra virgin olive oil for dipping. Be sure to try the botrytis dessert wine, a fortified Viognier, as well as the delectable produce. Open 362 days a year, there's never a bad time to visit DogRidge - take a picnic and make a day of it!

Hugo Wines is a family owned and operated winery in the foothills above McLaren Vale. The Hugo Family and staff welcome visitors to there property to sample their estate grown wines while enjoying panoramic views of the vineyard where the wines are produced.

One of Australia's leading family friendly cellar doors, with great food, Lazy Ballerina has something for all ages. $40pp feed me pizza and platter menu for lunch (kids half-price) - see website for current menu. Lunch bookings from 12-2pm or 2pm-4pm. Perfect al fresco location. Located in sprawling gardens across the road from Kuitpo Forest. Wine list includes McLaren Vale reds and some Adelaide Hills whites.

Quintessentially Australian and surrounded by towering century old gum trees and tranquil native gardens, the original property was established as a vineyard and named Woodstock in 1905. Scott Collett and Ben Glaetzer have both been responsible for winemaking at Woodstock since 1999; Scott in the vineyards, Ben in the cellars and jointly in the tasting room. The Woodstock Coterie Restaurant was opened in 1988; the first winery restaurant in the McLaren Vale region. In Spring 2020 it became The Coterie Wine Bar & Kitchen and offers a casual relaxed approach to winery dining. The Stocks Tasting Room cellar door is open for Tastings on Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 11 – 4pm, as is the wine bar. Kangaroo Feeding also takes place at 11:30 on these days only. Tickets $2.50-$5. Bookings required.