Barossa Valley Tours

The Barossa Valley is about 60km north of Adelaide and is Australia's most famous wine region, which is a title with genuine competition and the Barossa earns it. Shiraz is the variety the region is known for and has been growing here since the 1840s when Silesian and British settlers planted the first vines. Those original old vines, some of them now over 150 years old, produce fruit with a concentration and complexity that newer plantings simply can't replicate. The Barossa's old vine Shiraz is a legitimate argument for why this region sits alongside the Rhône Valley in France as one of the great Shiraz-producing places in the world.

But the Barossa is also just a very nice place to spend a day. The villages of Tanunda, Angaston, and Nuriootpa have good food, good bakeries, and a Germanic heritage (the original settlers were mostly Silesian Lutherans fleeing religious persecution) that shows up in the architecture, the food, and the general approach to quality. It's a day trip that works well whether wine is your whole personality or you just want a good lunch in a beautiful setting.

What Barossa Valley Wine Tours Cover

The cellar doors are the main event and there are over 150 of them. The big names (Penfolds, Seppeltsfield, Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass) are all here and all worth visiting for different reasons. Penfolds makes Grange here, which is one of the most celebrated red wines in the world. Seppeltsfield has been making a 100-year-old tawny port every year since 1878 and you can taste the vintage from your birth year, which is one of the more unusual cellar door experiences anywhere. The smaller family producers are often the best value and the most interesting conversations.

Old vine Shiraz is the thing to taste specifically in the Barossa. If you're going to drink one wine in one wine region in Australia and pay attention to it, this is the one. Dense, structured, with dark fruit and that characteristic Barossa earthiness. The best versions age for decades. Most cellar doors will pour you a selection that explains why the region has the reputation it has.

The food in the Barossa matches the wine, which is the only acceptable arrangement. The Barossa Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in Angaston is one of the better regional food markets in Australia. The smoked meats and sausages from the German heritage producers are excellent. Hentley Farm, Fino Seppeltsfield, and the Appellation restaurant are the headline dining options for a proper lunch.

McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills are the other South Australian wine regions worth knowing about. McLaren Vale is 40 minutes south of Adelaide and does exceptional Shiraz and Grenache with a different character to the Barossa. The Adelaide Hills does excellent Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from cooler elevation vineyards. Tours often combine the Barossa with a stop in one of these regions for a broader South Australian wine picture.

Day Trip or Longer?

The Barossa is genuinely doable as a day trip from Adelaide and most tours run exactly that format. An overnight stay in the Barossa lets you do the Saturday farmers market properly and moves at a pace that suits the region better. Most people who stay overnight in the Barossa end up doing more eating than drinking and come home saying both were very much worth it.

Combine it with Kangaroo Island for the full Adelaide surrounds experience, or check things to do in Adelaide for what to do in the city before and after. Back to the Adelaide & Surrounds hub for everything.