The Best Things to Do in South Australia’s Clare Valley

World-class riesling is just the beginning in South Australia’s Clare Valley. Here’s our guide on the best things to do during your next visit.

Situated two hours north of Adelaide, this narrow valley is famed for riesling laden with searing acidity but local winemakers are equally adept at producing beautifully poised shiraz and cabernet. “Because it’s a rural farming region, you get that quintessential country hospitality and it’s not unusual to have the person who made the wine pouring you a glass,” says Jamie Pike of Pikes Wines. Many cellar doors are connected by the 35-kilometre Riesling Trail, a walking and cycling path along a former railway that can be tackled on e-bikes rented from the Watervale General Store & Providore.

The best wineries

Taylors Wines

Sourcing grapes from four states allows this venerable winery to create a flavour for every palate but winemaker Adam Eggins’s passion is producing reds from “the shiraz end of the valley”, near Auburn to the south. Don’t miss the complex St. Andrews cab sav at the stylish cellar door, which has a kid-friendly lawn and serves sumptuous platters laden with ham, haloumi, banana peppers and chocolate-coated apricots.

Matriarch & Rogue

Don’t panic if you can’t see anyone behind the bench at this cute cottage cellar door surrounded by wheat fields and red soil in Mintaro. Simply pick up the walkie-talkie and winemaker Marnie Roberts will appear from the adjacent winery to guide you through a tasting of climate-appropriate varietals, including saline albariño and dusty primitivo with a hint of clove.

Paulett Wines

There’s no mistaking the house specialty at this winery in the Polish Hill River sub-region, where riesling is the base for everything from sparkling to botrytis dessert wines. Taste five expressions paired with exquisitely presented snacks such as succulent prawn and buttermilk parcels wrapped in wasabi leaves while enjoying farmland views from the deck. “People always ask where the vines are,” says managing director Alison Paulett. “Because they’re dry-grown to concentrate fruit and acid, they’re in the gullies instead of on top of the hills.”

Bourke & Travers

“My dad used to say the best fertiliser is a farmer’s footsteps,” says winemaker David Travers, whose family has been farming in the area since 1858. “To make good wine, you need to get out and walk through the vineyard.” In place of a cellar door, his boutique winery offers 90-minute tours that let you do just that while admiring the region’s natural beauty. Taste vivacious handpicked reds paired with local pistachios, olives and cheese as you walk between shiraz, mourvèdre and bushvine grenache planted among hills crowned with gums and patches of wild lavender.

The best restaurants

Watervale Hotel

Walk past the chaise longues and handpainted pressed tin tiles to find the 10-seat Penobscot Restaurant at the back of this one-of-a-kind country pub. Choose the degustation option that begins with a tour of nearby Penobscot Farm, where guests learn about the region’s geology and cultural history while picking ingredients for a 10-course feast. Add the wine pairing and you’ll get a masterclass that takes you on a journey from Watervale riesling to Clare Valley shiraz alongside dishes such as housemade haloumi with zesty gremolata, mandarin vinegar and seared peach.

Slate

Head chef Louis Ritchie keeps a printer handy for a menu that can change daily at the Pikes cellar door restaurant, where the tasting room has two dozen wines on pour and diners sit just metres from the shiraz and riesling vines. There is always some form of seafood on the menu to accompany the flagship riesling, while the lambs that graze between the vines are also fed with spent grain from the adjacent brewery and never leave the property before arriving on the plate.

The best accommodation

Clare Hillside Apartments

The valley’s main settlement is small enough that these 10 self-contained apartments feel secluded. Staggered along a steep embankment above the gum-lined Hutt River, the suites project out from the hillside so the east-facing decks all have private views. The spacious open living areas have a full kitchen as well as a washer and dryer, and the seamless integration of technology – including contactless check-in and six apartments with electric vehicle chargers – makes staying here a breeze.

O’Briens of Clare

For something further afield, start the day with a breakfast of freshly laid eggs or a swim in the pool just metres from the vines at O’Briens of Clare (a five-minute drive east of town), a light-filled homestead where the only neighbours are grazing kangaroos.