Adelaide wine tours take you to the Barossa, McLaren Vale or the Adelaide Hills with somebody else at the wheel. What separates them is whether the fare already pays the tasting fees, and on most of them it does.
Four stops with tastings, from a private barrel room at Kies Family Wines to Chateau Tanunda and Rosenvale, plus a platter lunch and Yalumba fortified wine with Melba's chocolate. Pickup across the city and Glenelg, on a 20-seat coach.
From $134 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four winery visits with tastings, from Chateau Yaldara and Hemera Estate to Ubertas, lunch at Kies Family Wines and time at Seppeltsfield, with a chocolate stop. Board at Stamford Plaza on North Terrace or in Glenelg.
From $115 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Four guided tastings from Chateau Yaldara to Ubertas, lunch at Kies with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options, time in Seppeltsfield village and a donut stop from Wednesday to Saturday. Board at Stamford Plaza. Travellers must be 18 or over.
From $113 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Ninety minutes in Hahndorf and a stop at Beerenberg Farm come first, then Kies Family Wines, Seppeltsfield and Ubertas, with two tastings and a gourmet lunch in the fare. Strawberry picking at the farm is paid on the day.
From $115 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Eight guests at most, pouring five to seven wines at every stop, with barrel tastings in winemakers' working sheds that are closed to the public. Every tasting fee and lunch at the Stockwell Hotel are paid, with door-to-door pickup.
From $190 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The lowest wine fare from the city: board at Stamford Plaza at 9:30, or in Tanunda at 10:50, and choose your own stops on the Barossa loop. Tasting fees and lunch are paid at each cellar door, so add them before you compare.
From $72 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A hop-on hop-off bus loop between Adelaide Hills cellar doors and Hahndorf, from Stamford Plaza at 10:00 or Hahndorf at 10:50. Tasting fees, lunch and drinks are paid at each venue, and you set the pace.
From $72 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two structured tastings in McLaren Vale, at Kay Brothers and Haselgrove, inside a day that also covers North Terrace, Mount Lofty Summit, Glenelg and ninety minutes in Hahndorf. Pickup from city points between 8:45 and 9:05.
From $97 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A BMW 5 Series for your party of up to four, priced per group, from Adina Apartments on Flinders Street at 10:00. Five hours in the Barossa, extendable on the day; tasting fees and lunch are paid at each cellar door.
From $462 per group, up to 4
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
For a stay in the valley: collection from your Barossa accommodation, a 10:00 start in Tanunda and six hours at Chateau Tanunda, Gibson, Atze's Corner and Laughing Jack. Six guests at most, tasting fees and lunch paid. Adults only.
From $177 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private barrel room at Kies, Chateau Tanunda and Rosenvale, a platter lunch and fortified wine with chocolate, with pickup across the city and Glenelg.
Check availabilityA wine tour sells you a seat, a driver and a guide for a day of cellar doors. You are collected in the city, driven to a wine region, and brought back in the early evening, so every glass is poured for a passenger. The Barossa is about an hour from Adelaide, McLaren Vale about 45 minutes south, and the Adelaide Hills cellar doors closer still.
What changes from one tour to the next is what the fare pays for. Most put the tasting fees and lunch in the price. The hop-on hop-off buses and the private BMW day leave the tastings to you, paid at each cellar door. A few days mix wine with sightseeing: Hahndorf, Mount Lofty Summit or Glenelg. Shared fares run from $72 to $190 a person, and the private day is $462 for a group of up to four.
The wine regions near Adelaide explains which region is which and how far each one is.
In South Australia, a full licence holder must stay under 0.05 blood alcohol, and learner, provisional and probationary drivers must have none at all. On a tour, nobody in your party has to count glasses or sit out the tastings.
On the all-in days, you pay nothing at the counter. You know the cost of the day when you book it, apart from the bottles you decide to take home.
The eight-guest day pours in winemakers' working sheds that are closed to the public, with barrel tastings. The premium coach day opens a private barrel room at Kies Family Wines.
Lunch is booked for you on most days: a platter, lunch at Kies Family Wines, a gourmet lunch or the Stockwell Hotel. You only choose what to drink.
Three ways to spend a day in the Barossa, and what each one leaves to you.
| All-in wine tour | Hop-on hop-off bus | Your own car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who drives | The guide | The bus driver | One of you, kept under 0.05 |
| Tasting fees | In the fare | Paid at each cellar door | Paid at each cellar door |
| Lunch | In the fare | Paid where you eat | Paid where you eat |
| Where it starts | Hotel pickup, Stamford Plaza or Glenelg | Stamford Plaza or Tanunda | Wherever you hire the car |
| Your pace | The group's | Yours, on the loop | Yours |
| Fares | $113 to $190 a person | $72 a person | Car hire and fuel |
If you want to taste freely and know the cost up front, the all-in days win. The hop-on bus suits a pair who want to choose their own cellar doors and do not mind paying as they go. Driving yourself only makes sense for a designated driver who is happy to stay on water.
Five to seven pours a stop, barrel tastings, every tasting fee and lunch at the Stockwell Hotel, with door-to-door pickup.
Check availabilityCompare wine days with every other kind of tour on Adelaide Australia Tours.