Adelaide Hills Wine Tours
Discover one of Australia’s best cool-climate wine regions. Over 60 wineries nestled in lush, rolling hills just minutes from Adelaide.
Adelaide Hills Private Wine Tours
Tell us what you love — we'll plan the rest.
Your day at a Glance — this itinerary is a starting point, not a script. Your wineries, your day.
Door-to-door pickup
Your guide picks you up from your door. No meeting points, no timetables, no stress — just step outside and your day begins. We handle the driving, the bookings, and the details so you can focus on the wine, the views, and the company.
First winery — cool-climate cellar door
Start with a private tasting at one of the Hills’ finest — think Bird in Hand, Deviation Road, or Sidewood Estate. Award-winning sparkling, Pinot Noir, and cool-climate whites you won’t find in bottle shops.
Second winery — views that stop you mid-sip
Somewhere like The Lane Winery or Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard, where the panoramic views over the Adelaide Hills are as stunning as the wine. Settle in with a tasting of cool-climate single-vineyard wines paired with small bites designed to match each pour.
Third winery for Lunch — however you want it
For some groups lunch is the centrepiece: a four-course sit-down at a winery restaurant. For others, lunch preference is a platter over a wine tasting.
Both work. When you book, Emma will call to talk through which suits your group.
Afternoon tastings
One or two more cellar doors in the afternoon — your guide adjusts the itinerary based on what you’ve loved so far and what you’d like to explore. Such as Pike & Joyce for stunning scenery and exceptional cool-climate wines or Shaw + Smith — cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from one of the Adelaide Hills’ benchmark producers. You are spoilt for choice!
Door-to-door drop home
Back to your door with a car full of wine and a day you’ll be talking about for a while.
Private Group Charter — Pricing
A private vehicle exclusively for your group, your own guide, your own schedule. Perfect for friends, families, and corporate events across the Adelaide Hills.
Everything below is covered
- All premium tasting fees at every winery
- Private vehicle & dedicated guide for the full day
- Fully customisable itinerary
- Bottled water throughout the day
- Door-to-door transport from your accommodation
- Personal call to plan your perfect day
- Full 8hr day
- Corporate & event packages available
In South Australia, cellar door tasting fees typically run $25–$35 per person, per winery. Ours are all covered.
Pricing by group size
No charge for anyone under 18 –You only pay for the adults.
16+ guests
$138pp
13+ guests
$168pp
8+ guests
$188pp
5+ guests
$248pp
3+ guests
$328pp
2+ guests
$398pp
Working to a budget, or after a more relaxed day? Just one or two tastings, then casual drinks in the gardens. Get a quote Call Emma on 0487 487 111
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills is one of Australia’s finest cool-climate wine regions. You’ll find more than 60 wineries here, just minutes from the city. Get off the beaten track and treat yourself to a unique wine tour experience.
Settle in for a long lunch that could easily turn into one of the most relaxing days of your year. From elegant Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to refined Pinot Noir, the Hills offer a distinctly different wine experience.
The region’s charming villages, artisan producers, and stunning natural beauty make it the perfect setting for a day of discovery.
Over 500 Five-Star Reviews
“Wes is very thoughtful and fun. He took us to some of the most beautiful wineries. We went looking for kangaroos on our way back. Overall we had a blast! I would 100% recommend doing this tour.”
“This is a fantastic experience! He was both well informed and hilarious; the countryside is absolutely beautiful and the wine and food superb. Cannot recommend highly enough!!!”
“By far this was my favourite wine tour. Wes crafted a great tour of the Adelaide Hills region. If you are a foodie and enjoy boutique wineries then this is the tour for you.”
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Discover the Adelaide Hills
Cool-climate wines, charming villages, and stunning natural beauty — just minutes from Adelaide. Let us craft your perfect day in the Hills.
FAQ
How far are the Adelaide Hills from Adelaide?
Very close — the Hills begin right at the city’s edge. Stirling and Crafers are about twenty minutes from the CBD up the South Eastern Freeway, and Hahndorf is around thirty. Mount Lofty Summit, with its view back across the city, is twenty.
It’s the most accessible of South Australia’s wine regions: McLaren Vale is about forty-five minutes away, the Barossa an hour.
What wine are the Adelaide Hills known for?
Cool-climate whites, above all. The Hills sit 400 to 600 metres up, which makes them one of Australia’s finest regions for Chardonnay — tight, citrusy, mineral — and its most respected for Sauvignon Blanc, which comes out more textured than the New Zealand style.
Beyond that: elegant Pinot Noir, premium sparkling from the Piccadilly Valley, and peppery cool-climate Shiraz that’s the complete opposite of the Barossa’s. The Hills also pioneered Grüner Veltliner in Australia.
Why are the Adelaide Hills cooler than the other regions?
Altitude, mostly. The Hills rise to between 400 and 600 metres in the Mount Lofty Ranges, while the Barossa floor sits around 200 to 300 and McLaren Vale is near sea level. Temperature drops roughly a degree for every hundred metres you climb.
Height also brings higher rainfall, more cloud, and a bigger swing between day and night temperatures. Grapes ripen slowly and hold their acidity — which is exactly why the whites are so good, and why harvest runs weeks later than the Barossa’s.
Which Adelaide Hills wineries are worth visiting?
More than you can fit into one day, which is a good problem to have. These are the ones we keep going back to:
- Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard (Lenswood) — small matched bites alongside each wine, and one of the finest outlooks in the Hills.
- Pike & Joyce (Lenswood) — the most scenically stunning cellar door in the region, set high above the valley. Excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
- Shaw + Smith (Balhannah) — benchmark Hills Chardonnay and Shiraz, with generous seated tastings. Allow an hour and a half; it runs longer than most.
- The Lane (Hahndorf) — long views, serious Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and a kitchen worth staying for.
- Bird in Hand (Woodside) — polished, popular and reliably good, with excellent sparkling.
- Deviation Road (Longwood) — Australia’s finest traditional-method sparkling, made by a winemaker trained in Champagne. The tasting range alone is worth the drive.
- Ashton Hills (Ashton) — tiny and boutique, with Pinot Noir that ranks among the country’s best.
- Murdoch Hill (Oakbank) — Pinot, Chardonnay and Syrah from one of the Hills’ most interesting young winemakers.
- LOT.100 (Hay Valley) — the lively one. Wine, gin, beer and cider under one roof, with food and a big open lawn. Choose it when you want atmosphere rather than a quiet tasting.
Can you visit Hahndorf on an Adelaide Hills tour?
Yes, and it fits neatly at either end of the day.
First thing, it’s a lovely spot for breakfast before heading out to the wineries. Or leave it to the afternoon — once you’ve had lunch and a few tastings, a slow wander down Main Street is exactly the right pace.
Are the Adelaide Hills good for a half-day tour?
Yes, if time’s tight. The Hills are close enough to Adelaide that a half day genuinely works — you’ll fit in two cellar doors, or one plus a wander through Hahndorf.
It will feel brisk, though. The Hills reward taking your time: the drives between wineries are half the pleasure, and the best tastings here run long — Shaw + Smith alone is an hour and a half.
If you can stretch to a full day, do. If you can’t, it’s still a very good morning out.
Can you do the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa in one day?
No. Don’t do it.
The two regions sit about an hour apart, and each is an hour from Adelaide. You’d spend most of the day in the car for two rushed stops in each, and you’d come away having seen neither properly. It’s a waste of a day and a waste of money.
They’re opposites anyway — cool-climate whites in the Hills, powerful old-vine Shiraz in the Barossa. Doing both badly gets you nothing.
Pick one and do it properly. If you’ve got two days, do both, one region each day.
What's the best wine region near Adelaide for white wine?
The Adelaide Hills, comfortably. High altitude and a cool climate make it one of Australia’s finest regions for Chardonnay and its most respected for Sauvignon Blanc, alongside good Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner and traditional-method sparkling. It’s the closest region to the city, too — half an hour out.
If it’s Riesling you’re specifically after, go to the Eden Valley instead. It sits in the hills above the Barossa and produces some of the finest Riesling in the country.
When is the best time to visit the Adelaide Hills?
All year round, honestly — the Hills are one of the few parts of Australia where the season genuinely changes the experience.
Autumn is the spectacle. The Hills are full of European trees planted by the early settlers, so the valleys turn gold and red in a way almost nowhere else in the country does.
Winter is the sleeper. Log fires in the cellar doors, mist sitting low in the valleys, and red wine that tastes better for the cold.
Summer flips it completely — blankets out on the lawns, wine on decks hanging over the valley, long afternoons in the winery gardens.
Spring brings blossom, green hills and lambs in the paddocks.
What else is in the Adelaide Hills besides wineries?
Plenty, and most of it pairs well with a tasting day.
Hahndorf is the obvious one — Australia’s oldest German settlement, with Main Street shops, bakeries and pubs. Mount Lofty Summit lays the whole of Adelaide out below you, and the Botanic Garden beside it is spectacular in autumn.
For food, the Hills are thick with makers: Woodside Cheese Wrights, Udder Delights in Hahndorf, Melba’s chocolate factory at Woodside, and Beerenberg farm for strawberry picking in season.
Cleland Wildlife Park is the place to see koalas up close. And The Cedars, Hans Heysen’s home and studio, is worth an hour for anyone who likes art.
Can you take children on a wine tour in the Adelaide Hills?
The Hills suit families better than most wine regions. LOT.100 has open lawns, food and room to run around. Cleland Wildlife Park, strawberry picking at Beerenberg and a wander down Hahndorf’s Main Street all break the day up nicely.
Worth knowing that the more serious cellar doors aren’t a natural fit for restless kids — some tastings run over an hour. A family day works best built around the relaxed venues, and we’ll shape it that way.
Do you need to book Adelaide Hills cellar doors in advance?
For most of the good ones, yes — particularly on weekends.
Since cellar doors moved towards seated, structured tastings, the smaller and more premium venues largely run by appointment. Shaw + Smith’s tasting is booked. Ashton Hills is tiny. Anywhere with a kitchen will want a reservation for lunch.
The bigger venues — LOT.100, Bird in Hand — are comfortable with walk-ins.
If you’re driving yourself, call ahead or book online, and check opening days while you’re at it: several Hills cellar doors close midweek. On a tour, it’s handled for you.
Is Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc different to New Zealand's?
Yes, noticeably.
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is built on aroma — passionfruit, cut grass, gooseberry, jumping out of the glass. It’s a style that announces itself.
The Adelaide Hills version is quieter and more textural. Less tropical fruit, more citrus, nettle and white peach, with a chalky line through the middle and better acidity. Many Hills producers ferment part of the wine in barrel or on lees, which adds weight and makes it a far better food wine.
Which Adelaide Hills wineries make sparkling wine?
The Hills are one of Australia’s best sparkling regions — the altitude gives fruit the acidity traditional-method wine needs.
Deviation Road at Longwood is the specialist. Winemaker Kate Laurie trained in Champagne, and the range — Altair Brut Rosé, Beltana Blanc de Blancs — is as good as Australian sparkling gets. Worth the drive for that alone.
Bird in Hand’s Sparkling Pinot Noir is the best known commercially. The Lane makes an elegant blanc de blancs, and Sidewood’s Isabella Rosé has a loyal following.
Which Adelaide Hills winery has the best view?
- Pike & Joyce (Lenswood) — floor-to-ceiling glass high above the valley. The most striking outlook in the region.
- Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard (Lenswood) — smaller and quieter, with a beautiful outlook over the vines.
- Ashton Hills (Ashton) — tiny, elevated, looking out across the ranges.
- Petaluma (Piccadilly Valley) — set in the coolest, highest valley in the Hills.
- Bird in Hand (Woodside) — open views across the vineyards from the lawns.
Are Adelaide Hills cellar doors open on Mondays?
Yes — the Hills are one of the easier regions for a Monday. The great majority of cellar doors here open seven days, which isn’t true everywhere in South Australia.
The exceptions are the smallest boutique producers, where hours can be shorter midweek or by appointment. If there’s one place you’re set on, ring ahead.
On a tour it’s already handled — we confirm every stop before the day.
Can you visit Adelaide Hills wineries without a car?
No. Not a chance.
The Hills are spread out across steep, winding rural roads, and the cellar doors are nowhere near a bus route. You can’t reach even one of them on public transport, and you won’t get a rideshare back out either.
Don’t try to make it work. It’s a car with a designated driver, or a tour.
Adelaide Hills or Barossa — which should I choose?
Whites or reds, essentially.
Go to the Adelaide Hills for cool-climate whites — Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling — and for the scenery. Forested valleys, historic villages, log fires in winter. It’s half an hour from the city, so it also works as a half day.
Go to the Barossa for big reds. Old-vine Shiraz and Grenache, some of the oldest producing vines on earth, and a German settler history you can still see in the towns. An hour from Adelaide, and worth a full day.
If you drink red, go to the Barossa. If you drink white, or you want the prettier drive, go to the Hills.