Coonawarra is one of our five favourite wine regions in Australia (that’s a big call; we have visited half of Australia’s 60 designated wine regions). Getting to Coonawarra, however, is no easy thing. Arriving by air is costly, but driving from Melbourne is a good six hours. It’s a slightly more palatable four hours driving from Adelaide, but that’s a harder sale for a group with Barossa, Adelaide Hills, and McLaren Vale all within an hour’s reach of Adelaide.

Whether because of its relative remoteness (and pleasantly lower traffic) or something in the water, the people of Coonawarra could not be more lovely (nor their wines more delicious). It is so wonderful to be greeted with such enthusiasm; hosts genuinely excited to have guests (as compared to a couple of the haughtier regions where hospitality can at times be lacking). Couple that with the stunning wine coming out of this place, and voila, you have one of our favourite wine regions! It’s like a combination of Rutherglen’s esteemed hospitality, the world class wines of Heathcote, and the density of Barossa’s cellar doors all in one magical place. It may be hard to reach Coonawarra; but the effort is repaid many, many times over.

You can find our top picks below!