Eat & Drink
Wine, Dine, Celebrate
The best eat & drink in Fleurieu Peninsula
Everything edible on the Fleurieu - wineries, restaurants, cafés, breweries, distilleries, markets and makers.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a genuine paddock-to-plate region, and eating your way around it is half the reason to visit. This is one of South Australia's most productive corners - vineyards and olive groves, market gardens and orchards, almond and citrus, cheese makers and small-batch producers all within an easy drive of one another.
It shows up everywhere. Spend a morning at the famous Saturday farmers market in Willunga, graze your way through farm gates and cellar-door kitchens around McLaren Vale, or pick up fresh fish, local cheese, olive oil and just-baked bread to take to the beach. The region's restaurants and cafés lean hard on what's grown nearby, and many of the best meals are had at winery and brewery tables looking out over the vines.
From long vineyard lunches and seaside fish and chips to country bakeries and good coffee in almost every town, there's something for every appetite and budget. If you're planning a trip around food, aim for a weekend so you can catch the markets, and book ahead for the popular winery restaurants - they fill quickly, especially in spring and over the summer holidays.
Browse eat & drink by area
98 places
Magpie Springs
$$Boutique wines and paintings on Willunga Hill
A boutique cellar door and working art gallery on the Willunga scarp, showcasing estate wines alongside paintings by Adelaide artist Avril Thomas in a garden setting with valley views.
Maxwell Restaurant
$$$Regional fine dining at Maxwell Wines
Maxwell Wines' restaurant on Olivers Road: regional fine dining with vineyard views, paired with the estate's wine and mead.
Maxwell Wines
$$$Shiraz, Mead & a hedge maze
Family estate on Olivers Road known for premium Shiraz, Cabernet, traditional mead, an on-site restaurant and the famous Olivers Taranga hedge maze.
Ministry of Clouds
$$$Small batch wines, tastings by appointment
Cult small-batch winery by former Henschke and Torbreck winemakers, with a farm-setting cellar door open by appointment only.
Mitolo Wines
$$$Italian heritage, Little Wolf osteria
Family winery blending McLaren Vale fruit with Italian-influenced winemaking, paired with the acclaimed Little Wolf Osteria on site.
Mount Compass
A dairy town famous for Australia's only cow race
A friendly country crossroads halfway between McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor, best known for the annual Compass Cup cow race held every February.
Mr Riggs Wine Co
$$Ben Riggs' winemaker-led cellar door
Veteran McLaren Vale winemaker Ben Riggs hosts seated tastings of his full Mr Riggs range at the Douglas Gully Road cellar door.
Never Never Distilling Co
$$Australia's most awarded gin distillery
Multi-award-winning gin distillery at the Chalk Hill Collective on Field Street, McLaren Vale - home of the celebrated Triple Juniper Gin.
Noon Winery
$$$Cult Grenache, open only in November
Legendary cult winery by Drew Noon MW, making small batches of some of Australia's most sought-after Grenache and Shiraz. Open only three weekends a year.
Oliver's Taranga Vineyards
$$180+ years of family viticulture
Sixth-generation family vineyard founded in 1841, one of the oldest continuous winegrowing families in McLaren Vale.
Ox Hardy Wines
$$$Sixth-generation Hardy at historic Upper Tintara
Andrew 'Ox' Hardy pours shiraz, grenache and fiano from a rustic tasting space at the historic Upper Tintara Vineyard in Blewitt Springs.
Paxton Wines
$$Certified organic & biodynamic
Leading certified organic and biodynamic producer with a cellar door on Wheaton Road, owned and run by the Paxton family.
Pertaringa / Bec Hardy Wines
$$Two brands, one beautiful cellar door
Contemporary cellar door on Hunt Road showcasing both the Pertaringa and Bec Hardy ranges - wines by the sixth-generation Hardy family.
Port Elliot Bakery
$Country bakery on North Terrace
Long-loved country bakery in the heart of Port Elliot, famous for pies, pasties, vanilla slices and coffee a short walk from Horseshoe Bay.
Primo Estate
$$$Joseph and the Il Briccone spirit
Family winery by the Grilli family known for Joseph wines, the Il Briccone blend, and one of Australia's most admired Italian-accented ranges.
Richard Hamilton Wines
$$Leconfield sister brand with Willunga views
Family-owned McLaren Vale winery on Main Road with a modern cellar door set amongst vineyards, views to the Willunga escarpment, and sister-brand Leconfield.
S.C. Pannell
$$$Mediterranean varietals & a hilltop restaurant
Stephen Pannell's renowned cellar door and restaurant high above McLaren Vale, specialising in Grenache, Tempranillo and other Mediterranean varietals.
Samson Tall
$$An 1854 chapel turned cellar door
Intimate cellar door housed in an 1854 stone chapel on Strout Road, with an adjoining historic cemetery - one of McLaren Vale's most atmospheric tastings.
Samuel's Gorge
$$1853 barn with views over the gorge
Boutique winery by Justin McNamee in an 1853 stone barn overlooking the Onkaparinga Gorge, specialising in Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz.
Scarpantoni Estate Wines
$$Italian-Australian family winery since 1979
Three generations of Scarpantonis run this McLaren Flat estate, pouring a broad, affordable range from the veranda with vineyard views.
Serafino McLaren Vale
$$$Cellar door, restaurant & accommodation
Family estate on Kangarilla Road combining a celebrated cellar door, restaurant, conference centre and on-site accommodation, set around a lakeside garden.
Serafino Restaurant
$$$Lakeside restaurant at the Serafino estate
Serafino Wines' lakeside restaurant on Kangarilla Road: modern Australian dining overlooking the estate's landscaped lake, paired with the full Serafino wine list.
Sherrah Wines
$$Young-gun winemaker on McMurtrie Road
Alex Sherrah makes small-batch shiraz, grenache and left-field whites at this unpretentious cellar door on McMurtrie Road.
Shottesbrooke Vineyards
$$McLaren Flat hilltop with Mount Lofty views
Family winery on Bagshaws Road, McLaren Flat - home to The Currant Shed restaurant and a large cellar door with sweeping Mount Lofty Ranges views.
Eat & Drink in Fleurieu Peninsula - frequently asked questions
What is the Fleurieu Peninsula known for when it comes to wine and food?
The Fleurieu is one of South Australia's great paddock-to-plate regions, anchored by the McLaren Vale wine district where Shiraz is the signature grape - it makes up the bulk of the crush - alongside increasingly celebrated old-vine Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Beyond the cellar doors it is a genuine larder, with olive groves, almonds around Willunga, citrus and market gardens, Jersey-milk cheese and small-batch makers all within an easy drive. Names like d'Arenberg, Coriole and Chapel Hill sit alongside breweries, distilleries and weekend markets.
How many cellar doors are there on the Fleurieu, and which wine regions should I visit?
There are well over 100 cellar doors across the Fleurieu, spread through four main wine regions: McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Currency Creek and the Southern Fleurieu. McLaren Vale is the best-known and most concentrated, famous for bold reds, while Langhorne Creek and Currency Creek are quieter and reward those willing to explore a little further. You can easily build a day around a handful of cellar doors in any one of them.
Do I need to book to visit cellar doors, and are they family or dog friendly?
Walk-in tastings are common, but booking ahead is strongly recommended for seated tastings, long lunches and any group, and it is essential at popular spots, especially on weekends. Many McLaren Vale venues are very family and dog friendly, with lawns, playgrounds and kids' menus at some, and dogs welcome on a lead at numerous cellar doors - it is always worth confirming each venue's policy before you go. Most open daytime hours, roughly 10am to 5pm, with some restaurant and bar spaces running later.
Where can I find Fleurieu produce, cheese and craft beer or spirits beyond the wineries?
The Saturday-morning Willunga Farmers Market is the classic spot to meet local growers and makers, from Fleurieu Milk Company Jersey dairy to cheese, olives and seasonal fruit and veg. The peninsula also has a fast-growing craft beer and spirits scene, with breweries and distilleries offering taphouses and tastings, several of them family-friendly with outdoor space and lunch. Cheese lovers can also seek out local dairies and producers such as Blessed Cheese in McLaren Vale's main street.
When is the best time to visit the Fleurieu for food and wine?
Cellar doors are open year-round, but autumn around vintage (roughly March to May) is a beautiful time to visit, with the vines turning colour and harvest in full swing. McLaren Vale's long-running Sea and Vines Festival was retired after 2019, but the region's wineries and restaurants now run their own food, wine and music events through the year, with plenty happening across the June long weekend in particular. Summer and spring are also popular for sunny days spent grazing across multiple cellar doors.