Barossa Valley Vineyards and Wineries: The Estates the Tours Visit
The tours stop at a short list of estates, and the list decides your day. A historic estate and a family cellar door feel very different. Choosing between Barossa Valley winery tours? Find the wineries you want first, then the day that reaches them.
Seppeltsfield: the 1851 estate and its tawny
Seppeltsfield was established in 1851 and calls itself one of Australia's most historic wineries. Its best-known tasting is in the Centennial Cellar, where you can taste the 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny. The estate is now a small village as well as a winery.
You will find FINO Seppeltsfield restaurant, the JamFactory studios, Vasse Virgin and the Prohibition Distillery on the same grounds. The estate publishes two different opening times, so confirm yours when you book. The drive in along Seppeltsfield Road is lined with palms.
Chateau Tanunda: the valley's first winery site
Chateau Tanunda stands on the site of the valley's first winery, and its first vineyards were planted in 1843. The bluestone winery you visit today dates from 1890. The Geber family have run it since 1998.
It is the estate you are most likely to meet on a tour. The day with a platter lunch and chocolate books a structured tasting and lets you walk the building on your own. Several other days stop here too, from Adelaide and from Barossa accommodation.
Yalumba: cellars and a working cooperage in Angaston
Yalumba sits in Angaston, on the eastern side of the valley towards Eden Valley. The e-bike day starts and ends at its cellar door at 9:00. In between you tour the cellars with a barrel tasting and watch the cooperage, where barrels are made.
The private day from Adelaide also stops here for an hour. If you only meet Yalumba in a glass, the day with a platter lunch pours one of its wines with your meal.
The family cellar doors: Kies, Gibson, Rosenvale, Calabria and Laughing Jack
Most of your pours on a tour come from smaller family wineries. Kies Family Wines is the lunch stop on several days from Adelaide, and the day with chocolate pours in its barrel room. Rosenvale Vineyards is that day's last tasting.
The days that start in the Barossa go further off the main road. Gibson Wines is on both of them. The private day adds Calabria Family Wines, and the shared day adds Laughing Jack Wines and Atze's Corner Wines. The winemakers' day visits working sheds that are closed to the public, and it does not name them in advance.
Seppeltsfield Road and the Avenue of Palms
You do not need a tasting to see the palms. The palm-lined avenue on Seppeltsfield Road is a photo stop on the day with a platter lunch and chocolate, which gives you half an hour there.
Hemera, Ubertas and Chateau Yaldara on the Stamford Plaza days
Two days leave from Stamford Plaza on North Terrace, and they share a winery or two. The day with four tastings stops at Chateau Yaldara, Seppeltsfield village, Hemera Estate and Ubertas Wines, with lunch at Kies. The Hahndorf-first day tastes at Kies and Ubertas.
Which tour visits which winery
Find your estate in the first column. The second lists every day whose itinerary names it, and what you do there. Days without a fixed itinerary, such as the hop-on hop-off bus, are not listed.
| Winery | Tours that stop there |
|---|---|
| Seppeltsfield | Private day from your Adelaide hotel (lunch at fino at seppeltsfield) Four tastings and lunch from Stamford Plaza (time in seppeltsfield village) Six guests at most, from Barossa accommodation (vasse virgin on the estate) Private day for up to four, from Barossa accommodation (drives past) |
| Chateau Tanunda | Tastings, platter lunch and chocolate from Adelaide (structured tasting) Barossa tastings and Hahndorf from Adelaide (tasting stop) Six guests at most, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) Private day for up to four, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) |
| Yalumba | E-bike day from Yalumba, Angaston (cellar and cooperage tours, start and finish) Private day from your Adelaide hotel (tasting stop) |
| Kies Family Wines | Tastings, platter lunch and chocolate from Adelaide (barrel room tasting) Barossa tastings and Hahndorf from Adelaide (lunch and tasting) Hahndorf first, then the Barossa, with lunch (lunch and tasting) Four tastings and lunch from Stamford Plaza (lunch stop) |
| Gibson Wines | Six guests at most, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) Private day for up to four, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) |
| Rosenvale Vineyards | Tastings, platter lunch and chocolate from Adelaide (structured tasting) |
| Calabria Family Wines | Private day for up to four, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) |
| Laughing Jack Wines | Six guests at most, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) |
| Atze's Corner Wines | Six guests at most, from Barossa accommodation (tasting stop) |
| Two Hands Wines | Private day from your Adelaide hotel (tasting stop) |
| Artisans of Barossa | Private day from your Adelaide hotel (tasting stop) E-bike day from Yalumba, Angaston (tasting stop) |
| Hemera Estate | Four tastings and lunch from Stamford Plaza (tasting stop) |
| Ubertas Wines | Hahndorf first, then the Barossa, with lunch (tasting stop) Four tastings and lunch from Stamford Plaza (tasting stop) |
| Chateau Yaldara | Four tastings and lunch from Stamford Plaza (tasting stop) |
Found the winery you want?
Compare the days that stop there, with what each fare includes.
Visiting a cellar door on your own
You can reach every estate here without a tour, if someone in your group stays sober. These five steps keep the day simple.
- Pick a town. Tanunda sits in the middle of the valley, with the Barossa Visitor Centre on Murray Street.
- Book the big estates. Seppeltsfield's cellar door says bookings are essential.
- Check the closed days. Seppeltsfield closes on Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
- Choose a driver. Nobody who drives should taste, so book a taxi or a seat for the day.
- Ask the Visitor Centre. Its free concierge service answers within 24 hours.
Winery questions
What is the oldest winery in the Barossa Valley?
Do you need to book a Barossa cellar door?
Which Barossa wineries do the tours visit most?
Next: learn the grapes on Barossa Valley wine tasting, see where the estates sit on the Barossa Valley map, or compare every day out on Barossa Valley Tours.