A Clare Valley Cellar Door Day
Five benchmark cellar doors, one unhurried day, from Watervale Riesling to old-vine Sevenhill Shiraz.
The plan
The Clare Valley packs a remarkable number of great cellar doors into a small space, which makes a one-day tasting tour entirely doable - provided someone is driving, or you book a local tour. This route runs broadly south to north, starting with crisp Watervale Riesling and ending among Sevenhill's historic vines, with a long lunch pinned in the middle to keep the day civilised.
The route
Open the morning at Crabtree of Watervale, then climb to Skillogalee for a tasting and a booked garden lunch. In the afternoon, taste old-vine reds at Kilikanoon and call in on Sevenhill Cellars for the Jesuit history as much as the wine. Round things out at Eldredge Vineyards, high in the hills, for a final glass over the dam at golden hour.
Tips
Book lunch in advance - the good restaurants fill up. Spit at tastings if you want to make it to the last stop, and buy the bottles you love rather than over-drinking on the day. A designated driver or a guided tour is the safe, sensible way to do this. If you can, stay overnight in the valley so the day can end with dinner rather than a drive home.
Day 1
5 stops-
1Watervale
Crabtree Watervale Wines
Start with classic Watervale Riesling at a friendly, low-key cellar door.
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On the map
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Image credits
- Hinton Wine Tasting (26208732585).jpg by Paul Balfe , CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons