The Best Small Cellar Doors in the Clare Valley
Ten tiny producers where the person pouring is usually the person who made it.
The Clare Valley's famous names earn their reputations, but the region's soul lives in its small rooms - sheds, cottages and converted churches where production runs to hundreds of dozens rather than hundreds of thousands, and the tasting is a conversation rather than a queue. Most cluster within minutes of the Riesling Trail, and they reward the visitor who has done the homework in Clare Valley riesling explained. Here are ten worth the back roads.
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1
WatervaleWines by KT
Kerri Thompson's Watervale rieslings are benchmarks of the modern, minimal-intervention style.
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2
WatervaleClos Clare
A tiny cellar door drawing on a storied corner of the old Florita vineyard at Watervale.
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3
SevenhillGood Catholic Girl Wines
Julie Barry's irreverent labels hide seriously traditional Clare riesling and shiraz.
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4
PenworthamPenna Lane Wines
A bush-fringed deck high in the Skilly Hills, with rieslings to match the view.
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5Clare
Naked Run Wines
Pared-back winemaking from prime Clare and Watervale fruit, true to its name.
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6Clare
Sussex Squire Wines
Fourth-generation farmers pouring dry-grown shiraz in batches of a hundred dozen.
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7Leasingham
Tim Gramp Wines
A fifth-generation Gramp making trophy-winning Watervale shiraz at Leasingham.
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8
ClareMocandunda Wines
High-country vineyards on the valley's eastern edge, poured without fuss.
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9
ClareAtlas Wines
Polished small-batch riesling and shiraz from a quietly ambitious producer.
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10
SevenhillStone Bridge Wines
A relaxed Sevenhill cellar door where tastings stretch happily toward lunch.
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Most small cellar doors keep limited or weekend hours, and some open by appointment - a quick call ahead saves a wasted drive and often earns a warmer welcome.