Another beautiful part of the world, not far from Adelaide is the Clare Valley. It is here that you will discover some of the best crisp, dry and utterly delicious Rieslings you will ever taste. Now, full disclosure here, I am a massive dry Riesling fan so I was quite looking forward to coming back to explore the Clare Valley for some old favourites as well as to try some new sure to be favourites!

The Clare Valley is well known for it’s Riesling bike trail in which you ride bikes from cellar door to cellar door. I am sure that is a lovely way to do it, but how could you possibly carry all the wine you are quite obviously going to buy! So driving those scenic, windy country roads it was for us!

Much like my earlier McLaren Vale post, I am going to just list out the wineries we visited and give you a brief run down.

Taylor’s Wines – This is a huge Cellar Door. Honestly, it is impressive to drive up to. I don’t mind Taylor’s wines, but they aren’t my favourite.

Pikes – Ok, speaking of favourites…Pikes would very much have to be up there! Their Riesling is top notch and their Cellar Door is just picturesque and welcoming. If you go to the Clare Valley, this is a must stop!

Tim Adams – Tim Adams is a nice little winery with the cellar door that was boosted up by the fact that there were 2 large dogs running around. If there is a dog at a cellar door, it instantly wins points from me! I think we bought a few bottles from here but the red seemed to be the highlight, of which we weren’t really buying much this trip.

Jim Barry – Another favourite of mine, the winery is very nice, Google Maps took us a very strange way and we thought we were quite lost till we figured it out. But adventures aside, this should be another must do on your trip to Clare Valley. Of course I bought much Riesling here 🙂

Mad Bastard – Now, this was a new fabulous find and an instant favourite! It was actually started by one of the Barry brothers who wanted to do something a little different. The cellar door is charming and quirky and also had 2 dogs who were very happy to have pats (squeeee). The wine was just lovely too. We walked out with some of their Riesling and their Rose. Actually I have to say, we were very impressed with their Rose! Mad Bastard has become a must visit for me now.

O’Leary Walker – Now this is a nice cellar door! Amazing views and a great set up inside too. It was quite busy with American Tourists when we were there and there was only one person behind the tasting bar. Luckily I knew what I wanted to taste/buy so we were out of there fairly quickly without much hold up. I do recommend stopping here.

Seven Hill – The beautiful old church and stunning grounds are very welcoming when you visit the Seven Hill cellar door. It really is the perfect wedding spot! The wine is also just as beautiful as the scenery outside. I thoroughly enjoy their tasting room ambiance, you really feel like you are in a place that cares about the wine and fully embraces the history behind it. 100% would recommend that you visit Seven Hill.

Knappstein – This cellar door is not as out of the way as some but offers a different charm. We were the only ones there at the time which was lovely as we could really talk to our tasting guide and she could recommend what she thought we would enjoy most. Of course we bought some Riesling here, it is just delicious!

Kilikanoon – The final stop on our Clare Valley wine tasting adventure. As it was near closing time, the tasting guide was more than happy to talk us through all the different wines and all I tried were very nice. We bought a fair amount :p As it was the end of the day, we were also given an open bottle to take with us. It was a lovely surprise to end the wonderful day we had adventuring in the countryside!

I would also like to acknowledge a very sad fact. The Annie’s Lane cellar door is closed. I was so very looking forward to visiting one of my favourite wineries again, but alas it was not meant to be. Whilst they are still making wine in the Annie’s Lane label, it seems that the cellar door is no longer in operation. I raise my glass to you Annie’s Lane cellar door, you were amazing.

So there you have it, my little run down of our day trip to the Clare Valley. If you love a dry white, do yourself a favour and head to the Clare Valley on the double! You will not regret it.