Dedicated wine enthusiasts willing to travel to the underside of the world will be rewarded with award-winning New World vintages, incredible scenery and warm Australian hospitality. At Wine Paths, we have selected the finest wine tours Australia has to offer from a country with no less than 60 designated wine regions and a reputation for producing the finest wines – including internationally acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – in the southern hemisphere. From sampling profoundly rich Shiraz in the famed Barossa Valley to sipping world-class Sauvignon Blanc in Margaret River, our Australian wine tours are tailor-made to create a bespoke itinerary that can include elaborate tastings, luxury accommodation, fine dining experiences and some unique activities.
The most prestigious Australian vineyards are clustered around the coastal areas in the south of the island – where the Mediterranean climate cooled by sea breezes produces ideal conditions for producing seriously good wines. Each of the country’s six states, even the island of Tasmania, has its own identity and viticulture regions that can be visited as part of an Australian wine tour. Since the country is so vast, here is an overview of the most prestigious wine regions:
In Western Australia, Margaret River is a relatively young area that is garnering a reputation for its world-class Sauvignon Blanc blends as well as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon – with around 155 wineries catering for wine tours in Australia. In Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula is home to more than 200 vineyards renowned for their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as olive groves, orchards and colonial mansions. And, the Yarra Valley has some stunning scenery as well as sophisticated cool-climate wines. The Hunter Valley, in New South Wales, is among the oldest of Australia’s wine regions where you will find some of the finest Shiraz in the country as well as Chardonnay and impressively long-lived Semillon.
The vast majority of the most highly respected vineyards and wineries are clustered around the city of Adelaide in South Australia. Clare Valley is regarded as the Riesling capital of the country, Adelaide Hills produces some classy Sauvignon Blanc and McLaren Vale has won applause for a diverse range of wines. However, it was the Barossa Valley that arguably put Australia on the international map with its signature Shiraz – providing a catalyst for an ever-increasing interest in the wine tours South Australia can tempt you with. Among our exclusive Australian wine tours of the Barossa Valley is the opportunity to visit two estates owned by a pair of families with a combined heritage of over 350 years in producing wines from here.
You will be taken behind the scenes at both the Henschke Vineyards and the Hutton Vale Farm, including guided walks with a local expert and meetings with the winemakers themselves before tasting several premium vintages paired with a gourmet lunch. Equally enticing is our Behind the Vines Australian wine tour of the Barossa Valley, which visits the oldest surviving German settlement of Hahndorf and stops off at several picturesque towns throughout the Onkaparinga Hills.
You will be served an exquisite a-la-carte lunch at the famous Seppeltsfield Winery before tasting wines at the Hentley Farm Estate, the 2015 James Halliday Winery of the Year. Food enthusiasts are also catered for with an incredible hand-crafted South Australian Food Safari that travels from Kangaroo Island to the Eyre Peninsula and across the Barossa Valley to hunt, forage and tantalise your taste buds with a variety of local delicacies.
If you are interested in planning an Australian wine tour, contact our local expert for more information and inspirational ideas.