Bleasdale
Star Cellar Door
(08) 8537 4000
bleasdale.com.au
Soaked in South Australian history with over 165 years of winemaking, Bleasdale gets the gong in 2017. Standing next to the massive, hand-hewn 3.5-tonne redgum lever-press built in 1892, it’s hard not to be impressed with this pioneering winery, just an hour’s drive from Adelaide. The cellar door is spacious, bright and airy with local artworks and historical references adorning the walls. Make sure you see the amazing old press and wooden vats in the winery – the antique equipment and sense of history also earned Bleasdale the Best Additional Experience award this year.
A recent swag of wine show trophies and gold medals in 2016 demonstrate this region, which often unfairly flies under the radar, is doing great things. The staff is quick to impart local knowledge so you can make the most of your visit – and they’re more than happy to talk about the deep history of the estate. The entry-level wines represent awesome value and at the top-end, the wines sing. There are cellar door-only wines, too; seek out the Wellington Road GSM, which is a belter. DAVID BROOKES
OUTSTANDING WINE: 2015 Bleasdale Wellington Road GSM, A$29