These 5 wineries have all taken out the Landscape & Architecture prize for Adelaide, South Australia at the Best Of Wine Tourism Awards – and for good reason too. While you most certainly will want to try their wine, a visit to their cellar door offers an experience you won’t want to forget quickly.
Dandelion Vineyards, McLaren Vale (2025)
The newest winner in this category, Dandelion Vineyards, was established by Elena and Zar Brooks in 2017. It beautifully blends architecture, landscape and viticulture, creating a unique and innovative experience for visitors in the McLaren Vale region.
The Wonder Room’s interior mimics the vineyard, creating a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. Its rustic and modern design elements highlight the stunning landscape, providing a comfortable place to relax and appreciate the vineyard’s beauty. This space serves as an ideal setting for educational experiences, with a unique view that encapsulates the region’s climatic influences.
Dandelion Vineyards represents decades of winemaking experience, focusing on quality and the essence of its unique terroir. Each bottle is a testament to their passion and commitment.
Photo: Fleurieu Peninsula; Dandelion Vineyards
Yalumba Family Winemakers, Barossa (2021)
As Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba’s 170 years of history seep into every ounce of the experience here. A true history lover’s dream, enjoy one of their ten seated tasting flights inside the brandy bond store turned Yalumba Wine Room or outside overlooking the Yalumba Clocktower, still wound by hand every week. More in depth experiences give guests access to a range of historical areas on the Yalumba grounds, such as the Signature Cellar that houses Yalumba’s famous Signature Wines. Or the Cooperage, the only on-site winery cooperage in Australia and one of five in the world. Meanwhile under the Clocktower, explore iconic concrete wine tanks that have been transformed into an award-winning space for private functions and dinners. A tour of their nursery and famous old vine Grenache vineyards speak to how the brand is nurturing the future and protecting the past.
Photo: Barossa; Yalumba
d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale (2019)
An architecture list wouldn’t seem complete without ‘the cube’. McLaren Vale’s d’Arenberg Cube is an iconic, award-winning architectural puzzle, where guests can relax, have fun and soak in the stunning views. It made for an obvious winner in 2019. The five-storey multi-function centre and tourism destination, designed by Chester Osborn, was inspired by the complexities and puzzles of winemaking. Offering a selection of interactive, educational and gastronomical experiences, guests can lose themselves at the d’Arenberg Cube for hours. The d’Arenberg Cube is a very literal representation of architecture and landscape. The exterior is made entirely of glass, combined with a complex pattern adorning the façade. Its striking contemporary design provides a stark contrast to the natural beauty of its vineyard surroundings to create a venue that is anything but ordinary.
Photo: Fleurieu Peninsula; Tourism Australia/South Australia Tourism Commission
Chapel Hill Winery, McLaren Vale (2018)
There’s something special about driving the bend of a country road and being met with the grandeur of hand-hewn ironstone, stained glass and Methodist architecture. Rising from the surrounding hills, Chapel Hill Winery has carefully expanded from its single church building origins to create a wine experience precinct that blends seamlessly with the namesake Methodist Chapel built in 1865. Homage is paid to the architecture at every turn. The irony of a winery making its home in the chapel of tee-totalling Methodists is not lost, yet the utmost respect is given to the inherent spirituality of the place. Tasting Chapel Hill’s top-tier ‘icon’ wines seated in the chapel, with its high ceilings and carved stonework, promotes a hushed reverence. The architecture elevating the experience to something almost other-worldly.
Photo: Fleurieu Peninsula; Tourism Australia
Primo Estate, McLaren Vale (2017)
‘The most intelligently beautiful wine tasting edifice in this state, possibly the known universe’ wrote prolific wine writer Phillip White when Primo Estate’s new cellar door opened in 2006. A dream three decades in the making, Joe Grilli took inspiration from his 28 vintages in South Australia, Italy and France to create the perfect tasting space. Like Joe’s wines, the building uses Australian natural materials in an Italian style to produce something unique. The brief for the architects was to build a modern Australian interpretation of a small Italian square – a piazzetta. To win the award almost 10 years after the building was completed is a testament to their success in meeting the brief and creating a timeless space.
Photo: Fleurieu Peninsula; Josh Geelen Photographer
So, when embarking on a tour of Adelaide’s 18 wine regions, leave a little extra time for exploring these spectacular spaces. We look forward to hosting you soon!