Blink and you’ll miss the driveway into No. 58 Cellar door and Gallery on Waterport Road at Port Elliot, but if you do…turn around and get back there. The tasting room and gallery is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10am to 4pm and every day throughout the summer school holidays.

One side of the driveway is lined with grapevines, producing some of the wine for their own ‘Thunderbirds’ label. On the other side is the gallery / tasting room building which is a mixture of providore, art gallery and café inside. Outdoors along the deck are more tables and chairs to enjoy a light meal or tasting platter to complement the wines. The varieties that Thunderbird vineyards produce are a Blanc de Blanc, Sangiovese, Rose, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon all grown on the Fleurieu Peninsula.  After tasting you can purchase a glass of your favourite for around $12 or a bottle for $30-$35.

There are some great choices of dining spots inside from cosy little corner nooks with lounge furniture to long dining tables suitable for group bookings. On the bookshelves there are even some interesting choices of reading material to browse and some games for kids to try. It has a very family friendly atmosphere.

Tasting platters of dips, artisan breads, olives, dukkah and locally made cheeses are available and a few salads are on the menu too. These are all available when the cellar door is open or you can opt to visit on a weekend evening to enjoy wood oven pizzas made onsite by Harborganics. This is a very popular option though so it pays to ring ahead and book a table. We saw quite a few people turned away because they hadn’t booked. The pizzas ranged from traditional varieties to a few specials including Speck and Gorgonzola and a Pearscuitto – pear, prosciutto, goat’s feta and basil. The best thing is that for those of us that can’t decide and order more than we should, there are takeaway boxes to pack up and take what you can’t finish with you.

To enjoy a spring or summer evening at No 58 Cellar door and Gallery and Harborganics pizzas visit on a Friday or Saturday evening from 5pm or Sundays from noon. It’s located at 58 Waterport Road Port Elliot and the Port Elliot Holiday Park or Middleton Caravan Park are not far away.

Cheers

Glenys