Langhorne Creek Wine Region – South Australia

This may be one of the most underrated, yet one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and it’s located a mere 70 kilometres from Adelaide in South Australia. Langhorne Creek is on the Fleurieu Peninsula and has a cooler climate than the McLaren Vale and Barossa wine regions due to the cooling breeze that comes from the nearby Lake Alexandrina, which helps to regulate summer heat and winter frosts.

The wine varieties the region is best known for are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Malbec but more recently the area is being recognised for Mediterranean styles like Montepulciano, Tempranillo and Fiano amongst others. The whites and rosé varieties are pretty good too, so there is something for everyone.

There are only nine cellar doors, one of which is The Winehouse, which showcases four wineries in their tasting room as well as being the home of Meechi Brewing Company. In the tasting room you can try Ben Potts Wines, Gipsie Jack, John’s Blend and Heartland wines. The biggest drawcard for The Winehouse though is its restaurant which you can get a glimpse of through the wine tasting room. For starters the setting is really warm and welcoming with rustic brick floor scattered with Persian style rugs and quirky eclectic décor in every corner and on every wall. It’s used as a function centre as well and with the restaurant overlooking the vineyard and a huge lawned area, it’s not hard to see how perfect it would be for a wedding.

I was impressed enough with the comfortable surroundings and then the food just took our visit to another level. The servings were very generous, so tasty, fresh and absolutely perfect. What was really impressive too was the knowledge of the staff who could recommend which wine and food pairings went well together.

Another well-known wine label and cellar door in Langhorne Creek is Bleasdale Wines. The Potts family behind the name, are the founders of this wine region, establishing their vineyards in 1850. The cellar door reflects this with historical photos showing the day to day lives of the family and the vineyard work in the early days. Apart from the tasting room you can wander through the oldest section of the winery which houses an old wine press built in 1892 and used until 1962.