Zema Estate Wines

Zema Estate is a family-owned boutique winery on the Riddoch Highway in the heart of the Coonawarra terra rossa strip, established in 1982 and known for bold, ageworthy cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. The Coonawarra Vignerons list it as dog-friendly, and the low-key, rustic cellar door makes it an easy stop with a dog in tow on the main wine-trail road.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the grounds and often in the cellar door itself, though it is worth confirming on arrival as the indoor policy can depend on how busy the day is. Keep dogs leashed and settled around other guests and staff, and bring your own water bowl to be safe. Platters are available, so a tasting can stretch into a lazy hour with the dog beside you.

Pepsi: this is proper red-wine country, so expect a slow, seated tasting rather than a stand-up splash and dash. A dog that settles for an hour fits right in.

Worth knowing

Zema leans into its Italian family heritage and warm, unhurried service, with the family selection and cheeseboards regular callouts. It is also one of the stops on the region's annual Woof and Wine Walk weekend, when the dog welcome steps up a notch and the Coonawarra Wineries Walking Trail links the participating cellar doors. If your dog enjoys company, timing a visit to that weekend is the best version of Coonawarra with a dog.

Getting there and parking

The estate is at 14944 Riddoch Highway, directly on the main Coonawarra wine-trail road between Penola and Naracoorte, easy to find and hard to miss. Parking is free and on site. Hours are commonly weekdays 9am to 5pm and weekends and public holidays 10am to 4pm, closed Christmas Day and Good Friday, but check ahead before a long drive.

Make a day of it

The Coonawarra Wineries Walking Trail is a good leashed walk linking the cellar doors, and several neighbouring stops are on the dog-friendly list: Redman Wines and DiGiorgio Family Wines both join Zema on the Woof and Wine circuit, while Bellwether Wines and Patrick of Coonawarra round out a day. Penola's main street to the south has footpath dining for the meal stop.

More options are on the South Australia wineries guide and the Coonawarra destination page.