Sussex Squire Cellar Door

Sussex Squire Cellar Door sits on Spring Gully Road in Gillentown, a few minutes north of Clare in the Clare Valley, and it is one of the region's small producers that spells out its dog welcome plainly: dogs on leads are welcome at the cellar door, outdoor areas included. It's a family-run operation making dry-grown, single vineyard reds in small batches, poured by the people who made them.

Dogs at the cellar door

The tasting room is small and the venue's own guidance is that dogs stay on lead throughout your visit, so this suits a settled dog happy to lie under the table or outside while you work through a flight of Shiraz, Cabernet, Sangiovese or Mataro. Bring your own water bowl; there's no dedicated dog station at a venue this size. Tastings are seated and run to around six to nine wines, with a tasting fee that's usually waived against a bottle purchase. There's no food service, so eat before you come or picnic elsewhere.

Pepsi: the owners do the pouring, the dog does the floor. Everyone leaves satisfied.

The vibe

The property sits high with views out over the valley, and the atmosphere is quiet and personal rather than tourist-heavy. Group numbers are capped and bookings are wise for anything beyond a couple of people. Because the pouring is hands-on, mid-week and weekday mornings are the calmest windows to bring a dog. If the weather's kind, the outdoor ground around the door gives a dog on a lead something to sniff while the tasting goes long.

Getting there and parking

The address is 293 to 295 Spring Gully Road, Gillentown, SA 5453, with on-site parking at the door. Hours run 11am to 4pm, though small family cellar doors do shift their open days seasonally, and listings differ on whether Wednesdays are open, so check the venue's site or call before a long drive. Spring Gully Road climbs from the Clare side, and the last stretch is narrow rural road, so take it easy.

Pair it with

Clare Valley dog-friendly tasting is easy to chain from here. Shut the Gate Wines on the Horrocks Highway has a relaxed garden where leashed dogs are welcome and you can put together a picnic from their little grocer. Hill River Wines over at Polish Hill River allows dogs inside and out, with a deck over a dam. South toward Watervale, Mitchell Wines is another low-key stop that fits the same day's loop.

Find more pet friendly cellar doors across South Australia, or see what else is dog friendly around Gillentown.