S.C.PANNELL

S.C. Pannell is winemaker Stephen Pannell's modern cellar door on Olivers Road, set on an elevated estate with views across the vines and hills. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor spaces, so you can taste with the dog resting beside you on the veranda or lawn rather than waiting in the car.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the open verandas, the adjacent courtyard and the surrounding lawns, but not inside the enclosed tasting room. Water bowls are typically provided around the outdoor areas. Outdoor seating should be booked, so request a veranda or lawn table when you reserve and mention the dog; keep your dog on-lead and happy to settle quietly near the table for the length of a seated tasting.

Worth knowing

Pannell is best known for pioneering Mediterranean varieties in McLaren Vale: standout grenache, tempranillo and touriga alongside an expressive syrah, all made with food in mind. Open Friday to Monday, 11am to 5pm, closed Tuesday to Thursday. Book the outdoor table ahead, especially on weekends, and tire the dog at a park first if you want a relaxed seated tasting.

Max: the outdoor table is the whole game here. Book it, say you are bringing a dog, and the veranda does the rest.

Getting there and parking

The address is 60 Olivers Road, McLaren Vale, about 45 minutes south of the Adelaide CBD via the Southern Expressway, with ample free on-site parking by the cellar door. Onkaparinga River National Park has on-lead bushwalking trails a short drive away for a pre or post-tasting leg-stretch.

Close by with the dogs

Olivers Road and the surrounding pocket pack several dog-friendly stops: Chalk Hill Wines shares its lawns with a distillery and street food, Dandelion Vineyards pours in town, and Oxenberry Farm sits right on the Shiraz Trail if you want to walk in.

More options are on the South Australia wineries guide and the McLaren Vale destinations page.