Vine Shed Venue & Cellar Door

The Vine Shed Venue & Cellar Door is a family-owned cellar door on the historic Conte Estate at 122 Clewley Road, McLaren Flat, set among vines that date back to the 1880s. It is a settle-in afternoon spot rather than a quick tasting bench: spacious lawns, wood-fired pizza, live music on Sundays and a genuinely open welcome for dogs.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcomed and encouraged across the lawns and outdoor deck, which looks over the vineyards and rolling hills, and friendly dogs are generally fine beside you in the cellar door area too. Keep your dog on a lead and under control around other guests and other dogs, and bring a travel bowl for water. Book an outdoor table on weekends, when the lawn fills up and the music starts.

The vibe

Tastings pour the Vine Shed and Conte Estate labels, headlined by the Circa 1880 Shiraz from those old vines, matched with wood-fired pizzas, tapas and share platters. Families are well catered for with a play area, and live music on Sundays gives the lawn a festival feel without losing the relaxed, rural atmosphere.

Pepsi: arrive before midday on a Sunday if you want a shaded patch of grass. The music crowd gets here early and the best dog spots go first.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits at 122 Clewley Road in McLaren Flat, about 40 minutes south of Adelaide through the hills. Parking is free and on-site with accessible spaces near the entrance. Note that opening days are Thursday through Sunday only, with the kitchen running the full pizza menu Friday to Sunday.

While you're out there

Make it a McLaren Flat loop: Pizzateca down the road keeps the pizza theme going with a dog-friendly terrace, and the Samuel's Gorge cellar door is a scenic drive further into the hills for a second tasting.

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