Magpie Springs

Magpie Springs is a working vineyard and farm on Willunga Hill combining a cellar door with the Avril Thomas Art Gallery. The drawcard for dog owners is the welcome: dogs are allowed across the grounds and gardens and even inside the gallery and cellar door, not just parked at an outdoor table while you taste.

The dog setup

Dogs stay on a lead at all times and need to be comfortable around other animals, because the vineyard has a resident rescue dog who greets visitors and can get overwhelmed by new groups, so give her space on arrival. The property is a working farm with machinery, tools and a dam on site, so keep a close eye on your dog, and a short lead near the water edge if yours is a swimmer. Bring your own water bowl, as nothing is confirmed on site for dogs.

Max: a dam on a rural property is a genuine hazard for a water-mad dog. Keep the lead short near the edge, even on a quiet afternoon.

The vibe

The setting is rustic and unpretentious: wide grassed grounds, quirky decor and a gallery showing original work by Avril Thomas and other South Australian artists. The wines are estate grown and small batch, seven varietals including Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Riesling, sold exclusively at this cellar door, with local platters to share. Book ahead for guided tastings.

Getting there and parking

The address is 1870 Brookman Road, Willunga Hill, about a five-minute drive from Willunga and twelve from McLaren Vale, with free on-site parking. The cellar door opens Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 11am to 5pm, so weekdays are out and weekends are the plan.

Pair it with

Start with coffee at Bean Loved in Willunga before the drive up the hill. For more dog-friendly tasting in the Vale, Hugh Hamilton Wines and Paxton Wines both welcome dogs at their cellar doors.

More options are on the South Australia dog friendly wineries guide and the Willunga Hill destination page.