Magpie Springs

If you are the outdoorsy type, or just love a glass of vino with a good view, then I have just the winery for you.

Magpie Springs.

About a 5 minute drive from the township of Willunga, this cellar door is quirky, cosy and just damn pretty. Although it’s so close to the Fleurieu Peninsula, it’s technically part of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges, meaning that their wines and vintage are a little different to what’s on offer down the hill.

We’ve been here a few times now, and on every occasion we have been well and truly looked after. Our recent visit involved the use of Scoopon (oh how I am a sucker for a good deal), where we were treated to a tasting, a glass of wine and a platter- sounds like perfection right? It was.

The tasting consisted of Magpie Springs full range, starting with their Sparkling Pinot Noir, which has now become a personal favourite, all the way to their Semillon Botrytis- a delicious sweet and sticky dessert wine, which would be perfect with a sharp cheese. I’m slowly learning to love red wine (my partner is already there), and their Merlot and the Pinot Noir ticked our boxes. This is definitely the winery to visit if you like a mix of both the reds and whites.

Once we picked a glass to devour, we headed out into the gardens to sip and devour our platter. The gardens here are absolutely gorgeous- greenery everywhere, pops of colour from all of the flowers, huge shady gum trees and a view of the vineyards from anywhere you stand. We set up on the grass thanks to the help of the lovely owner Avril and watched the world roll by. Once we were done snacking (lets face it, the platter didn’t last long), we then headed to the dam. It’s such a glorious view, and would be the perfect spot to enjoy more wine- which we did. The guys here are more than happy for you to bring your own goodies for a platter (perfect for those with intolerances, kids or those who just like to do their own thing). All they ask is that you don’t BYO- and when you try their wines you’ll realise there’s no need for that.

If you have kiddies in tow there’s also plenty for them to do- there’s a ten pin bowling setup, a wooden piano to play on, plenty of grass to relax on and even a rock climbing wall by Southern Boulder to test your strength. If you find yourself to be a bit arty, then head inside the cellar door itself and check out artist Avril’s incredible paintings on display. There’s also plenty of seating inside, with a roaring wood fire on in the cooler months, making it the perfect place to wine-down if the weather’s looking ugly.