Howard Vineyard, Adelaide Hills: Cellar door and restaurant

The Howard Vineyard in Nairne, Adelaide Hills, offers intimate wine-tasting experiences and a la carte dining in a converted barn.

The Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale might hog all the attention when it comes to South Australian wine tourism, but the Adelaide Hills region has plenty to offer too. To the west of South Australian capital Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills goes beyond the big beefy reds.

The Howard Vineyard in Nairne is a decent case in point here. Sure, the Howard Vineyard makes the obligatory Shiraz. But it also offers a sauvignon blanc and a pinot noir.

Howard Vineyard cellar door tastings

Unlike many South Australian wineries, the Howard Vineyard in Nairne doesn’t offer free tastings at its cellar door. However, it does offer more personalised wine-tasting experiences.

**15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit**

DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
ACTION 🚵‍♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.

Howard Winery in Nairne, Adelaide Hills, South Australia — The Howard Winery in Nairne, Adelaide Hills, offers small group wine-tasting. Photo by Ryan Cantwell.

The standard tasting experience at this Adelaide Hills winery is for a maximum of seven people. It tastes the Howard Vineyard ‘hero’ range of wines – ie. The ones the winery is best known for. The tasting includes four wines and costs $10. Book in advance if you want to try it.

To go further in depth, try the epic tasting experience. Again, there’s a limit of seven people. But this tasting experience includes six wines, including those from the premium Amos range. The wines are also paired with local cheeses. Again, bookings must be made in advance, and tasting experience costs $25.

Pick your perfect Adelaide day trips

Barossa Valley tours: 1. Wine-tasting with lunch 🍷. 2. Food and wine tour. 3. Small group wine tour with exclusive VIP tastings.
Kangaroo Island in a day – including sea lions 🦭, koalas 🐨and national parks.
Adelaide Hills tours: 1. Sights plus Murray River lunch cruise combo. 2. Small group cheese, chocolate & wine tour with Hahndorf German village.
McLaren Vale tours: 1. Small group wine tour with lunch. 2. Hop-on hop-off wineries tour 🍷. 3. Food and wine indulgence tour, including the gloriously weird d’Arenberg Cube.
Victor Harbor and southern highlights tour – including the Granite Island horse-drawn tram.

Howard Vineyard restaurant

The Howard Vineyard in Nairne also has a highly-regarded restaurant. Clover and Stone is inside a rustic-looking barn.

It offers both a Korean-influenced a la carte menu and a more snacky, sharing-encouraged casual dining menu. Bookings can be made via the winery website.

Where is Nairne, South Australia?

Nairne is just north of the Princes Highway as it passes Mount Barker. Other wineries nearby include Berrigan Wines, Catlin Wines and Vinteloper. The latter is found alongide Mismatch Brewing beers at the collaborative Lot 100. You can easily drop by near the end of the drive from Sydney to Adelaide.

Other Adelaide Hills experiences include tasting spirits at the Applewood Distillery in Gumeracha and wines at the Golding Winery in Lobethal or Lane Vineyard in Hahndorf. You can also enjoy a few drinks at the Crafers Hotel and embrace the German kitsch of Hahndorf.