The Best Kid Friendly Coonawarra Wineries and Wine Tours

The Coonawarra is a fabulous holiday destination for families; boasting remarkable kid friendly Coonawarra wineries, inclusive Coonawarra accommodation and exceptional Coonawarra wine tours.

Where is Coonawarra?

The Coonawarra wine region, is a fabulous stopping point and well worth the detour from the direct road between the two cities. It could be part of a road trip or a fly and drive; either way, the Coonawarra is a great family holiday destination.

You’ll find our Coonawarra accommodation guide very useful for planning your stay in the Coonawarra wine region.

Coonawarra’s Best Wines and Coonawarra’s ‘Terra Rossa’ Soil

The Coonawarra wine region is known to produce Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon produced on Coonawarra ‘terra rossa’ soil.

The ‘terra rossa’ soil is the key factor in the production of some of the Coonwarra’s greatest wines. The region’s best land has a reddish-brown topsoil over a deep layer of soft limestone. The area covers a 12km strip in length and approximately 1km in width. The red coloured soil is due to the iron-oxide formations in the clay; the vineyards on this soil, benefit greatly from the good drainage and its ability to hold nutrients.

As well as the rich Cabernet Sauvignon, the Coonawarra wine region also produce great Shiraz, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot. In white wines, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are known to be their best.

Best Coonawarra Wineries List

Raidis Estate; Bellwether Wines; Wynns Coonawarra Estate Winery; Balnaves of Coonawarra; Coonawarra Jack Winery; Patrick of Coonawarra, Parker Coonawarra Estate and Rymill Coonawarra.

Coonawarra Wineries Map

Best Coonawarra Wineries and Kid Friendly Wineries

Raidis Estate

Raidis Estate is a family owned and run winery, located on the northern edge of Penola. At the end of 2019, Raidis opened their newly renovated cellar door, which has a massive garden and sheltered entertaining space catering for large numbers for their popular events.

Raidis Estate cater very well for children and offer lots of play space (and toys) indoors and outdoors. Their property is well secure for children to run. They have grassed areas with alternate seating, creating a very relaxed and easy Coonawarra cellar door visit for families.

Bellwether Wines

Bellwether Wines cellar door is an experience in itself. It is housed in the Glen Roy 1868 stone shearing shed, is full of character and charm. All of their wines are handmade onsite and a tasting along with a wander around their property is highly recommended. Bellwether is a venue for weddings, events, glamping and camping, as well as dining and of course wine tasting. For the kids, there is plenty to keep them entertained indoor and out, while you enjoy your tastings.

Balnaves Wines

Balnaves Wines offer a unique perspective with their cellar door looking out over a pond, surrounded by vineyards and rose bushes. The modern Wine Room is nicely presented and offers glass windows to keep an eye on the kids while they play and are entertained on the grassed area. Enjoy Balnaves Wines, 100% Coonawarra, while enjoying a picnic by the pond. Children are very welcome and have been considered in their planning.

Brand’s Laira

Brand’s Laira is amongst the best wineries in the ‘Terra Rossa’ strip of the Coonawarra region. Brand’s has a neat cellar door for visitors to come and taste their magnificent wines. Enjoy in lunch in Eric Brand’s cellar door, indulging in the regions best local produce.

They are very family friendly and welcome children into Eric’s cellar, a rare opportunity for parents to be able to share such an experience with their children. There are indoor and outdoor activities for children to keep entertained, while parents and friends enjoy the wine tasting. Brand’s Laira also has a picnic and BBQ area outside for visitors to utilise.

Rymill Wines

Take a walk upstairs to admire the wine making process from afar, as well as the views across the vineyards of this South Australian wine region. Rymill produce the popular Coonawarra speciality, Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate

Activities for children are available indoors and they will also likely enjoy exploring the interpretive centre. Wynns also has a grassed area with picnic tables.

Coonawarra Wineries with grassed areas and picnic tables

Coonawarra Wine Tour

For the best of the Coonawarra Wine Tour, look no further than the masters themselves – Coonawarra Experiences.

Simon and Kerry, owners of Coonawarra Experiences, collaborate with local businesses to be able to provide their guests with the best of the Coonawarra. They have developed personal and professional relationships which greatly benefit their customers experiences at the Coonawarra Cellar Door.

Our choice Coonawarra Experiences have been the Highlights Winery Tour, which is a generous 4-hour tour visiting four different cellar doors. Simon, our host, is very friendly, full of conversation and we loved hearing his own story including his and Kerry’s journey to get to where they are now.

Our children were suitably entertained with outdoor games, colouring, blocks to play with and made some new friends along the way. Simon and Kerry tailored our tour to suit our group needs, taking us to some of the best Coonawarra cellar doors.

Coonawarra Wineries On Tour – Sample Itinerary

A great highlight for all of us was a photo opportunity at the Coonawarra Railway Siding which was built in 1898 and is a great landmark for visitors to the area to get yourself a photo for the memory book. As the locals say, “If you don’t get a photo at the Siding, you haven’t been to the Coonawarra”.

Our Coonawarra Wine Tour, highlights included beautiful wine tastings, the bottles we’ve taken home to enjoy at a later date and the relaxed yet very professional approach from Simon, our host. Simon makes every experience personal for his guests. We enjoyed conversations with winery employees about their wines, vines, specialities, processing procedures and the Coonawarra Region itself.

COONAWARRA WINE TOUR

If you like the sound of these Coonawarra wine tours, you can book your own tour by contacting Simon and Kerry directly on 1800 861 190 and tell them we sent you – we will earn a small commission by referral.