A great dining experience at a vineyard doesn’t always need to involve an eight-course degustation with matching wines. Enjoy a low-key lunch at Sensorial Circus after admiring the art on show at d’Arenberg Cube, the landmark building designed to celebrate the complexities of winemaking. Order the chicken liver pâté with fortified shiraz jelly and crisp bread paired with a top drop from the Fleurieu Peninsula. darenberg.com.au

The waiters at Maxwell Restaurant double as storytellers, weaving tales of the vineyard into every element of the tasting menu. Michelin-trained chef Fabian Lehmann curates multi-course tasting menus that change with the season and include options such as oyster with sea blight and caviar or chicken, shiitake and kombu. Wining and dining at Maxwell Restaurant is about deepening your connection to the land and makes for a most memorable experience. maxwellwines.com.au/Restaurant

The Barossa is best known for its shiraz. But no guide to the Barossa Valley would be complete without mention of the best vineyard restaurants to dine at around the state. Enter Fino at Seppeltsfield, which is emblematic of the vintner’s approach to sustainability and seasonality. The dishes at Fino are designed to complement the extensive wine selection at Seppeltsfield. Convince your teetotaller mate to drive so you can indulge in The Fino and Seppeltsfield Signature Experience. seppeltsfield.com.au

A pilgrimage to Penfold’s must include a meal at Magill Estate. Apart from offering one of Australia’s best cellar door experiences, Penfold’s offers visitors the chance to push the boat out at the winery restaurant where chef Scott Huggins curates exceptional food to pair with the sommelier’s stellar selection of wines. Plump for the Icon Wine Pairing featuring dishes such as the market carrots – which look like they have been plundered from Peter Rabbit’s garden – paired with an aromatic white. penfolds.com

A storied school building dating back to the 1870s now houses Ottelia Tasting Room + Restaurant. The winery is one of the best vineyards to dine at in the Coonawarra thanks to the care taken by chef Paul Stone (ex-Supernormal). The rejuvenated restaurant is clad in Corten steel, its oxidised exteriors designed to complement the striking new wine tasting area. Head to the cellar door to sign up for Not Another Wanky Wine Club. ottelia.com.au

LVN stands out in a region dotted with alluring restaurants for its paddock-to-plate menu, which offers diners a sense of provenance and place. Dining at the restaurant at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills involves a degustation of eight to 10 dishes alongside top drops from the vineyard. The restaurant is on the Traditional Lands of the Peramangk, Paredareme and Ngarringdjeri peoples and famed for using native ingredients such as wallaby, bush tomatoes, samphire and warrigal greens in innovative ways. birdinhand.com.au/lvn

Plug Coriole Vineyards into your satnav and enjoy the relaxing hour-long drive from Adelaide to this charming winery restaurant on the fringes of Onkaparinga River National Park. Expect a roster of share plates curated by executive chef Jacob Davey to speak to the bounty of fresh produce McLaren Vale is famed for. Think hummus with toasted seeds and onion. Beef carpaccio with black garlic, vincotto, pink pepper and parmesan. And lamb shoulder with Jerusalem artichoke with seasonal greens. coriole.com/Restaurant

The beauty of the Seppeltsfield region steals up on you as you drive past an avenue of gums to arrive at hidden-away Hentley Farm. Hentley Farm was established in 1997 by Keith and Alison Hentschke, who have completely reimagined the ‘dining at a winery restaurant in the Barossa Valley’ experience. Allow up to three hours to enjoy the Discovery Experience so you can linger over lunch matched with wines grown in the rolling vineyards all around. The menu highlights the Barossa’s bounty and changes with the seasons. hentleyfarm.com.au

The sounds of music and merriment and slightly sultry scent of sun-ripened grapes renders the scene at The Lane even more impressive. The very location of The Lane gives this winery restaurant a sense of place with its floor-to-ceiling windows and sundrenched terrace oriented around the vineyard views. Opt for the Provenance Menu to enjoy food and wine rooted in its origins such as the Port Lincoln tuna with radish, kohlrabi, citrus paired with a 2024 Gathering Riesling. The vineyard restaurant is just three kilometres from the fairy tale village of Hahndorf. thelane.com.au/restaurant

Arrive via helicopter like the rockstar you’ve always wanted to be to Sidewood, one of the slickest wine tourism restaurants in SA. Your favourite memories of visiting Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement will be knitted together with lunch at the charming restaurant, which is just 30 minutes from the centre of Adelaide. You can also enjoy the spirit of the Adelaide Hills through its food and wine with the more casual options on offer at the dinky Apple Shed Bar. sidewood.com.au