We love a family friendly winery and they don’t come much better than Vine Shed, in McLaren Vale on the wonderful Fleurieu Peninsula. If you haven’t been here yet, clear the diary and book in for lunch, wine tasting or some live music with the whole family at this stunner of a cellar door!
The Vine Shed is so much more than a cellar door however – it is a full blown family friendly restaurant, wedding venue and live music venue with something for everyone. The venue itself is a mix of modern and rustic – it’s a huge, stunning building set on Conte Estate, with a vast dining space inside, along with a Mezzanine. Outside you’ll find a bridge over a small rocky waterfall, leading out to a large lawn area for kids to run around, complete with a cubby, swings and outdoor games – heaven! Oh and did we mention there are also a few ponds with fish, ducks and elusive frogs (we couldn’t see them, but we could certainly hear them!). Just bear in mind that the ponds aren’t fenced, so keep a close eye on little ones.
Let’s get onto the menu – one of the reasons we are such fans of The Vine Shed, is that is so much more than platters and pizzas like you find at most other wineries. The wood oven pizzas are certainly the star of the menu, with good reason (try the Potato Pizza- droooool!), however you will also find tapas, hot chips, salads, pastas and more. It’s a a proper restaurant menu with tons of options, so it’s perfect for a family meal or big group – there is something for everyone!
The kids menu has some classic kids favourites such as hot dogs, pizza, nuggets and pasta – all which were presented just as beautifully as the adult meals and munched down just as quick!
After ordering, we took our drinks down to the lawn area for the kids to burn some energy before their meals came out. They loved playing quiots, bean bag throw, totem tennis and giant jenga, before racing over to the cubby house and swings.
Once the food was served, lunch was an easy affair – our table was on the deck which is enclosed in winter with heaters and can be opened up in summer to enjoy the warmth and a breeze. The kids happily dug into their meals while occasionally taking a break to colour or draw with the activity books and pencils that are provided. Winning!
We adults went for arancini balls and a couple pizzas to share and were not disappointed – the local produce shines through and everything was fresh, hot and delicious. If you have time, we also highly recommend doing a wine tasting – the Gewurtztraminer was a favourite and a pleasant surprise in a region dominated by Shiraz!
After lunch it was back out to the lawn for more playing for the kids and relaxing for the adults. The kids were so thoroughly entertained, it was actually possible to have an adult conversation and proper catch up which is refreshing!
The Vine Shed in McLaren Vale is a family friendly winery that you could easily spend a few hours at enjoying the wonderful food, hospitality and entertainment – make sure it is on your list for your next lunch down south!
The Vine Shed
207 Sand Road, McLaren Vale 5171
To book check out their website
or follow them on Facebook or Instagram to keep up to date with their live music schedule on weekends
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