Wine Season at Southern Ocean
Lodge

The wine cellar at Southern Ocean Lodge is legendary amongst wine connoisseurs and wine lovers alike. The 160-label cellar and bar include up to 1200 bottles at any one time. The Southern Ocean Lodge team has forged relationships with some of the state’s finest established wineries as well as emerging wine growers whose wines release in small runs and are not available in bottle shops.

As a result, a visit to Southern Ocean Lodge offers guests ready access to an incredibly diverse range of wines, ready for sampling – a glass or a bottle at a time – in one beautiful spot. The rosewood clad cellar is designed for perusing the options, while artist Llewllyn Ash’s beautiful glass fish pendants school above.

Today, the cellar’s selection spans wines from South Australia’s historic wineries in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Pewsey Vale, Eden Valley, the Clare Valley and Kangaroo Island, as well as small batch runs from new winemakers who produce on a smaller scale from single and are often keen to try new techniques and innovate.

From the relatively new wine-growing region of Kangaroo Island guests can look forward to exploring wines from the Islander Estate Winery, Springs Road Wines or False Cape, with varietals including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvingnon and a great rose. From the McLaren comes organic winemaker Gemtree, a fine Shiraz from Woodstock Wine Estate and some fabulous Grenache from Willunga 100.

From the Barossa Valley comes Australia’s oldest family winery Yalumba, as well as Rockford’s iconic reds, perfect to savour in the warmth of the Great Room, while reds and whites from The Lane Vineyard are some of the best of the Adelaide Hills.

A handful of excellent discoveries in the cellar include:

The Islander Petiyante Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV

For a sparkling start, the Islander Estate’s elegant sparkling crafted is the traditional method made from grapes grown on Kangaroo Island’s north coast and created by winemakers Jacques Lurton and Yale Norris.

Scary Gully Chardonnay 2022 (sold out at the winery)

A wonderful production from Gentle Folk Wines in South Australia’s Basket Range, this wine is all about the minerality and the hints of lime, fennel seeds and white peach.

Ngeringa Sangiovese 2022

This small batch wine comes from the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills and presents a palate full of dark cherries, plums and black currant, intertwined with forest leaves and earthy notes.

Ngeringa Altus NV

An after dinner treat, this dessert wine is from the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills and was created by winemaker Erin Grinn using Viognier, Pink Semillon, Pinot Gris and Gewürtztraminer, inspired by wines tasted on her travels through Tuscany.