Wirra Wirra
(Winery in McLaren Vale)
Book an Experience
3 Hours
Participants: Minimum 2, Maximum Not Specified
About Winery and Wines
As its aboriginal name infers, Wirra Wirra is nestled “amongst the gums” in McLaren Vale, South Australia - a picturesque ironstone winery with over 100 years of history. From the call of the towering Angelus bell atop the winery, to the massive timber fence known as “Woodhenge”, Wirra Wirra offers a unique and memorable winery experience.
Best known for its famous red “Church Block” blend, Chief Winemaker, Emma Wood and her team deliver rich, textured McLaren Vale reds and stunning cool climate whites from the Adelaide Hills. Wirra Wirra offers visitors a multitude of experiences, from its award winning Cellar Door where wine flights are available for tasting, to Harry’s Deli, a providore style café that mixes the very best of South Australian produce with Wirra Wirra’s exceptional wine list, plus a selection of five behind the scenes experiences that allow visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the historic old cellars at Wirra Wirra.
With all this on offer it’s no wonder that Wirra Wirra Vineyards has been selected as a James Halliday 5 Star winery and has been awarded Star Cellar Door by Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine.
WINEMAKING
When you speak with Wirra Wirra's Chief Winemaker Emma Wood about her winemaking philosophy, there is a continuing theme of ‘letting the fruit shine’. Emma wants the wines to look bright and lively in the glass and reflect the site or vineyard that spawned them.
Fruit source is paramount, whether it is from the old vines on the Wirra Wirra estate, or from our loyal band of growers across McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. That’s why Emma spends so much time in the vineyards. At the height of vintage, she is out and about all day walking between the rows, tasting fruit and talking with growers to time the harvest to the minute.
The Wirra Wirra cellars have an ancient, almost medieval feel to them, with massive arched doors, over-sized fireplaces, a minstrel gallery and wine stained red brick floors. There's nothing ancient about the winemaking at Wirra Wirra though, with a focus on preserving fruit purity and vineyard expression, there's an obsessive commitment to keeping parcels separate until final blending. This gives Emma and the team a chance to grade and blend with precision. It also allows Emma and viticulturist Anton Groffen the chance to follow each vineyard vintage to vintage and develop an intimate understanding of how they performed in any given year.