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The votes are in, and Australia has a new favourite place to unwind and sip wine, and spoiler alert, it’s right here in SA!
The results for the 2027 Halliday People’s Choice Award Top 10 have been released and South Australia has dominated the national vote for Australia’s top winery experiences, claiming seven out of the top 10 positions in the country, including the coveted number one spot.
McLaren Vale’s very own magical escape, Down The Rabbit Hole has been crowned number one in Australia, while Barossa favourite Elderton Wines finished second. Fellow McLaren Vale destinations Maxwell Wines and Thicker Than Water are sitting pretty at fifth and sixth.
And the South Australian showing didn’t stop there, with Laughing Jack, Gibson and Château Tanunda from our picturesque Barossa Valley all making the cut.
This list is special because it isn’t decided behind closed doors by a panel of wine experts. Halliday tallied more than 8,000 individual votes, asking wine lovers nationwide about their absolute favourite Australian winery experience.
If you’ve ever been sprawled out on the lawn at Down the Rabbit Hole, grazed on one of their insta-worthy cheeseboards or had a tasting in the iconic double-decker bus, you’d understand why they are Australia’s favourite.
When husband and wife owners Domenic and Elise Palumbo discovered they had taken out the top spot, it sparked a reaction they won’t forget anytime soon.
“I got a phone call from Dom, and as soon as I answered, I could hear his smile through the phone,” Elise shared
“His words were, ‘You’re never going to believe the phone call I just got… Elise… we WON! What on Earth?!’ He was so incredibly excited.
“I was sitting at my daughter’s gymnastics class and I whooped so loudly the whole class turned around.”
Established by the pair in 2013, Down The Rabbit Hole is a family-owned boutique winery producing small-volume wines using organic and biodynamic vineyards and minimal-intervention winemaking practices.
Its cellar door opened in 2019 and has since become one of McLaren Vale’s coolest and most recognisable spots. When your feet crunch down the gravel path, you’re instantly transported to a place where the sun feels warmer, the wine tastes richer and everything feels just a little more relaxed.
You can pick your perfect slice of Down The Rabbit Hole, whether that’s sinking into a cosy picnic rug on the lawn with a few casual bites, or settling in at a table and letting the afternoon melt into the evening.
For something a little more elevated, you can head to Fiore, the winery’s Italian restaurant led by Executive Chef Nick Tadija, where long lunches lean into generous, seasonal Italian dining. Traditional food lies at the heart of the set menu, making it an easy spot to dine at a leisurely pace. And on Friday nights from May to November, Nonna’s Table turns up the warmth even further, inviting guests to indulge in a traditional Italian-style dinner designed to feel comforting and made for sharing.
The winery recently launched their Signature Wine Room, a relaxed yet sophisticated hideaway where visitors can kick back, with seasonal events centred around tastings, designed to leave you walking away after each visit with something new. However, Elise believes the reason visitors have connected so strongly with Down The Rabbit Hole goes much deeper than any one feature.
“In our opinion, the wine is the foundation … From there, we have built the entire experience around our philosophy of giving people an experience of love.”
That philosophy, she says, touches everything from how guests are welcomed and guided through tastings to the ingredients used in the kitchen, the way food is served and the atmosphere across the property.
“Whether our guests visit for the wine, a casual meal or an elevated restaurant experience, we hope all of it leaves people feeling connected.”
“I believe our guests feel like we really care about them, because we do … and they feel it.”
Elise and Domenic have curated the perfect relaxed yet elevated twist on the traditional cellar door for the girl group to sip and for families to relax, and Australia seems to agree.
Elderton’s second-place result was another major win for SA, with the Barossa winery offering a very different experience. Its cellar door is housed inside a grand 1918 gentleman’s bungalow, and looks over the historic Command Vineyard, planted in 1894. Visitors can choose from relaxed tastings through to vineyard tours and its distinctive Taste, Set and Match experience, which combines a private tasting with a game on the property’s grass tennis court.
With seven of the top 10 spots going to South Australian wineries, including first, second and fifth place, Australian wine lovers have sent a pretty clear message about where some of the country’s favourite winery experiences can be found.
“I mean, it was the dream. It’s still the dream, but it just came true,” Elise said.
Read the full 2027 Halliday People’s Choice Award Top 10:
1. Down The Rabbit Hole, McLaren Vale, SA
2. Elderton, Barossa Valley, SA
3. Cofield Wines, Rutherglen, VIC
4. Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, NSW
5. Maxwell Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
6. Laughing Jack, Barossa Valley, SA
7. Château Tanunda, Barossa Valley, SA
8. Thicker Than Water, McLaren Vale, SA
9. Audrey Wilkinson, Hunter Valley, NSW
10. Gibson, Barossa Valley, SA
