Coriole Vineyards

Nice flowery garden. Food was great (including the house baked bread and beautifully cooked gar fish), but it took much too long to come out between courses and we began to get very hangry. The waitresses were grumpy and a tad rude, the service was saved by the wonderful waiter James.

Coriole were excellent when we they had platters of local produce with their excellent wines. Not so now, If you’re looking for a great platter go somewhere else.

Last Sunday we went to ‘Gather at Coriole’ for lunch. It is a bit of a tradition. A good friend of mine is a rather famous chef in my hometown, overseas. He is well known there and he’s done his training in various Michelin star restaurants. Going for lunch at Coriole is a bit of a tradition. It has become such a tradition because of the superior quality of the food, the produce and the wines.
Since a couple of months Coriole has a new chef. With the previous chef the quality of the food was already outstanding, but under the new chef it may even have increased a bit. We had several dishes and they were all fabulous tasting experiences. So really my compliments to the chef. The second part that we enjoyed very much was the entourage; the views were, as always, magnificent.
However, there were also some aspects that have made us decide to continue our tradition somewhere else next year. The service was friendly, but we had the feeling that the waiters were uncomfortable with having to convey some unpleasant messages. Let me report some events.
We arrived a bit early and, fair enough, we were told that our table wasn’t ready yet. Fully understandable, because we were 15 minutes early and the restaurant is very busy. We were told to go to the tasting room, taste some wines and that way we could decide what we want to have with our lunch. We found that Coriole’s sauvignon blanc would match certain dishes very well, but this wine we chose was not on the menu and it was impossible for us to get this wine that we wanted, despite it being available next door. We would have been happy to purchase us ourselves and pay a corking fee. The wine that we were advised as an alternative, was simply not a good advice.
We were informed that when we would opt for the five or seven course tasting menu, chef would decide what we eat and he would not be able to cater to individual differences. One of our party does not like beef or pork and another member of our party does not eat fish or other seafood. We were told that chef could not adapt to this and then we would then be best off to order à la carte.
Furthermore, we were told that if despite this, some of our party of six wanted to opt for the five or seven course tasting menu the other members could not order à la carte. That seemed a bit odd to us; if we had been a table of four and a table of two it would, of course, have been possible for two guests to eat à la carte and the other four guests order the testing menu. But apparently when were all sitting at the same table it’s too much work to the kitchen. Or at least, that is how it came across. We could not see the logic in that and certainly not how this aligns with being in hospitality.
After some deliberation we decided to stay, but by then the atmosphere was already ruined to such an extent that my younger daughter asked whether we really needed to stay.
In the end, we spent over $1100 on food and the purchased wine at the cellar door. But, we felt very unwelcomed and we felt in an somewhat awkward situation We could not escape the impression that chef thinks that guests should see it as a privilege to be allowed to eat at the restaurant rather than as his professional privilege to serve guests.
I’m very sorry for having to write this review in such a way and having lost one of my favourite restaurants.

The place is lovely, the food is good. But it depends where you're seated. Unfortunately, we were stuck at a table under the vines and corrugated plastic, for lunch, on a relatively hot day. Needless to say, being inside a hothouse with heaps of flies and the direct sun, it was very uncomfortable.

Food is amazing. Refined and elegant. Coupled with the views and wine from the cellar door, makes for the perfect setting for a meal. Friendly service from staff who know their foods and wines. Thanks Coriole for the wine, food and company.

Fantastic venue, fantastic wine and fantastic views. The Irish girl (sorry we didn't catch your name) who served us was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Loved it and will return the next time we are visiting Adelaide.

Myself and 3 friends enjoyed an amazing 7 course meal at Cariole. Food was excellent and great effort was made to accommodate gluten and dairy free diets. Couldn't fault a dish! 100% would recommend, look forward to returning one day soon!

Unfortunately extremely poor service in the farm shop. Serving other customers out of turn before us. Fine wines, but not a great cellar door experience. After waiting for 15 mins we left

Legitimately the best McLaren Vale winery we visited. Their entire lineup was world class. Jakob was the greatest host, he made our time there so enjoyable. Keep up the vibes guys, awesome experience!

Great winery to stop by for just tastings or a sit down meal. Great variety of wine and a refreshing menu for lunch. Recommend with the family, lunch date or just relaxing alone with a great view along with it.

I found the service to be less than standard, and found the young woman serving us on the wine tour to be condescending and quite arrogant. Will not return.
Shiraz and snacks were exceptional however!

Had an amazing lunch at Coriole on Sunday. Our group of 4 agree that it was one of the best meals we've ever had. Staff were knowledgeable and explained in dish in detail. Highly recommended.

Most beautiful location. Good wine and a good welcome too. Dining room looks great but was not open.

Great range of quality wines set in very picturesque setting. Recommend grabbing a bottle and chill out in one of their many spots overlooking the vineyards.