There's a wine time to be had in SA - all year

The 2021 Year of South Australian Wine campaign - launched by wine icons Chester Osborne of d'Arenberg, Justine Henschke of Henschke and Kate Laurie of Deviation Road - aims to help local wineries hit hard by the double blow of bushfires and COVID-19.

South Australian Wine Industry Association president Nick Waterman went even further, adding changes to international. "The wine regions of SA are hurting," he said.

"With the prospect of little international travel before the end of 2021 the Year of South Australia Wine initiative is a welcome boost to our industry."

Co-ordinated by the South Australian Tourism Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, the wine campaign brings together a series of regional cellar door shows, winemaking classes, hands-on experiences, music and food festivals, and gourmet events throughout the year.

Almost all the state is "wine country" because there are more than 200 cellar doors within an hour's drive of Adelaide and more than 350 across the state. Each of the 11 tourism regions is home to at least one winery.

The year-long celebration also marks Adelaide's inclusion in the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, a group of international cities whose wine regions are recognised as significant economic and cultural assets.

Premier Steven Marshall said that with limited interstate travel currently on the agenda, now is perfect time to discover the state's world class wine regions.

"South Australia is indisputably Australia's wine state, producing 50 per cent of all bottled wine and almost 80 per cent of premium wine," he said.

"Wine is massive part of our state's character."

Every month, you will be able celebrate a particular moment in (wine) time at a celebratory festival.

The fun kicked off with Crush Festival in the Adelaide Hills and tickets are selling fast for some great wine events at the Barossa Vintage Festival from April 14 -18.

A community tradition and celebration since 1947 (when a gala ball marked the end of vintage and the end of World War II) the vintage festival is now one of Australia's longest running regional festivals.

The five-day biennial event provides a chance to showcase the Barossa wine story through art, culture, music and culinary inspired events.

This year's festival is dedicated to the late Colin Gramp, one of its founding fathers, and is doused with a healthy abundance of wine.

The program is packed with enticing events such as Dine in the Vines, Create and Sip workshops at the Barossa Makers Table, a Taste Your Birth Year Experience at Seppeltsfield, and, for the energetic, a Barista, Brewer and Wine Cycle Tour.

The next scheduled big event is Tasting Australia from April 30-May 9.

One of the country's longest-running food and beverage festivals, it is a celebration of eating and drinking and a showcase of all things South Australian. Each year the event invites audiences to step beyond a standard food festival to discover deliciously different experiences that feed not just their stomachs but their curiosity.

Another date to put in the diary is the 2021 Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week from May 14-23, which organisers promise is going to bigger and better than ever before.

Throughout the week there'll be masterclasses and tastings, degustation dinners, and opportunities to meet the winemaker and learn the story of the Clare Valley wine.

On the final weekend, visitors can take part in Grape to Glass, discover the delights at the Produces' Market, or sit back and marvel at classical music as part of the Adelaide Guitar Festival On the Road.

For a list of wineries and complete calendar of events, click HERE