The historic Knappstein Wines cellar door in South Australia’s Clare Valley wine region has unveiled its long-awaited makeover.

This is the first major renovation of the property in the last 15 years and spans the entirety of the heritage-listed Enterprise Brewery building first established by Fanny Eliza Filgate, the daughter of Clare’s founder Edward Burton “Paddy” Gleeson, in 1878.

Knappstein Wines’ Tania Matz said: “We’re thrilled with the renovations. It’s exciting to now have a cellar door that matches Knappstein’s rich history and enviable winemaking reputation.”

The new cellar door sales and tasting room has moved from the north side of the Enterprise Brewery to the long frontage of the building, giving visitors a more expansive space to enjoy a Knappstein tasting experience.

The focal point of the room is a long granite tasting bench to conduct guided tastings. In the south end of the room is a seating area, giving guests the space to relax with a glass of wine or a ‘build your own’ platter with fresh produce from local providores.

The north end of the room is sectioned off by a floor to ceiling display, creating a semi-private area for large group tastings and events. The design of the renovations highlights the room’s original features, like the structural timber beams in the bulkhead and original sandstone facade of the building.

Knappstein’s new wine lounge​, to be opened later this year, takes over the site’s original tasting room and repurposes the space into a cosy retreat for guests.

There are two dedicated wine lounge areas, with seating surrounding the functioning fireplace and an additional seating area for large groups. One corner of the space is dedicated to a large display unit, which will prominently feature Knappstein’s recent awards and historical memorabilia.

For the first time in the property’s history, Knappstein will open to the public its underground cellar venue​. Accessed through the main stairs of the new wine lounge, the underground cellar will be a unique space for Knappstein’s major events, live music performance, private tastings and dinner functions.

The long room focuses on the substantial stone walls and original timber support beams lining the centre of the room.

“We are very excited about the potential uses for the underground cellar. It will be a fantastic space to enjoy during the winter months when we host live music events or special tastings,” Matz said.

Towards the back of the cellar, Knappstein has created an exclusive museum display room to house the winery’s back vintage treasures. The room will be fitted to store wines that date back as far as the winery’s first vintage and will be able to accommodate a small number of guests for private tastings.

Due to COVID-19 venue restrictions, Knappstein’s cellar door sales and tasting room is limited to 40 guests maximum for seated tastings only.