Respected South Australian restaurant Fino at Willunga is up for sale, with owners David Swain and Sharon Romeo saying they plan to focus on other projects, including their recently opened Barossa property.

The sale was hinted at in last week’s Forager column, and has now been confirmed by Swain and Romeo.

“Fino is defined by our passion for progressive regional food and we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have been culinary custodians at Willunga for such a long time,” said Romeo.

“We’re embracing an evolving business model and focusing on new and future projects, including our recently opened Seppeltsfield restaurant.”

Fino Willunga has been operating for more than nine years and is considered one of South Australia’s best regional restaurants.

Swain (the restaurant’s executive chef) and Romeo (director and sommelier) opened Fino Seppeltsfield (pictured above) in the Barossa last year after a $3 million makeover of the historic Seppeltsfield winery. They have since been splitting their time between the two institutions, with a number of Willunga Fino’s experienced chefs and front-of-house staff moving full-time to the Barossa operation.

The couple, who have built a strong reputation for their use of local and seasonal ingredients, said they want to sell the Willunga restaurant to “like-minded regional champions”.

In the meantime, it will remain open as usual.

Swain and Romeo are also planning what they describe as a “nostalgic suite of retrospective meals” celebrating favourite dishes, producers and winemakers, with details of the events to be releases on social media.