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Mission Accomplished - Seven days in South Australia

Being long time wine enthusiasts and after hearing and reading about so many great wines, vineyards and regions of South Australia over the years — as well as being wine producers ourselves — we decided it was time to accept a mission such as this.

And so we recently embarked on a one week wine tasting trip to some of the best and oldest wineries of South Australia.

Our wine mission saw us cover the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale regions and gave us the opportunity to appreciate and experience first hand the very roots of the Australian wine industry and see what is on offer from these pioneering regions for wine aficionados today.

By sharing our wine journey with you, we hope that fellow wine lovers may also conquer this delightful seven day wine mission. And apart from this being a wine mission the countryside, food and people make for a great holiday!

Now the day-by-day account for your seven day mission:

Day 1

Starting in Adelaide, visit Penfolds’ Magill Estate and take the cellar tour to discover the mystique of Penfolds and the “Rewards of Patience”.  Grange lovers will go weak at the knees when they enter the Penfolds tunnel which displays a bottle of every vintage of Penfolds Grange.

After a pleasant drive to the Barossa Valley settle in for two days of scrumptious food and wine in this scenic area of numerous vineyards and wineries. There are plenty of comfy bed and breakfast establishments to choose from for your accommodation.

Day 2

Start at the south of the Barossa region at Rowland Flat and visit the friendly cellar door at Grant Burge which boasts a beautiful setting and has ancient names for its flagship red wines, such as Meshach and Shadrach. Other wines of distinction include The Holy Trinity, Balthasar, Nebuchadnessar and Filsell Shiraz.

Then stop at the Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre and admire their demonstration vineyard exhibiting rows of each of the numerous grape varieties grown in the area. Afterwards have one of the famous lunch platters over a glass or two at Peter Lehman’s cellar door and restaurant.

Later travel on to Rockford’s at Tanunda where the wine is produced using traditional methods and century-old equipment.Even the Bedford truck is an original.We liked the 2004 Rockford’s Basket Press named after the authentic manual press used to extract the juice. Our advice is “do not give any away – wait 10 years and savour the result. ”A cult wine, Rockford’s Alicante Bouschet is a full flavoured, un-oaked low alcohol rosé made from a wine grape variety with red flesh that is a cross of Grenache with Petit Bouschet.

Charles Melton Winery, not far from here, is a local favourite for both its Shiraz and the Rose of Virginia (a particularly dry rosé) which has received accolades for being a rosé by design rather than a winemaker’s afterthought.

Dinner at the 1918 Bistro and Grill restaurant in Tanunda will round out your day (and tummy) nicely with great food and a well-stocked cellar, as would be expected.

Day 3

For your second day in Barossa, start the morning with coffee and a delicious pastry at the Maggie Beer farm shop then visit Seppeltsfield, which is “home to the one and only 100 point wine in Australia” (James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion)It also hosts the only continuous collection of fortified wines dating back to 1878.

Next travel to Angaston where the local cheese shop has won awards for its produce and is worth a visit. You may decide to set up a picnic on the beautifully carved table at the little park along the river. Just beyond Angaston you will come to the renowned and historical family-owned Yalumba winery featuring great wines in a lovely setting. We also enjoyed discovering new labels such as Gibson, with its rustic cellar door located northwest of Angaston.

Day 4

The next day’s drive north was to Clare Valley where the pace is slower and the vineyards are more spread out amongst little villages with delightful stone cottages. A tasting of the riesling and gewurtztraminer will delight. Book one of these charming venues for your stay. The first stop is the well-known and loved Annies Lane winery at Watervale. Check out the museum and grab your morning cup of coffee here.A highlight of the trip is Kilikanoon at Penwortham, where we were impressed by the 2007 Oracle Shiraz which won the class of best Shiraz at the London Wine Show in 2008. At Penna Lane Wines next door you can make a pit stop with a lovely cheese platter enjoyed with a glass of their best.

If your palate is ready for more, then continue your tasting journey with a visit to Sevenhill Cellars, the oldest winery in the Clare Valley, established by Jesuits in 1851 at Sevenhill, named after the seven hills of Rome. Take a leisurely stroll along the Riesling Trail then meet the locals and enjoy the casual atmosphere and great food at the Sevenhill Pub.

Day 5

A side trip to Mintaro is a must if, like us, you are interested in the gold mining history of the area. Maps and keys for a well-designed driving and walking tour are available from the tourist office.Otherwise, for more local favourites, visit Tim Adams and Jim Barry near the village of Clare.

Day 6

A further treat awaits you at McLaren Vale south of Adelaide which you reach via the motorway. We stayed at The Vintage, a tastefully appointed residence just off the main highway from Adelaide.

In an effort to differentiate the various wines from each other within and between wineries, there is a charming naming convention in South Australia. Almost all wines have a descriptive, sometimes playful name. At the first port of call, Chapel Hill, il Vescovo Sangiovese (The Bishop), The Vicar Shiraz and The Devil Tawny Port vie for attention packaged together in the Sacrilege Wine Pack. Next door at Samuel’s Gorge enjoy the spectacular vista of the gorge and hear about the old olive trees lining the driveway while you enjoy a tasting at the friendly cellar door.If you are feeling peckish, now is the time to visit Coriole for a delicious cheese platter (bookings are essential on weekends).

Day 7

Professional cellar door operations at Wirra Wirra andD’Arenberg will continue to impress you. At D’Arenberg we noticed the Dead Arm Shiraz (max. 12 bottles per customer) and found that this referred to the old bush vines which can lose one of the ‘arms’ of the vine, producing very fruitful and tasty berries on the remaining arm. The award winning 2006 Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier also caught our eye. “D’Arrys” Verandah Restaurant has a good reputation for lunch and dinner.

Our last tasting was at Kay Brothers, a fourth generation family-owned winery in McLaren Vale. Colin Kay, the owner, was charming and informative and allowed us to taste his pre-release Block 6 Shiraz from a small quantity of superb Shiraz grapes handpicked from the 4 acre Block 6 vineyard. It was a glorious finale to our mission to discover the look, feel and taste of South Australia.

So what did we learn? The vine is truly celebrated in these areas of South Australia. There is a comfortable blend between the history of wine and wine making and the present, and wines can be found to suit most tastes. The cellar door is a friendly, relaxed experience and all our wine purchases arrived home safely. We left feeling more inspired than ever to bring the South Australian passion and dedication to wine quality and service to Western Australia.

Thank you South Australia – mission accomplished!

Make sure to let us know if you take up the mission or if you have any queries we can help with.

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