A Weekend in the Barossa Valley

With so many wineries to choose from, views to take in, shops to visit and generally “things to do” a weekend hardly seems enough time to take in what the Barossa has to offer. Thankfully I was seeing the Barossa through the eyes of a very dear friend who lived in the Valley for a few years, so, he was well versed with the must-do’s. Our itinerary last weekend included the below:        

• Tasting at Rockford Wines https://www.rockfordwines.com.au – the winery where the best of traditional winemaking is alive and kicking! Do a guided tour of the winery while you're there.

Dinner at FermentAsian https://fermentasian.com.au in Tanunda. The owner Grant Dickson has an infectious energy and passion for wine – in particular, Riesling. His recent collaboration with Ian Hongell of Torbreck and Neil Pike of Pikes Wines results in two glorious Rieslings under the Otherness label – one Clare Valley and the other Eden Valley. The Oratoire Ciarianne Haut Coustias 2012 – a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache was a perfect accompaniment to the ‘feed me’ 6 course we elected to enjoy. Saturday morning visit to the https://www.barossafarmersmarket.com/ which included the obligatory coffee, fill of samples of cheese, charcuterie, bread and at 9.30 in the morning – a gin tasting!

• http://barossacheese.com.au a visit to The Barossa Valley Cheese Co for a quick tasting of cheeses on offer. The Barossa Triple Cream proving a stand-out favourite.

• A photo opportunity was provided at Menglers Hill. A spot for all who want to take in the beauty of the Barossa.

• We moved on for a bite of lunch. Harvest Kitchen at Artisans of Barossa where we did a tasting of a small selection of our preferred varietals. Artisans of Barossa is a group of like-minded winemakers formed with a desire to promote and protect small batch winemaking. Joined by friends, we chose to accompany our grazing lunch a bottle of the Spinifex Muscat a Petit Grains. An amazingly fragrant and interesting wine.

• Tscharke Wines https://www.tscharke.com.au was next on our list. What a pleasure it was to spend time at this cellar door!
  Tscharke's Winery.
• Seppeltsfield Road Distillers https://seppeltsfieldroaddistillers.com.au was so close, it seemed crazy not to take in this fabulous new addition to the Barossa. We were greeted at the stairs by the owner Jon and Nicole Durdin’s dog. A loud welcoming bark seemed to be the job of the family pet who heralded new arrivals to the distillery. My friend and I decided on the 5 gin flight. The standout gin for us I was the Savoury Allsorts – a delightful balance of star anise and the herbs.

• The 20 Year Retrospective of Rolf Binder Wines https://rolfbinder.com was an absolute treat. Wines made by Rolf Binder and his sister Christa Deans were on show – Bulls Blood Shiraz Mataro, Heysen and Hanisch Shiraz dating back to 1998 and Christa’s riesling dating back to 2002.

• Sunday morning my friend took me to a not-so-well known spot for another photo opportunity. Bird lovers (like me) would be in their element.
• A tasting at Charles Melton was the last on the list before our final Barossa destination – Fino, at Seppeltsfield.https://www.seppeltsfield.com.au/index.php/experience/food-dining/fino-at-seppeltsfield The weather was glorious. My friend had booked well in advance, so, we had a perfect spot outside to take in our surrounds and the fabulous food. Almost wined out for the weekend, I decided that a perfect glass of riesling would be the way I wanted to finish my wine weekend. http://www.rieslingfreak.com Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit the Rieslingfreak cellar door, so a glass of the 2018 Rieslingfreak No.2 Polish Hill River Riesling was the next-best thing!
  Fino, Seppeltsfield. A divine spot for lunch - book ahead.
  Charles Melton Cellar Door.