Adelaide is a city filled with incredible food, but it’s only when you take a trip to the nearby Adelaide Hills that you realise how much passion and flavour is packed into their wonderful, cold-weather wines. I was lucky enough to take a one-day grand Barossa Valley tour with Grayline recently and admittedly had never been on a wine tour before. Needless to say, there weren’t many grapes left on the vines once I’d left the Barossa that day...
Vineyards Barossa Valley, Adelaide - Australia Vineyards Barossa Valley, Adelaide - AustraliaPort-Tasting at Seppeltsfield
The first stop on our Barossa Valley winery tour was the gorgeous Seppeltsfield Estate, where our final tasting was surprisingly a delicious fortified wine. It's commonly referred to as 'Port' though, like 'Champagne' from France, we learnt that unless a fortified wine comes from Portugal it mustn’t use the label of Port.
Picking Grapes to Taste from the Vines at Jacob’s Creek
It’s safe to say that before this winery tour, I knew little about my favourite grape juice. So when we were able to pick the grapes straight from the vine to taste, I was surprised to learn that wine gets its name from each different type of grape. Aka a pinot noir comes from a ‘pinot noir’ variety of grape. Now that seems glaringly obvious but at the time I didn’t realise this until all the different varieties of grape vines were lined up against one another at the Jacob’s Creek Estate.
Taking in the Stunning Landscape of the Adelaide Hills
It’s incredible to see such gorgeous and abundant leafy scenery just 30 minutes out of the Adelaide CBD. It really makes you think: What am I doing with my life? I should be living out here!
Walking the Same Hallowed Grounds as Her Majesty
The Queen officially opened the Rose Garden at the Barossa Chateau in February 2002 and we got to revel in that same rose glory after lunch, taking a walk around the sprawling rose garden.
The Trip to Germany... I Mean Hahndorf
Stopping in the afternoon at Australia’s oldest German settlement was a highlight not just of the winery tour but of the trip to Adelaide itself. Hahndorf, with its elm tree-lined main street, quaint cottages, inns, cellar doors, craft shops and galleries, makes you feel as though you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and into a parallel universe.
