Q: Is there anything better than a long, luxurious road trip based around wine-tasting?
A: I think not.
Exception: you are the driver.
However, with four ladies sharing the experience, this problem is swept aside, with daily rotations of DDs (that's Designated Driver, not passengers of the female persuasion who are well-endowed upstairs. Although, theoretically, it could be one and the same. However, I digress...)
I recently had the pleasure of a totally indulgent week-long holiday in South Australia with my partner and two of our good friends. In a great big beast of a four-wheel-drive (almost requiring a ladder to gain access into, and a serious hazard to get out of, at times) and in 40+ degree days, we covered more than 1000km, visited more than 25 cellar doors in five wine regions, and tasted in excess of 100 wines (erring on the conservative side with that figure!)
By Day 6, I was almost ready for admission to Australia's version of the Betty Ford Clinic, however managed a second wind with a icy cold schooner (or 'pint' as they call em down there) of refreshing Coopers Ale... ooh yeah! And ready to go again...
Our trip began in late January in Adelaide, which was in the throes of one hell of a heatwave. Daytime temperatures were routinely in the mid-40s, with overnight lows of around 30°! Thank God for air conditioning!
DAY 1 & 2
Belinda and I had no firm plans for our first two days in Adelaide; happy enough to explore the city for the first time. However, on the second day, it occurred to me that it would be unforgiveable for us NOT to check out the Barossa Valley, given its close proximity.
By midday we were firmly ensconced in the tasting room at Grant Burge Wines, courtesy of our hastily-arranged rental car. A standout wine from this cellar door was the Grant Burge Sparkling Shiraz Cabernet - a deep ruby coloured sparkling wine with aromas of smoky bacon, rich red fruit flavours and very fine bubbles. RRP should be around $20.
Over the remainder of the day we visited six more cellar doors, including Chateau Tanunda, Charles Melton, Elderton and Penfolds.
It would have been rude to go to the Barossa and not have lunch at Maggie Beer's Farm. We re-fuelled with some of Maggie's pates, cheeses and relishes in a shady spot by a pond filled with baby turtles and various feathered animals incluiding peacocks - an absolute delight and highly recommended.
A highlight of the day included the tasting of Torbreck's 'The Runrig' 2005 (a shiraz-viognier blend) - which retails at over $200 a bottle! It was certainly a lovely drop, but unfortunately, not in the trip budget.
At the other end of the cost spectrum was Two Hands 'Brilliant Disguise' moscato at only $17 for a 500ml bottle. With just 7% alcohol, consume it either as an aperitif, or at the end of a meal, in place of a dessert wine.
Moscato has recently experienced a popularity explosion in Australia, with a wide range now available in this variety. However, I find a lot of moscatos to be sickly-sweet, almost resembling the dreaded 'alcopop.' This is not the case with the 'Brilliant Disguise.' Lightly carbonated with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, it is long and lean, leaving the palate clean and ready for the next mouthful. Once opened, I guarantee a bottle will not last long!
DAY 3
Today Pip arrived from Sydney, and by late morning the three of us had set off to explore the Adelaide Hills wine region, a mere 20-minute drive from Adelaide city. Due to its cool climate, Adelaide Hills is one of Australia's largest producers of sauvignon blanc. As a proud Kiwi, I was on a mission to see if anything came close to Marlborough's outstanding examples.
We commenced tasting at Petaluma, a producer of highly-awarded wines, including Petaluma Chardonnay and the top-rated sparkling: 'The Croser.' The current vintage is 2006, but we were lucky enough to be able to try the 1998 Croser which was a creamy mouth-filling, biscuity taste sensation. Yum!
Then it was onwards to Hahdorf Hill and Nepenthe cellar doors, stopping for a well-needed lunch at The Lane Vineyard, a fantastically elevated spot looking over the vines. Highlight of the day for me was Nepenthe's wines, including their 2008 sauvignon blanc. Pick this baby up for under $18 and you'll be laughing: 'A core of tropical fruit balanced by lively, varietal, herbaceous characters. The palate is supported by crisp, citrus acidity and a long, refreshing finish.' Not quite a Marlborough savvy, but not far off!
DAY 4
After collecting our final passenger, Ms N, we headed south towards the famed terra rossa of the Coonawarra (aka 'Australia's Other Red Centre'), almost 400km away. After a four-hour drive and with only one hour of tasting time remaining, we still managed to fit in two of the biggies: Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Zema Estate.
Wynns was everything I had dreamed of, and more! Upon arrival, I was so overcome to be there, I fell to the ground and kissed it, giving thanks to this rich, red soil for so many nights of pleasure. (NB: we're still at a vineyard at this point peoples, not a red light district.. believe it or not!)
Inside the building there were riches galore - it was like being in Aladdin's (wine) cave... I didn't know where to begin. There was merchandise, there was stemware, and most importantly, there was Wynn's wine, including back vintages of their big hitters ... bliss!
We lined up the tasting glasses and a cheese platter, and off we went... chardonnay, shiraz, cab/shiraz/merlot, an exclusive cellar-door-only shiraz/cabernet, then onto the highly-collected black label Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the most divine John Riddoch Cab Sauv, and finishing with an aged riesling (another cellar door exclusive). We left there a few dollars lighter, a few kilos heavier (in the boot of our 4WD) and a whole lot less sober! Woo hoo!
With 15 mins remaining, we entered Zema Estate, and 40 mins later emerged as per Wynns (see above). Zema is a small vineyard, owned and operated by the Zema family, who originate from Italy. Their wines are outstanding, with the Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon being excellent value-for-money (around $20 or so), while the premium versions of these varieties (which come under the 'Family Selection' label) are sublime and retail for around $40 each.
It was now time to take ourselves, and our new purchases, to our Coonawarra accommodation, Punters Retreat. And what accommodation! I think all of us had a serious 'wow' moment on arrival. We could not quite believe that we had scored this amazing place all to ourselves. A thoroughly luxurious and modern, architectural masterpiece of a place, Punters Retreat was just the place to rest wine-weary bodies for two nites. Everything you could ever wish for, they had thought of, including a seemingly endless array of stemware in which to consume those tasty cellar door purchases.
After a few discussions with locals in the following days, it became apparent that we had been very lucky to score this place, as it is apparently booked out almost all year round. And with the Coonawarra being situated over 400km from both Adelaide and Melbourne, its not the sort of place you can just take a day trip to. Accommodation is a must. For those of you thinking of heading to the Red Centre in the next 12 months - I strongly recommend this place:
http://www.punterscorner.com.au/retreat.html Check it out!
To be continued....
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