The Barossa Valley is a fairly straightforward 70 minute drive from the city of Adelaide. Its close proximity makes a day trip possible if you are visiting the city but don’t have the time for an extended trip out to wine country. A number of small towns and villages make up the region of which Nuriootpa (many of the locals just refer to it as Nuri), Tanunda and Angaston make a reasonable base for tours around the many cellar doors. There are many accommodation options to suit all preferences and budgets but is is always best to book ahead as the area can get busy, especially at weekends and public holidays. We stayed at the Novotel Resort at Rowland Flat just a few kilometres from Tanunda. The same principle applies to cellar door visits, it is much quieter during the week than at weekends.
SOME BAROSSA VALLEY WINE FACTS
- First vineyard plantings date back to 1843 making it one of the oldest wine regions in Australia. Much of the early planting was done by German settlers.
- The Barossa is Phylloxera free which means that it has many old vines, some over one hundred years old.
- There are around 13500 hectares of vines in the Barossa
- 80% on all plantings are red wine varieties
- 50% of all planting is Shiraz making it the dominant grape of the Barossa
- There are around 150 wineries and 80+ cellar doors in the region.
With so many cellar doors to visit a plan is essential. There are several large, well known producers in the area; Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Yalumba, Peter Lehmann and Jacobs Creek for example. All are open to visitors for tasting and in some cases tours. A visit to the region however also affords the opportunity to try wines from growers with whom you may not be as familiar. Maps and lots of useful information are available here and here . Suggested routes are also available on Barossa Wine Trails
Getting around is obviously much easier if you have a car as some of the wineries such as Henschke and Thorn Clarke are a way out from the main towns but are well worth a visit. Driving of course means that someone has to be the designated driver. It is possible to join an organised tour and taxis are another possibility. Bike hire is available and we used Barossa Bike Hire in Nuriootpa for one day of our visit. This gives easy access to the 13Km cycle track from Nuriootpa to Angaston. From this you can head out to the cellar doors by means of the small roads that bisect the track at regular intervals
Exactly where to go will depend on your own preferences. Below is our itinerary for a two day visit to the area.
Day 1
Thorn Clarke – Gawler Park Road. Visit their website here
Gibson Wines – 190 Willows Road, Light Pass. Nice ride on quiet roads to the winery. Visit their website here
Willows Estate – 310 Light Pass Road. Visit their website here
Day 2
Barossa Farmers Market – Angaston Road. Saturday only 7.30-11.30. Visit their website here for further details.
Henschke – 1428 Keyneton Road. A fair drive out of Angaston but well worth it. Visit their website here. You can read a post of our visit here
Artisans of Barossa – Cnr Magnolia and Light Pass. Six great, small production winemakers together under one roofVisit their website here. You can read a post of our visit here
Rockford Wines – 131 Krondorf Road. Visit their website here
Charles Melton Wines – 194 Krondorf Road. Visit their website here. You can read a post of our visit here
