This was my first-time visiting Adelaide and when planning my itinerary, a trip to South Australia that didn't include the Barossa just seemed incomplete so I booked on a one day tour with Adelaide Sightseeing. The Barossa is one of Australia’s premier wine regions and is known world-wide for their full-bodied red wine and spectacular scenery. Upon booking this tour I was incredibly excited about sampling all the delicious food and wine in this region.
From the get-go this tour was incredibly convenient. There were so many places the coach could pick you up from in the City. I met at the Adelaide Central Bus Station on Franklin Street which was close to my hotel. I'm so glad I booked on this Tour as our Tour Guide Phil shared so much information and was very insightful about the areas we were driving through.
Our first stop was at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop. Maggie is a popular cook, writer and founder of the popular 'Maggie Beer Products'. The farm shop offers complimentary tastings and sells her full range of products and limited edition locally-sourced produce. It was great to be able to taste all the delicious goodies before buying. I tried many different types of jams, sauces, salad dressing, dukkha and plenty more (I had to buy the Dukkha set after tasting). This place also does fantastic coffee and the staff here were so welcoming and friendly.
Maggie Beer's Farm Shop is set on a beautiful lake location with bushland surrounds. You’ll see peacocks roaming the grounds, as well as other wildlife. There were so many things to do here. It was the perfect place to stretch your legs with a walk around the lake or simply sit back and take in the views and spot turtles (which I quite enjoyed). This place is a must see whilst visiting the Barossa!
The Pindarie Cellar Door is set in a lovely area, with a peppercorn tree at the front and incredible views at the back. The Cellar Door building was beautiful and rustic like inside. It had an open fire and the had a warehouse feel to it.
Our group tasted quite a few wines, accompanied with 2 types of cheese as well as quince. I enjoyed hearing the stories about how the wines are made and about the winery's history from the Cellar Door staff – they had so much knowledge to share. Everyone in our group really loved this stop on the tour.
TIP: There are so many photo opportunities here so make sure you have your camera or phone ready. Our Tour Guide Phil was really helpful and took so many photos for us. Thank you to Phil – he was such a patient man!
We stopped for a short lookout over Mengler Hill to see views over the Barossa and all the gorgeous vineyards. It was great to see how expansive the area is from above. We saw a few granite and marble sculptures that made for some great photo opportunities.
Lambert Estate was our next stop for the day. It’s a well-known family winery and they had great gourmet platters so we could try some of the Barossa’s seasonal produce. This was followed by our main course, a few sides and a glass of wine. I was impressed, as it truely was a feast for the senses.
Our main meals went down a treat and it was more than enough for our table of 10. We visited three Cellar Doors throughout the day to taste wine and Lambert Estate was top of the list for me. Make sure you save some room for wine tasting here.
Thank you so much to our Tour Guide Phil for your great commentary, interesting information and for answering all my questions about the Barossa region. The tour was so well organised and I had a fantastic day of learning about the area’s history. I made some memories that will last a lifetime and I look forward to joining another Tour with Adelaide Sightseeing when I’m in Adelaide next time around!
If you’re interested in following my travels, take a look at my travel and lifestyle blog.
