The Barossa Valley is one of the worlds great wine regions. With about 150 vineyards and some of the oldest vines in the country, it offers some fantastic Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache wines. We included a couple days in this valley in February but on this particular trip we drove straight through the Barossa as we headed north. A week later, with Melbourne in lockdown and having exhausted our interest in Arkaroola, we looked to again enjoying some unscheduled time in Barossa’s wine country.
Honestly, a giant rocking horse goes a bit too far. The smaller one (adult size) is meant to provide scale.Hentley Farms offers a non-traditional wine-tasting experience. Their shiraz is now among our favourites.Seppeltsfield winery is a large operation with beautiful architecturally pleasing buildings of sandstone.The family of Seppeltsfield Winery created a stunning avenue of palm trees in the 1920s in order to employ the local workforce during the depression and returned service persons from WWI.Barossa Valley during our visit in February, the height of summer. Looks much like California’s wine regions in summer.The Seppeltsfield Mausoleum houses about 24 members of the pioneering Seppelt family who established one of Australia’s oldest wine estates.Maggie Beers Farmshop is in a bucolic location in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The grounds include orchards, a vineyard, pond and veggie gardens. A restaurant, cooking school and nature walks add up to a nice afternoon diversion.Dell’uva is a boutique winery that grows a small crop of many varieties of grapes…49 to be exact. A visit to their cellar door in Greenock is an intimate experience with one of the enthusiastic owners. Free tastings of at least 7 wines starting from the low end at $35 bottle to the high end at $100+ bottle. It was an interesting experience by a unique winegrower in an “off-piste” part of the Barossa Valley.The start of the bike trail from Nurioopta to Angaston.The Barossa Bush Chapel is a popular wedding venue and utilized during Covid for outdoor spiritual experiences.The Barossa Valley from atop Mt Crawford.Five rustic life-size steel sculptures depict the history of the Town of Eden Valley.The Herbig Family Tree in Springton (Eden Valley) was home to a family in the mid-1800s. Two of the 16 children were born in this tree.The Murray Princess is an authentic paddlewheeler and the largest in the southern hemisphere. From the town of Mannum tours of up to 7 days operate on the Murray River.The Coonawarra Valley with 36 wineries lies near the border of Victoria. It is known for its unique Terra Rossa soil and cool climate which produces mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. Bellwether Wines operates in an old restored shearing shed. It’s a charming space with friendly staff but we weren’t crazy about their wine.Wynns is one of the older wine-producing names in the region. It was one of two wineries that led the change in Australia’s wine industry from fortified wines to table wines. Although I was unfamiliar with the name, our tasting led to the purchase of a number of their wines.As sunset neared, the Coonawarra Railway Station offered a nice photo opp with this woman.
From Coonawarra we re-entered Victoria and headed home since the lockdown was over. We had left home on May 20 and returned on June 27. Little did we know we would be back under severe restrictions within 5 weeks.
8 thoughts on “Wine Country: Barossa, Eden and Coonawarra Wine Regions”
such gorgeous pictures and what a wonderful adventure! envy….
Fabulous photos Mary. I love the one with the tree branch framing the vineyard (looks like California). You should enter this into a competition. It is perfect in framing. Mind you, I love a lot of the other photos too.
I enjoyed your take on the Barossa, we just went for a day!
Loved your pics as usual , especially the one of the pond at Maggie Beer’s farm, you made it look so much more interesting!
Viv xx
I enjoyed your take on the Barossa, we just went for a day!
The pic of the pond at Maggie Beer’s farm, you made it look so much more interesting!
Viv xx
Hi, Mary & Joe:
I’m just catching up on your lollipalooza trip! As always fantastic commentary and photos. I’ve saved them all for reference so when I come to visit I can use them!
I’ve just gotten back from a 3-week trip to Africa; Kenya and Tanzania, on safari with Barbara. I’ll do a very simple travel-log after I edit my photos. It will not compare with yours, so be forgiving!
Thanks so much for doing this….it’s like a vacation from home!
Much love – Kathy
8 thoughts on “Wine Country: Barossa, Eden and Coonawarra Wine Regions”
such gorgeous pictures and what a wonderful adventure! envy….
You two get around yourselves, especially lucky to do so nowadays.
Fabulous photos Mary. I love the one with the tree branch framing the vineyard (looks like California). You should enter this into a competition. It is perfect in framing. Mind you, I love a lot of the other photos too.
I enjoyed your take on the Barossa, we just went for a day!
Loved your pics as usual , especially the one of the pond at Maggie Beer’s farm, you made it look so much more interesting!
Viv xx
An easy day out from Adelaide. Although we’d love to see you back here, hope you can stay in SA a while longer.
I enjoyed your take on the Barossa, we just went for a day!
The pic of the pond at Maggie Beer’s farm, you made it look so much more interesting!
Viv xx
Hi, Mary & Joe:
I’m just catching up on your lollipalooza trip! As always fantastic commentary and photos. I’ve saved them all for reference so when I come to visit I can use them!
I’ve just gotten back from a 3-week trip to Africa; Kenya and Tanzania, on safari with Barbara. I’ll do a very simple travel-log after I edit my photos. It will not compare with yours, so be forgiving!
Thanks so much for doing this….it’s like a vacation from home!
Much love – Kathy
Mary and Joe,
Great pics and interesting info on regions we have never visited. We always love your picture essays. Hope 2022 brings better.