Luxury Escapes Guide to the Barossa

First opening in Willunga, an hour south of Adelaide, South Australian favourite Fino moved to Seppeltsfield in 2014. With local produce and simplicity at its core, Fino aims to showcase fresh produce as much as possible — the ingredients are the hero in every dish. Bread is made fresh daily and specials are prepared depending on what’s available, like locally caught seafood and pork and veggies from down the road. The menu here is shared — choose from three, four or five plates to suit your dining group. The setting is stunning, too, set among the renowned Seppeltsfield winery. So make sure you take the time to explore and sip some wine after lunch. Local tip — Seppeltsfield release a 100 year-old port every year, which is a SA icon.

As one of South Australia’s most iconic wine brands, the name ‘Jacob’s Creek’ is globally recognised. The winery, just outside Rowland Flat, hosts accommodation, the Our Table Restaurant, and a number of tours and experiences for every type of wine connoisseur. At the restaurant, food is seasonal, with much of the produce sourced from the kitchen garden. When it comes to wine, there’s an impressive range to sip and taste, but make sure to try the Barossa Signature range, designed to give you the best taste of the region.

A cult favourite in the region and with city-dwellers alike, people come from near and far to indulge in the Southeast Asian recipes made by chef and owner Tuoi Do. Passionate about traditional Vietnamese cuisine, and wanting to create a little piece of her heritage in the Barossa, Tuoi opened FermentAsian in 2011. Her menu has won Tuoi and the restaurant multiple awards over the years. It’s a destination in itself, delicacies the likes of yellow curry with local South Australian mulloway drawing people in time and time again. Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday, and dinner Wednesday to Saturday.

Eat, drink and be merry at this cellar door, restaurant, winery and farm property that’s gained quite the reputation with South Australian locals and visitors alike. No matter what you’re here for, you’re in for a treat at this five-star Halliday winery. Sample riesling from nearby Eden Valley, or a classic Barossa shiraz. If you’re feeling adventurous and you’re more interested in appeasing your belly, head into the restaurant and indulge in the surprise chef’s menu available here. The chef decides on the menu each day, depending on what produce they gather from the Greenock property, so there’s no difficult decisions to be made.

A local favourite, Vintners serve up modern Australian cuisine using local produce from the region and the local farmers market. Lunch is served seven days a week with dinner every day except Sunday. It’s been awarded best regional restaurant in South Australia, and has remains one of the longest-standing restaurants in the Barossa. Think natural oysters (when they’re in season), crispy South Australian pork belly or a simple scotch fillet, cooked to your liking. Sit outside and soak up the vineyard views, or settle inside for a long-lunch or dinner matched with local wines — the perfect way to break up your day of tastings or finish off a day out exploring.

If you’re finding decisions about different wineries, distilleries and restaurants a little too tricky, why not head somewhere where you can try a selection, all at the one bar? Winner of the Gourmet Traveller ‘Best Tasting Experience’ award for 2019 in their Cellar Door awards, Vino Lokal offers drops from seven winery partners, as well as food to accompany your tastings, too. A product of the Artisans of the Barossa group, Vino Lokal is a physical space where Hobbs of Barossa Ranges, Purple Hands Wines, Schwarz Wine Company, John Duval Wines, Sons of Eden, Lienert Vineyards and Spinifex Wines come together to offer tastings. It is also a place for locals and visitors to sip, try, discuss and eat together.

Experience the beauty and hospitality of a true small-production local Barossan winery at Krondorf Creek. While the region is home to lots of large-scale iconic brands, there are also a collection of small-production wineries with delicious drops and cellar doors brimming with character. Krondorf is one of them, run by local couple Jess Greatwich and James Ehrat. The cellar door is housed in a 19th century cottage they’ve lovingly restored. Settle in for a chat and a tasting within the stone walls by the fireplace, and take in the surrounds of their picturesque vineyards. Here you’ll find classic Barossa shiraz alongside mataro, cabernet sauvingnon and more.

Tucked away in Vine Vale, at the foothills of the Barossa, Rusden is the product of fourth generation grape growers. Owner, Christian Canute says the terroir of Vine Vale is as unique as they come — the location at the foothills causing a combination of white sand and red clay. With all their grapes grown, picked and harvested on site, Rusden produces honest, true Barossan drops, reflective of the vintage at the time. The cellar door is a rustic cottage-style space with a quaint front yard to peruse and wine-making facilities adjacent. Chat to the team here about the wines and you’ll be settling in for a few hours — it’s just that kind of place. The friendly nature of these folk is infectious, but it’s the tasty wines that’ll have you coming back time and time again. Top tip — don’t leave without taking home a bottle of their iconic Black Guts Shiraz. Barossa in a bottle.

If you need a break from the wine tastings, or you’re simply more of a spirit fan, the Barossa has you covered, with their range of local gin distilleries making their mark in the wine region. If you want to sample something local, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers and Barossa Distilling Company offer tastings, gin flights, cocktails, or a simple g&t if that’s all you fancy, while Durand Distillery hosts a gin school, where you can make your own gin. Be sure to take home a bottle of their locally distilled goods while you’re there, so you can enjoy a bit of distilled Barossa when you get home, too. If you’re in the mood to sample a wide selection, Musque Bar & Restaurant is home to around 350 gins, which you can sip at the bar, or alongside some scrumptious food (they serve lunch and dinner here, too).

Nestled in a heritage stone cottage along the main drag of Greenock, El Estanco is a hidden foodie gem of the Barossa. The South American-influenced cafe-restaurant is also a corner store and tasting space for local wines without a cellar door. The menu, which spans brekky and lunch, changes from week to week depending on the seasonal produce available from locals or their own gardens. The cosy space is a joy to be in, with a homely feel and the friendliest of owners (Julian and Abby). Watch the magic happen in the tiny open kitchen and don’t leave without trying one of Abby’s freshly baked cakes — she’s the pastry chef, while Julian is the chef. Hot tips: if the weather is warm, soak it up outside in their courtyard and check out their Friday Fiestas — fortnightly Friday night pizza nights or curated dinners (book ahead).

A big day of wine tasting calls for a big cup of coffee to start your daily travels, and Fleur Social has you covered. This cafe and florist in Nuriootpa, one of the largest towns of the region, is pretty as a picture. The team here are passionate about single origin coffee and beautiful blooms, and you can sample both here. If you’re travelling from afar, you can simply sit amongst the pretty petals and enjoy your cuppa. The bagels here are well known in the region, too — you can grab one of the creative concoctions or choose whatever simple ‘shmear’ you’d like (a smattering of cream cheese, peanut butter, grape jelly — you name it!).

This Friday night dinner club has gained quite the reputation about town, so book in ahead to get a seat at this table. Chef Tim Bourke (a local legend) crafts a new menu every week, which you’ll enjoy alongside local wines, all in the character-filled David Franz cellar door. The 1860’s cottage is a cellar door by day and transforms into this special supper club each Friday, with snack-style food and drinks offered from 6pm, or the full dining experience from 6:30pm. Everything on your plate is as local as it comes here, this intimate experience truly offering up a taste of the Barossa.

One of the most renowned wineries in the region, Henschke is a sixth generation wine family producing some of the Barossa’s most prized wine. Planting their first vines in 1862, the Henschke family produce a wide range of wines, but they remain most famous for their Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace range, both sourced from single-estate vineyards that are some of the oldest in the region. In the Hill of Grace experience, you’ll visit the Hill of Grace vineyard and take a tour of the winery facilities, some of which were originally built in the 1860s. You’ll end in the family cellar with a tasting of some of their flagship premium wines, including the Hill of Grace, of course, many of which are not available as regular tastings in the cellar door. This is Barossa hospitality and wine at its finest, with stories of a family that have helped shape the industry here today.

St Hugo winery is another of the region’s famed favourites, and while you can simply visit for a tasting or dine in the restaurant, the winery also offers a number of experiences, from the simple to the extravagant. The Riedel experience is in partnership with premium wine glass brand, Riedel. While it’s an investment, you’ll be treated to an exceptional wine tasting, as well as a guided education into glassware and the difference it makes — depending on shape and style — to your drinking experience. The experience is topped off with a degustation lunch, which you can enjoy alongside more wine, should you choose. If you really want to treat yourself, St Hugo’s Prestige experience is one of the most revered in the region, incorporating a helicopter tour over the region and an eight-course degustation.

Dining at Appellation is a bucket list item for many visitors to the Barossa. The award-winning restaurant is not only visually breathtaking but the beautifully delicate plates set before you are well worth the price tag. With a local and low-waste philosophy, the menu is carefully curated to use predominantly whole animal products, and 85% of the ingredients are sourced from the Barossa and SA. The menu consists of five courses, with optional wine or non-alcoholic beverage pairings, expertly thought-out by their sommelier.

What better way to soak up the scenery of the region than from the skies, and with Barossa Balloon Adventures you can do just that. Up, up, and away you go, into the clouds and over the vines, in a magical one-hour flight. The full experience takes around six hours, with a breakfast served post-flight so you can watch the sun continue to make its way over the region and chat to your fellow flyers. This local business has been in operation since 1986, so you can rest assured you’re in safe hands. Make sure to take the camera, there’s plenty of kodak moments to be had up here.

At Two Hands, they take wine experiences very seriously (in the fun way). While there are a range of vineyard and winery experiences to choose from, the winery’s most iconic tour is the full day ‘Flagship Experience’. Departing from the cellar door at 9:30am, you’ll be taken to three of their prized single vineyards, including the ‘Holy Grail’ vineyard in Seppeltsfield, which boasts views of the entire valley. Here, you’ll taste some single-vineyard drops among the vines and chat to your Two Hands guide about the portfolio. Finish up your day with a long lunch at cellar door (and more wine, of course).

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