Adelaide Recommendations

[mychurch]

Folks

We are getting rid of the 7 year old nephews on Mon afternoon and are planning on heading down to Adelaide for the rest of the week.

I seem to remember a thread a while back where someone recommended a hotel restaurant with a killer wine list with a lot of local wine. I’ve tried a search on Hotel and can’t find it, so can someone help me out. I think it was in the McClaren Vale, but it could equally have been Clare, Barossa or maybe I have me regions mixed up.

Any recommendations welcome.

[Wayno]

Victory Hotel?

[phillisc]

+1
The Victory, main south rd, Sellicks Hill. 10 minutes to Port Willunga, hot enough for a swim in Adelaide today 28 degrees. Yes 10 minutes to McLaren Vale. Have fun.
Going next week
Cheers Craig

[mychurch]

Thanks boys. That’s the place.

[ChrisV]

If you're headed to the Vale, I'd recommend Yangarra for sure, maybe Coriole and Samuel's Gorge. Also there is a communal cellar door at 148 McMurtrie Road (I don't think it has a name?) which houses Lino Ramble, Sherrah and Bondar, all small producers who put out some good and interesting wines.

[A_Steady]

If you go to Yangarra I suggest you ask for the Hickinbotham range to be included in your tasting

I had a great tasting at dodgy brothers with Wes - the tasting was in his winery/shed but a standout of my day visiting cellar doors in McLaren Vale, he was generous with the wines he opened and his time / knowledge.

[mychurch]

Thanks.

Just been to East End Cellars - best wine shop I have been to for a long time. The wonderful assistant Becky opened up a bottle of her own wine as we spent a while talking about Jura, Chenin and a few other things.

Thanks for the tip on Yangarra. We have been so exhausted by looking after the 7 year olds the previous week that we have not done much. Yesterday we managed a drive up to Hahndorf and a visit to Terre e Terre, but today was a write off after a hangover from a bottle of 2016 La Jaja from the Savoie. Only 11%, so I think it was the tiredness that got me.

[phillisc]

If you're headed to the Vale, I'd recommend Yangarra for sure, maybe Coriole and Samuel's Gorge. Also there is a communal cellar door at 148 McMurtrie Road (I don't think it has a name?) which houses Lino Ramble, Sherrah and Bondar, all small producers who put out some good and interesting wines.

Yes this place was very interesting and could certainly recommend Lino Ramble. I purchased 2 bottles of 6 different wines and not sure if there was a shiraz amongst them...all Italian varieties and all sourced from a range of growers with some of these wines coming from single blocks, not grown by anyone else. I have forgotten the name of the winemaker, but lovely bloke, so laid back. The Muscat was great and think there was a gin offering too.

I have been buying Bondar for about 8 years now, big fan of the Violet Hour. 2020 was a tough vintage I reckon, as both the recently bottled Rayner and the 2020 Moonlight Hour lacked richness, depth and had almost a bit of a bitter note. I'm going to wait for the 2021 Rayner.
Cheers Craig

[Michael McNally]

If you go to Yangarra I suggest you ask for the Hickinbotham range to be included in your tasting

I had a great tasting at dodgy brothers with Wes - the tasting was in his winery/shed but a standout of my day visiting cellar doors in McLaren Vale, he was generous with the wines he opened and his time / knowledge.

One of the best tastings I have had in a long time. Wes is happy to open multiple bottles and talk wine to any enthusiat. Give him a ring! Oh and his Grenache and Shiraz are excellent and great VFM. His whites are good too - he opened an old Fiano which was excellent!

Cheers

Michael

[mychurch]

148 McMurtrie Road was ok to visit. I was not a fan of the Sherrah, but found Lino Ramble interesting. They were Bistro style wines and reasonable qpr - really liked the Grillo and the unoaked Nero d’Avlo. Bondar had the best wines, but the girl on the counter was a bit short and unwelcoming. The Monastrell and the Chardonnay were very good and I enjoyed the aromatics from the Touriga.

Next door was Samson Tall who make a great impression with a barrak sample of a Grenache Blanc/Picpoul blend. Very fresh. The Grenache Rose and straight Grenache were good QPR drinking wine.

We were given a few tips for other places to visit outside the corporate realm, but we needed some lunch and ended up ordering an enormous platter at Shirvington. I always thought they were a big player, but they came across as a nice family business trying to make the best of the Parker Reputation. Not drank them for years, but there new X range were fresh and simple and while the Shiraz and Cabs were big, they were nit like they used to be. We spent 90 mins there and after that it was too late to go on. Shame, but we enjoyed the day.

[mychurch]

So we went back for a 2nd visit yesterday, rather than heading up to Claire. First stop, and highlight of the trip, was Yangarra. I only tasted the premium range and they were great. High Sands 2010 and 2018 were a tremendous pair, with the ‘10 not yet being ready, but showing how the larger than life 18 May turn out. The 2 Shiraz were good as well, but it was the Rose coloured 19 Ovitelli Grenache that impressed me from all the reds. Great structure and will be fascinating to follow. Also picked up a bottle of the 16 Roux Beaute Roussane, which was possible even better than the reds.

After that we tried a couple
Of recommendation that I had never heard of. Samuals Gorge was the busiest winery of the weekend, with a nice location and bistro style Reds. Nothing outstanding, but nothing bad either. After that we tried Beeg Herring, who seem to be fixated with whole bunch’s. All the reds were dominated by dry stalky tannin and they were pretty awful.