Must Visit wineries/wines for visitor to Clare/Barossa etc

[Smitty]

Will be in Barossa & Clare for 3 days in mid-May and then driving from there to Melbourne and passing thru Coonawarra staying one night in Naracoorte and one night in Halls Gap. Am looking for suggestions for "must visit" wineries and possible bottles to consider purchasing. Had the following suggested to me already, Two Hands, Greenock Creek, Ross Estate, and "Darby" suggested Kabminye, Veritas, Wendouree, Yalumba and Sevenhills. With a list of suggestions I can plan a route to hit more than I could running off blind myself. Know most of the big names that export and what I can get here at home. Thought I might be able to visit Best's and Mt Langhi when leaving Halls Gap. I can only bring home 4 bottles duty free, but might hide a couple of more in the suitcase, so I want to get something good that I am not likely to find here in Canada. I'm prepared to pay up to say $50 Au./bottle even a little more if I really like it or feel it is worth it. I'm talking reds and maybe a bottle of fortified but could be persuaded to taste/buy whites. Any suggestions and input would be appreciated.

I also hear that CD prices are often higher for the same bottle than at retail in say Sydney or Melbourne. Maybe I should buy in Sydney before leaving rather than lug around from wine country? Comments?

Can anyone tell me if I can claim back the WET & VAT/GST taxes on my wine purchases? If I can, do I need a certain dollar amount from one winery etc. or can I add them together? If I can then it will make bringing home more wine financially viable even if I have to pay customs duty.

[Ian S]

Only one additional suggestion - if you're going to Mt Langhi and Best's (both good choices), then it would be a shame to miss Seppelt, as not only is the winery historic, some of the fortified wines may be the perfect "special" bottles to take home.

For opening times & contact details, get a copy of James Hallidays Wine Companion (preferably 2006 edition, as it contains web addresses, but older versions are nearly as useful). It importantly advises opening times for each winery and flags those that require an appointment to visit (e.g. Wendouree I believe).

Hope you have a great trip

Ian

[Deano]

Smitty,
Not one to promote JH's book, but Ian S's comments are correct that this book will provide you pretty much, in a handfull, what, where, when etc to go...has no maps though...these can be sourced by the tourist/visitor centres that the 2 SA regions you intend visiting. The book would be helpful to plan...as Ian mentioned...not all wineries are open...especially the smaller operators who sell almost 100% of their stock via mail orders...having a CD is not necessary for some. Another option is a new SA State Government initiative...launched last month and is called a "Cellar Door Pass"...i don't have any comments to add as it is new and i'm not familair with it, but it's just another option. Enjoy SA when you are here.
http://www.cellardoorpass.com/index.html?adwords

[JDSJDS]

I second (third?) Ian's and Deano's comments. Seppelts is a great visit near Hall's Gap. Though the location in Seppeltsfield (Barossa) is pretty impressive too. Don't miss the great walking trails in Grampians National Park, and lots of friendly kangaroos and so friendly emus to see near the visitor centre.

I always buy the Halliday wine guide when I visit Oz, and it's always a great help in terms of providing info on opening dates/hours. It's helpful with assessing wineries that you don't know about in Canada either. Regional winery maps are always available at any visitor centre (or winery).

In Barossa, I'd add Torbreck (near Two Hands) to the list, as well as Elderton, Kaesler, and Liebichwein (old fashioned CD), off the top of my head. I always enjoyed going to Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park for a walk after touring the wineries. Lovely park very close to Tanunda with lots od wildlife. Greenock Creek and Wendoree both require an appointment, and are often sold out of their wines. Bar Vinum, Vintner's Bar & Grill and 1918 Bistro are still the pick of the restaurants, I think.

In the Clare, I enjoy going to Annie's Lane, Sevenhill, Jeanneret (lovely location and great wines), Kilikanoon (great lineup), and O'Leary Walker (need an appointment). The Sevenhills Hotel was a nice place for a meal, and they have a nice winelist and prices ($3 over the retail for BYO if you buy a bottle there).

In Coonawarra, I enjoy Ladbroke Grove, Zema, Punter's Corner, Parker Estate, Balnaves, and Majella. If there's any of the 2001 Killan Vineyard left at Ladbroke, I'd grab one! Good luck finding a great meal in the Coonawarra!

You won't have a problem finding 4 wines to bring home!!!

I can't help with the tax question - sorry.

[Mike M]

I've hit the Barossa the last 4 years running during my annual business trip there. If you're looking for those "special" bottles, you need to head for the smaller producers, the ones you'd be very unlikely to find in Canada. However, if you are only looking at 4 or so bottles, you'll have a real chore on your hands. There is a wealth of good wine in the Barossa alone. The better ones are the big, gutsy shiraz that will need time before they're ready, so maybe if you're looking for instant gratification, some of the larger commercial wineries might be the way to go.

In the Barossa, I would certainly agree with Torbreck (their top end wines are pricey), Kaesler (again top end well above the AUD50 you mention), and Elderton. Also take a look at Rockford for their hand made Basket Press shiraz. By the time you get there, Greenock Creek will probably be sold out, and therefore not open at the cellar door, so check this out before you go.

In addition to Barossa, McLaren Vale is close to Adelaide and would be worth a visit if you have time.

Some CD prices are indeed higher that bottles at retail, but it's a crap shoot to know which is which. I also found that in Sydney there is a good bottle shop in the Circular Quay area (Australian Wine Centre, or something like that) with good selections, but their prices can be a little high. They do have a service where they can ship wine back home for you. What I did on this last trip is contact the moderator of this board, Mr. Gavin Trott of Australian Wine Centre in Adelaide, and got a number of wines through him. He arranged to ship them back to the US by ocean freight (cheaper than air) at about USD10 per bottle. Sure, it was more expensive that way, but I could get more wine, it saved my poor aching back from lugging them all across OZ, and an important point - you would pay an "export" price, which is the domestic Aussie price, less the VAT. You almost save as much on taxes as you will end up paying in freight. Not quite a wash, but a pretty good deal all in all. We have the same thing in the US about limiting the number of bottles you can bring back home, but when I did get the 2 cases from Gavin, nobody asked nuttin' about paying more duty on the excess.

A few years ago when I was young and stupid and didn't know any better, I tried getting the VAT refund at the airport. They wanted to physically see the botles and check the receipts. It was a major hassle! Since that time, I do know they have changed the requirements, but sorry to say I don't know what they are exactly these days. It seems to me there is now a minimum amount that they need, and the hassles are even greater. You'd have to get to the airport early, wait in a long line, etc etc. If you think about pursuing this, you really do need to check it out when you get in the country cuz you could be in for a surprise. Rooville is right - there are plenty of hoops and caveats to frustrate the best of the diehard wine fans, sorry to say. Do yourself a favor - buy more and ship it back. You won't be sorry you did. What the heck - it's only money!!!

[BenK]

Lets hope there are some walking trails left in the Grampians after the recent (current) fires.

[rednut]

Rick Burge Wines in Lyndoch is a great stop, Heritage Wines at Marananga (on the way to Seppelts).
Greenock Creek may be shut by May as they are only open 3 months of the year from memory, but you never know...

[darby]

Smitty,

Although much of the bush around Halls Gap has recently burnt you should plan to keep your stoppover there. Australian eucalypt forests are absolutely amazing when they are recovering from a fire. In a couple of months you will see the miracle of regeneration in full swing. As I understand it most, if not all, of the accommodation in the town survived the fire, and the local tourist industry will welcome your custom.

I second the comments about Mt Langi Giran, Bests and Seppelts, the latter two for historical aspects as well as wine.

Prices at cellar door vs retail are sometimes different. Depends on discounting, but as a general rule you get a better deal from smaller wineries at CD. Larger concerns are in the thrall of supermarkets and it is cheaper to buy them in the cities. The huge advantage of CD is that you can taste the wine and often talk to the winemaker. I always prefer to see my money going to the winemaker rather than sending it along some distribution chain.

[Ian S]

I always prefer to see my money going to the winemaker rather than sending it along some distribution chain.

Except of course to the ever deserving Gavin!

but seriously, yes I'd agree a small premium for cellar door shouldn't stop us from buying there - especially when they lay on all the wines (not just the tourist fodder)

[Finney]

Hi Smitty,

You might want to research what happens if you have more than 4 bottles and declare. In Australia we also have restrictions on how much alcohol we can bring back from overseas but if we go over and declare the excess, we can bring in as much as we like. We are hit for GST and Customs Duty once that amount is over $50.00 AUD. However if you have 2 people travelling that amounts to a substantial quantity of wine and with luggage weight limits is more than enough whilst travelling.

When I travel to Euro, my wife and I always bring back up to 18 bottles of wine between us, I always declare and have never been requested to pay any excess duty. The trick is to ensure the ones you are allowed to bring in are the really expensive ones and then have the receipts for the others. Whenever I have done this, I pull the receipts from my top pocket, to which Customs usually comments "You are well organised", my response being "I know how the system works" and they NEVER check the receipts and just wave me through.

Mmmmm, looking forward to July/August already!

Regards

Finney

[Davo]

Hi Smitty,

Whenever I have done this, I pull the receipts from my top pocket, to which Customs usually comments "You are well organised", my response being "I know how the system works" and they NEVER check the receipts and just wave me through.

Finney

Except for the next trip now that they have read this

[Smitty]

Finney wrote:
You might want to research what happens if you have more than 4 bottles and declare. In Australia we also have restrictions on how much alcohol we can bring back from overseas but if we go over and declare the excess, we can bring in as much as we like. We are hit for GST and Customs Duty once that amount is over $50.00 AUD

Finney:
I wish it was this easy for us in Canada. We have gov't. monoplies in all but 1 province. The 2 bottle limit per person for wine is Canada wide and after that you pay full duty on anything over the limit and they don't very often cut you any slack. The last time I had to pay up they took my word for what I paid for the wine and didn't ask for the receipts. I low balled the price I paid but it still made it expensive wine because I landed in Vancouver on my return and you pay the provincial tax at the rate for the province of entry and not your home province. In the case of BC it is 107% of cost I believe. In Ontario it is 47% of cost. I show them a list of all my purchases and like you say they usually just wave you through, but not when there is booze involved.

Thanks to all the forum members who have provided input on wineries and the tax situation etc. I'm looking forward to drinking and tasting some fine Aussie wine during our visit. I'd spend it all in Wine country but have to keep Momma happy, and as they say, "when Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."[/quote]