SA Tour & pizza disaster

[Eddie]

Thanks to those Auswine forum members who, some months ago, provided my partner Ingrid & I with suggestions on where to stay and eat whilst we toured the SA wine regions. We had not only great wines but excellent gastronomic interludes as well, the latter of course is so important in the overall experience.

Being from WA we found the SA regions fairly different to ours in many aspects, the wines generally impressive and the restaurants varied in style but equally as impressive. As you expect nowadays thereÂ’s a lot of local produce featuring on regional menus and this applied to all the good restaurants we visited in all three regions. We are starting to come of age out in the provinces!

HereÂ’s a run down of what we found and liked, except the pizza IÂ’ll tell you about at the end!

Stayed with a friend in the Barossa Valley who made sure we got to see the pick of the wineries, but avoided the big boys. Wines we liked/loved were

Torbreck was a highlight, why donÂ’t more wineries have a cover charge to enable you to taste their super premiums and use a nitrogen gas to keep them fresh if trade is slow.
The 2001 Run Rig was the most stunning wine IÂ’ve tried, I now see what all the fuss is about. The 2002 Struie Shiraz is a great bargain given itÂ’s class, full of powerful plums and chocolate but not jammy, nice structure with a long finish.

Two Hands is a slick new operation, with an interesting range of $55 Shiraz from each of the best SA & Vic regions but the wines were generally expensive and didnÂ’t look value straight after trying Torbreck Struie.

Veritas had a wide range of wines that all seemed to have a house style/flavour running through them. Generally good quality but a pity the top wines werenÂ’t on tasting.

Kaesler IÂ’d read good things about and wasnÂ’t disappointed. Almost every wine here was top class and they had several vintages of the Old Vine Shiraz open that made for an interesting comparison. The 2002 reds were excellent all displaying deep fruit characters and power, the Cabernet is one of the best IÂ’ve seen from the Barossa and well priced compared to the better Cabs back home. The 2002 Weapon of Mass Seduction was a very classy Shiraz Cabernet blend, we should do more of these, itÂ’s not only true blue Australian but enhances both varieties.

St.Hallett again highlighted the strength of the 2002 vintage even at lowly Faith level the quality stood out, I preferred the 2002 Blackwell to the 2001 Old Block.

Rockford was all I expected it to be and more, this is just a brilliant establishment, so historic and we even scored an impromptu tour of the winery including the famous Basket Press and the old choof choof engine. Vintage here must be a great sight and smell. The wines were very impressive although the Basket Press was out of stock we got to try a couple of the 1998 SVS range, Flaxmans and a Shiraz Pressings but couldnÂ’t buy them, Stonewallers only apparently. The wines had lovely flavours and balance, our guests told us how well they aged and to prove it we had a 1991 Basket Press with dinner, wow what a wine, still looks young, complex chocolate and tobacco flavours with fine tannins and wonderful mouth feel, really long on the finish, it was a great experience.

We dined at two restaurants in the Barossa, Vintners and 1918. Both were class establishments with excellent menus, great staff and can be thoroughly recommended. We also tried the 2002 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz over dinner. IÂ’ve seen mixed reports on this wine but for mine itÂ’s classic classy Barossa Shiraz, I couldnÂ’t see how anyone would down point it unless they had a poor bottle. Typical of the vintage, great intensity of ripe but well controlled fruit on the palate, good structure and length, I must find some.

We did a quick visit to McLaren Vale just to eat at the Salopian Inn, which is a local institution apparently and we can see why. Again the menu, staff and table in the sunny garden for lunch were excellent.

A quick trip to dÂ’Arenberg where youÂ’re faced with dozens of wines. Many were good without being as impressive as similar wines weÂ’d tried in the Barossa.

Kay Brothers is another old establishment that matches their labels. Best wine here was the 2002 Cabernet, a steal at $22. The dog in cellar door was a scream wanting you to kick a tennis ball to him whilst you were tasting.

Made the trip down to Coonawarra, is this a different wine region or what? Flat plain, huge spreading red gums everywhere, straight road, the vines tightly packed on the famous red cigar, twenty cellar doors in fifteen kilometres and none more than a few hundred yards off the highway. You don't need a tourist map here.

We stayed at Skinners Cottage in the heart of Coonawarra, built in the late 1800s and very comfortable. Shirley the owner has a block of 100+ year old vines nearby and she told us gets out there herself to do the pruning in the depths of CoonawarraÂ’s frigid winters. Better to concentrate on running your B&B cottages Shirley!

Two wineries are a must visit just for the architecture. Wynns is the original winery built by John Riddoch in the late 1890s and itÂ’s wonderfully preserved/restored. Rymill is a spectacular modern winery built of the local sandstone and to my eyes a modern interpretation of the original John Riddoch building.

The best wines we tried in Coonawarra were on a par with our top WA wines and priced to match I might add. Not all were on tasting, I think you can be lucky on some days depending on if theyÂ’ve had someone special visit and at a couple of cellar doors they pulled the biggunÂ’s from under the counter for us. The Cabernets were the standouts although several Shiraz were very nice wines and good value too.

Three wines that impressed as absolutely top class Cabernets were 2001 Parker First Growth, 2001 Balnaves The Tally (donÂ’t under rate the straight Cabernet here or at Katnook) and the surprise packet 2001 Highbank Basket Pressed Cabernet. The latter at under $50 is a real bargain.

Continuing on from my earlier plead, great to see MajellaÂ’s top wine The Maleea is a Cabernet Shiraz blend. The 2001 version and the straight 2002 Cabernet were excellent and great value, particularly the Cabernet which would give the Margaret Rivers at that price point something to chase I feel.

Now what is it about pizza places in wine areas? ThereÂ’s a shocker in Margaret River we experienced a couple of years back whoÂ’s pizzas are inedible. We should have remembered that when late on the first day we blew into the town of Penola (at the southern end of the Coonawarra vineyards) and feeling a bit tired thought weÂ’d just grab something quick. The local pizza restaurant (I use the word restaurant loosely) looked just the thing so we ordered one to go.

Back at the cottage we opened a Rockford Rod & Spur Cab Shiraz and sat down to enjoy ourselves. We both grabbed a slice and munched in heartily but as we took the first bite the look on each others face said “Margaret River pizza”! Pewk, this was another inedible wheel of dough. We quickly decamped to a nearby restaurant and consigned the pizza to the bin. Last time I have pizza whilst wine touring.

The two restaurants tried in the region, we can thoroughly recommend as having quality food, surroundings and service. Pipers of Penola, unfortunately nearby to the pizza establishment, was very good formal dining and the unusually named Redfingers in the heart of Coonawarra township, yes there is such a town albeit only about 15 houses, was excellent casual dining with a wide menu and great wine list. It also has a great courtyard under ancient Peppercorn trees where we lunched on the one sunny day we had.

We were a few days early for the Cabernet Celebration weekend and Barrel Auction which was a pity. Bert, good luck with your barrel bid, are you going? if so try the Highbank as we were told their CD only opens on special weekends so you may be in luck.

Thanks again for your suggestions that aided in our planning no end.

[markg]

Great notes Eddie, thanks. Makes me want to hop in the car and go for a drive

Agree with the 2001 Highbank, excellent wine and I heartily agree with the Kalleske, top stuff.

[bacchaebabe]

Wow, that's my idea of a perfect holiday.

I'm just off to book some rec leave now!

[707]

Great notes Eddie, looks like you picked the best cellar doors and restaurants too with the exception of the pizza disaster.

Hey TORB, didn't you run foul of that pizza bar in Margaret River a couple of years back? Looks like there's another in wait for you next year in Coonawarra!

[TORB]

Now that I have had a heads up, I will avoid Pizzas in Coonawrra. Also, because it is normally only a one night stop over, a good meal in one of their better restaurants is called for - and that way I can get The Pie King under control and on his best behaviour for a few hours.

[707]

Yes, the Pie King does need a bit of controlling but now he's a grape grower he'll be too tired to misbehave!

For those forumites who haven't heard, the Pie King has moved house in McLaren Vale and almost by accident bought a house with 8 acres of Shiraz vines attached.

He spent alot of freezing mornings this winter pruning his 4000 vines, lucky bastard.

He'd never pruned before but I think he should have learnt how to do it after 250 hours!

Good luck to you John, looking forward to picking them now I bet coz then you have to prune them again!