The Auswine Forum

The lads and I are currently researching trip for May 2014 per title.
Appreciate any pointers / suggestions for
1. Accom (3 of us)
2. Dining,
3. Winery recommendations, and
4. Any "must trys"

Sadly it appears the 2011 release from Wrattonbully is going to be pretty average however the 2012 release (in 2015) is apparently shaping up as one of best yet ! Apparently we have our timing all wrong

Wineries - Seppelt, Mt Langi, Bests - Great Western Area

^^ What Dave said. Really enjoyed Sepplet and Bests two years ago.

Have fun.

Cheers, Travis.

MoK, concur with the three great western selections.

For Penola/Coonawarra, Bowen, Katnook, Balnaves, Coonawarra Wine Gallery, Yalumba wine room is a good start

For food, Fodder in Coonawarra is fabulous, and believe that the Coonawarra general store has all sorts of provisions, if you are in Coonawarra on a Friday you can book into the local hall for a feed with winemakers, otherwise I would look at upstairs at Hollick, and Pipers in Penola, vine cafe, i think in main street is good as Heywards pub for food accommodation and have a look at the bottle shop usually a gem or two there!

hope that helps
Craig.

The Royal Mail Dunkeld is must-do dining for any food+wine trip to western victoria.

It is on the way from Great Western to Coonawarra (meaning you would need to do Wrattonbully last).

If you have a spare day there is some pretty amazing scenery in the Grampians near Halls Gap (between Great Western/Stawell and Dunkeld). Lookouts and falls etc.

phillisc wrote:MoK, concur with the three great western selections.

For Penola/Coonawarra, Bowen, Katnook, Balnaves, Coonawarra Wine Gallery, Yalumba wine room is a good start

For food, Fodder in Coonawarra is fabulous, and believe that the Coonawarra general store has all sorts of provisions, if you are in Coonawarra on a Friday you can book into the local hall for a feed with winemakers, otherwise I would look at upstairs at Hollick, and Pipers in Penola, vine cafe, i think in main street is good as Heywards pub for food accommodation and have a look at the bottle shop usually a gem or two there!

hope that helps
Craig.

Support what Craig says. Depends how long you have in Coonawarra, but I would add Majella and Parker Estate to that list of must visits. Others to think about are Laira, Leconfield, Zema Estate, Rymill and maybe Redmans.

Accommodation in and around Penola/Coonawarra is not bad. I assume you are three blokes, Heywards pub has accommodation as Craig said. There's a couple of cheapish motor lodges, then there is cottage accommodation in Coonawarra, then slightly more salubrious digs at Menzies Retreat at Yalumba and Punter's Retreat (also in the vineyards). Chardonnay Lodge was in financial trouble and it is closed, but there is talk of it re-opening, so that might be another accommodation option if it is, right in the middle of the CD strip. Google is your friend.

Not sure that I'd rate Fodder in Coonawarra fabulous for food, but its ok. Pipers (run by Simon and Erika Bowen) and Upstairs at Hollicks are the best joints. We had lunch recently at Penola Station in the middle of Penola and it wasn't bad. Heywards is ok as well for pub food. Bushmans Inn has been going for ever and there are other cafes of sorts.

If you are travelling between Penola and Gr Western, I would definitely consider the Royal Mail Hotel at Dunkeld for food and accommodation, if only for the wine list, we've stayed and eaten there a couple of times. One proviso though, I think the head chef has recently departed.

Lastly, here's a link to a report from a trip to Coonawarra in March this year, which will give you a good idea of what's what.

http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13124

Thanks all that have contributed to date - good stuff.
Of course have started and will continue to do own research online as well.
The info on what's open / closed and what's gone uphill / downhill are particularly appreciated as this sort of information is not always available online and (from past trip history) unless you ring in advance everything that you intend visiting / eating / staying at, you can be in for a rude shock on the day ....
Am studiously compiling into a Word memorandum for circulation to the troops.
Will read your March review / info with interest - thanks mjs

if you are stopping in Great Western Grampians Estate is a must stop after Seppelt and Best's

I've not been to the Grampians region but hope to next year with family living in Vic. The Royal Mail has a great reputation so expect any chef will need to meet the standards achieved by the establishment.

An interesting tour.

In addition to what has been mentioned above, I'd have to recommend a visit to Wynns in Coonawarra, from a wine history perspective. It's like Tahbilk in Victoria - every wine lover should go there at least once.

For the same rasons, Seppelts GW is a must.

I'd love to have tried some of the other suggestions, but cannot comment purely because of inexperience

Cheers

Allan

Very useful info.

A tour in the caves of GW is a must, followed by a tasting...

Do go and visit Simon at Clayfield Wines next time you're down that way. He's a good mate, and his wines are sensational. He "cut his teeth" in the region at Bests from '85 until '96. He's broadened his offerings in recent years to include a bunch more Shiraz on top of his Shiraz wines...they're all pretty good.

Lots of good suggestions already but one more into the hat. I don't know how good their wines are today (I've not heard of them in quite a while) but Garden Gully in Great Western made for a nice visit back in 2001. I thought their wines were really good, in particular their sparkling Shiraz. And I really liked their labels.

Mahmoud.