The Auswine Forum

A year older but perhaps not wiser, we've decided to brave the 28-hour(!) flight time and head back to the AU open this year. We *loved* sydney, our time with Dave and Tim in Hunter Valley and everyone we met at the lovely offline Andrew arranged ( http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f ... 2&start=30 ) but feel compelled to visit another Australian city as we're not sure how many of these trips our aged and decrepit bodies can withstand

we'd love to have your suggestions for wineries to visit out of Adelaide. We prefer a restrained style of Shiraz and but would also be up for trying other varietals. And anyone up for an offline? We're available jan 22, 23 or 24. We'd love to bring a couple of bottles of U.S. wine from our cellar for everyone to try.

best,
jd

C'Mon Adelaideans, get it together for some Aussie hospitality and help this lovely couple out!

Or maybe the 'restrained' bit put you all off......

I’d like to second that, Adelaideans; I do hope you can put on a warm welcome for our New Yorker friends!

Well, you have three real options: Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Coonawarra is a bit far and Clare Valley is just that little bit further than the Barossa (but worth it if you are a Riesling fan).

If doing the Barossa I'd recommend doing two "areas": Krondorf Road - St Hallett, Rockford, Charles Melton and (up and around) Artisans of the Barossa (you can also get to Turkey Flat) - and/or Seppeltsfield - Seppelts, Tscharke, Torbreck, Hentley Farm and Izway (plus a bunch of others). Eat at fermentAsian, Vintners or Fino (Hentley Farm or Jacob's Creek if you want something fancier). Ligher meals at First Drop Wines right next door to Penfolds are great too.

McLaren Vale I know less well. D'Arenberg and "the Cube" are a must, S C Pannell, Alpha Box and Dice, Kays and Coriole and Wirra Wirra are all good options. Eat at the Currant Shed or Salopian Inn (The Cube for something a bit fancier) or whilst on the way, the Victory Hotel at Sellicks.

Adelaide Hills has great dining options in Lost in a Forest, the Summertown Aristologist, or Uraidla Hotel (all clustered together), the Bridgewater Mill or the Crafers Hotel, Stirling Hotel or Stanley Bridge Tavern. Cellar door must are Ashton Hills and Petaluma, there's also Tappanappa and a range of small pinot (in the main) producers.

As for an offline, I'd be keen to do something but my organising skills are sub-par. Elektra House is decent and does free BYO on a Tuesday night. George's does BYO and is kicking goals at the moment food wise. Adelaide is on the whole BYO friendly so there a range of early week options. At the very least, if you need a dining companion, drop me a PM and we'll catch up - I love eating out. Cheers.

-- George Krashos

A couple of niche comments to add to George's good advice above, as I am Canberra based and only an occasional visitor to SA over the years.

First, I can second Fermentasian. Great food and a comprehensive and intriguing wine list with friendly markups by Australian standards.

If you need a break from wine tasting or want to walk off a big night, take the short drive up to Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park:

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Re ... ralia.html

I would add to George's comments about McLaren Vale a visit to the Samuel's Gorge cellar door, which is less well known. The winemaker Justin McNamee is out there but makes very good wines including plenty of bottlings featuring individual varieties (tempranillo, grenache, mourvedre, graciano as well as shiraz, the staple of the region).

George, ate at Electra on Friday...it was excellent.
The Tuesday night option sounds fabulous with free byo.
Was in NYC for 2 weeks mid year so would be nice to meet a couple more New Yorkers.

Will see if I am available. Cheers Craig

G'day JD
Below is a working document a group of us maintain semi-regularly regarding food & wine in and around Adelaide. It hasn't been updated for a while, so I'd check specific details, but it's a solid starting point. It's not at all an exhaustive list, and I'm sure others can add their own favorites; these are just our favorite haunts.

Fine Dining
Orana
CBD, Indigenous Australian, $190 Degustation Only. Friday Lunch Short Degustation for $95.
Magill Estate
Magill, Modern Australian, $190 Degustation Only (I think), Penfolds-heavy wine-list
Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant
Mt Lofty, Modern Australian, Degustation Only, maybe $170 for food.

Relaxed Dining
Ruby Red Flamingo (North Adelaide)
great value homestyle Italian, kitchen opens 5.30pm, no bookings, BYO
Napoli Pizza (Mile End)
exceptional pizza, very homestyle service, cheap BYO
FermentAsian (Tanunda, Barossa)
exceptional Vietnamese, BYO except for Friday and Saturday dinner, awarded best wine list in Australia (deservedly)
Star of Greece (Port Willunga),
Perhaps best view of any restaurant in the World, food maybe sometimes doesn't match the quality of the view, but hard to quibble when
you’re looking at that view with a glass of good bubbles. BYO permitted one bottle, usually Billecart by the glass
Herringbone (CBD)
excellent modern Australian, $70 degustation, $20 BYO
Peel St (CBD)
Modern Australian, bustling share-plates, Asian/Middle Eastern influences, huge feed, great value, BYO
Golden Boy (CBD)
High quality bustling Thai/Vietnamese, BYO
Kaffana (CBD)
For an insane amount of really well cooked, affordable Serbian barbeque, with BYO.

Wine Bars
East End Cellars (CBD)
Mothervine (CBD)
La Buvette (CBD), French themed, mostly natural wine
2KW (CBD), rooftop and beautiful view across North Adelaide if the weather is right
Clever Little Tailor (CBD)
Maybe Mae (CBD)
Just bar hopping through Leigh St and Peel St between Currie St and Hindley St without any set agenda is great fun, and could tie in with La Buvette and 2KM, and food at Peel St

Bakeries/Patisseries
Dough (Adelaide Central Market), best French Flan in town, attached to two excellent cheese purveyors
Aux Fines Bouches (Brighton), exceptional range of patisserie, provides many of Adelaide’s cafes
Brighton Jetty Bakery (Brighton), nothing fancy, but Eggs Benedict Pie and Blueberry Pocket as a two-course late-breakfast will cure all ills.

Food Markets
Adelaide Central Market (Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat)
Excellent fresh food market, as good as anywhere we’ve travelled. Worth a couple of hours of wandering for picnic/platter supplies or full-on cooking.
Wayville Farmers’ Market
Sunday morning 9am-1pm, seasonal range of fruit and vegetables

Coffee
PURE (Glenelg)
CREAM (Brighton)
Fairweather - CBD
Coffee Barun – Northern Suburbs
Larry and Ladd - CBD
Exchange - CBD
Acacia – Henley Beach.
Fleur Social - Nuriootpa

Wine Retail
Edinburgh Cellars (Mitcham)
East End Cellars (CBD)

Exercise
Beyond Bouldering
$19 day pass, excellent bouldering gym, much more fun if you have climbing shoes (which you can rent for an additional $6)
Mt Lofty Trail
From Waterfull Gully, 4km each way, heavily trafficked on the weekends, moderately strenuous 4km climb to Mt Lofty Summit and great views of the city
Hallett Cove Boardwalk
From Marino Rocks, roughly 6km each way, with 1,000+ stairs each way (or something like that), beautiful path along the coast, can catch the train from CBD to either end
Glenelg-to-Brighton Esplanade Walk
Adelaide’s Esplanade walking/cycling path has been gradually revamped over the last decade, and is now almost continuous for 30-40km. The Glenelg-to-Brighton part is probably the most frequently walked, but any part of Adelaide’s beaches for sunset is pretty spectacular. Glenelg-to-Brighton is 4.4km each way, with watering holes at each end.

Other
Anything Adelaide Fringe during February/March, including just hanging out and seeing what’s going on at the Garden of Unearthly Delights

Cellar Doors
Barossa
Rockford
Michael Hall/RieslingFreak
David Franz
Tscharke
Artisans of the Barossa (collective of excellent wineries, and good platter eating)
Ruggabellus, Head or Standish (all appointment only but worth the effort if possible)

McLaren Vale
Wirra Wirra
Primo
Kay's Amery
Samuel's Gorge
Coriole
Yangarra
Aphelion, Brash Higgins and Bondar (all appointment only but worth the effort if possible)

Adelaide Hills
Shaw & Smith
Scott
Tapanappa
Ashton Hills
Lost in a Forest for excellent pizza

- thanks guys, I'm nervous about driving on the "wrong" side of the road, so we'll take a wine tour out of cbd. It looks like one or two of the tours stop at wineries you've recommended, so we should be all set.

- nick, thank you for the wonderful, comprehensive list!

- my inclination is to simply pick a date for the offline and hopefully people will join us. If not, Patrice and I will be drinking a very good bottle of American wine in Austrailia

best,

Nice list Nick

I'd add Africola? Maybe not a hit with shiraz drinkers but I enjoy BYO more versatile wines from my cellar. Actually, Im there this coming Sunday

Fermentasian is excellent.

Went to Africola recently Took a 2016 Turon LTD Pinot which went well with the starters then rolled into a 2012 Kilikanoon Oracle which went well with the heartier/meaty mains. Africola ticks all the boxes. Unpretentious, good service, great food.
Fermentasian. its been a couple of years but honestly found it a tad overrated. Wine list made war and peace look like a comic book and in general just found the setting a bit odd for cheap and cheerful vietnamese. It wasn't bad but the wifey and I found it a bit ho hum.
Id prob rather go the extra mile and hit Hentley farm again.
As for Ade Hills I'm yet to find anything that rivals The Lane when it comes to lunch. Go back in heartbeat.

Maybe Fermentasian is exceptional for me because I live in Asia? The produce is amazing. Local and fresh. Just love it.

Perhaps there's tastier dishes in my neighbourhood but I don't know if they're cooking with oil tapped off from the city drains or local industry. :-0

Scotty vino wrote:Went to Africola recently Took a 2016 Turon LTD Pinot which went well with the starters then rolled into a 2012 Kilikanoon Oracle which went well with the heartier/meaty mains. Africola ticks all the boxes. Unpretentious, good service, great food.
Fermentasian. its been a couple of years but honestly found it a tad overrated. Wine list made war and peace look like a comic book and in general just found the setting a bit odd for cheap and cheerful vietnamese. It wasn't bad but the wifey and I found it a bit ho hum.
Id prob rather go the extra mile and hit Hentley farm again.
As for Ade Hills I'm yet to find anything that rivals The Lane when it comes to lunch. Go back in heartbeat.

Scotty, Couldn't agree more, and for a bloke who did Rockford's restaurant accounts for 15 years its very odd...perhaps when the museum vault is built and the inevitable eatery pops up, it might be more suited. I enjoyed FA but the list was a bit of a headf*ck...it would be far better if they streamlined it...instead of it being an overblown trophy hunt. BYO should be encouraged and I suspect the wine makers who frequent it would bring plenty of their own stuff.

Found Seed in Clare overall a much better experience.
Cheers Craig