Wine Country

One of the reasons for me to come to Australia was to explore the wine country around Adelaide. The Barossa Valley's Shiraz and Cabernet are well known in Canada. We find out at tourist information that there are about five wine valleys around Adelaide. Oh what to do? Skip the city and go to them all, you bet! So we rented a car and journeyed out into the country side. I got my mind wrapped around driving on the left hand side of the road and away we went. I had watched a lady from Europe turn the wipers on and off and then wash her windshield on a bright sunny day in the parking lot and wondered why, then when we get to the first intersection on went my wipers as I thought I was turning on the signal lights. After four days of driving I still reach for the signal lights on the left hand side. Then came the first traffic circle of three in 500 meters, with roads going off like the spokes on a wagon wheel and the traffic all going around at what seemed like extreme speed, but navigator Loreen got us through them all and on the right road to the Barossa. I just clenched the wheel and followed the car in front of me. I thought about putting a Canadian flag on the car in hopes folks would feel sorry for me. Actually the driving went well, only got honked at once in five days!

The country side around Adelaide is stunningly beautiful with lots of rolling hills, big broad valleys and little towns scattered around. The country towns remind us of some where between European and North American, the churches have the best locations and the busiest and most prosperous businesses are the hotel and pub, or so I was told. The towns all seem to have a good butcher shop and bakery, three to four churches and two to three hotels and pubs (and other unique historic, geological and cultural features). They maybe also like a little beer with their scripture! There is a vibrant foodie culture in the valleys.

Typical road between villages

We spent a few days day tripping out of the Barossa Valley and absolutely loved the area. This is a place I could move to if I was going to move out of Canada, the people are friendly, the Mediterranean climate is great, and vineyards as far as you can see, also almond and olive groves and great produce. What else could a guy want - it seemed like a pretty easy lifestyle! We visited a number of wineries, "open cellars" is the term they use here, where you can go in and taste any number of expressions in the wine shop. There are about two hundred open cellar doors within an hour of Adelaide, after the second day we determined that we could not get to them all in four days so we had to get more selective. We had to operate a little different here than we do in the Okanagan, as we cannot bring a couple of cases home with us, so just a couple of bottles. 

Barossa Valley

Most of the wineries here were started in the mid-1800's, one we visited was started by a Jesuit Missionary in 1837. This particular winery, Seven Hills, has some of the oldest vines in the world as disease wiped out a lot of the European vines. The church at Seven Hills is the only Church in Australia that has an under ground crypt. We managed to get to some of the wineries here that are popular in Canada, Wolf Blass, Penfolds and Peter Lehmann. We tasted some wines at all these places that we do not see in Canada, they may keep the best at home!

Church at Seven Hills

Then into the Adelaide Hills, which I liked even better than the Barossa as it was more trees, more mixed farms, with lots of cattle and horses and kangaroos out in the treed areas. There are nice little German style tourist towns and lots of bakeries and shops. Immigrants from Germany, Italy and Greece seem to shape the communities.

Out of the hills and into McLaren Vale which is another huge valley that is dedicated to growing grapes with a maritime influence. It is large and green and close to the Southern Ocean. About a 10 kilometer drive, so off we went to see the Southern Ocean. We found a white sand beach, five kilometers long and probably 300 meters wide with maybe thirty people on it. There was a nude area, off in the distance, that I thought looked a bit busier, but Loreen wouldn't let me check it out! 

I have no idea why it was so deserted, as the temperature was +28 with clear blue skies, and it is summer school break here. 

We moved into a sea-side suburb of Adelaide for the next day and two nights. We found a motel a couple of blocks from the marina and beach, which again did not have a lot people on the beaches. Temperature was above thirty so we spent a bit of time at the marina, looking at zillion dollar boats and then went to sit at the pool to drink a bottle of nice Aussie Cabernet. Priceless.