A Jaunt To The Riverland

Beautiful Autumn colours

April seems to have been a month of wine regions for me! It started with Easter in Clare, then I travelled to the Riverland for two days last week.

It was a quick work trip to train some winemakers and growers in social media, which of course ended up with me sampling some fantastic alternative Riverland wine varieties.

If you haven't delved in to Vermentinos, Montepuliciano, Grillo and other lesser known varieties, check out the Riverland Alternative Wine Group Facebook page for more info.

There are some amazing wines being produced which aren't widely distributed yet which will make you the talk of your next dinner party!

My lunch with a view

Although the weather was less than perfect, the river still looked beautiful and all the vineyards with their Autumn colours set the scene.

I stayed at the golf club in Berri, which allowed me to wake up to a beautiful view of the golf course, but as I wasn't there on a weekend, we were somewhat limited in places to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner at.

If you're thinking of heading to the Riverland, I'd suggest finding a cosy B&B and taking your food with you. You can pick up wine from the the various wineries in the area, but it's best to be prepared with your own stash if you're not familiar with the area.

A cafe on the river

As there are plenty of primary producers in that area, you can easily pick up bags of butternut pumpkins and oranges for about $5 along the roadside so carry some cash on you if you're feeling like picking up some fresh produce! 

I didn't have enough time to really explore, but I certainly saw enough to go back again. Another beautiful South Australian region.

The view from the Berri Golf Club hotel room

Review: Sweet Briar B&B, Clare Valley

The dam & the windmill out the back

Over Easter we were lucky enough to get away for three nights in the beautiful Clare Valley. Being surrounded by vineyards, bushland and serenity was just what the doctor ordered.

As it was a last minute decision to go away, we found ourselves taking the only accommodation available - a new B&B called Sweet Briar, just 3kms up the road from the Clare County Club. The reason it had remained vacant was the unusual lack of photos on their website so nobody was willing to book sight unseen. Except for my mother of course.

Well, the dive into the unknown worked out splendidly. Sweet Briar was fabulous.

The front of Sweet Briar

Nestled amongst its own vineyards (which the owners make wine from of course), we were treated to a large three bedroom home, which had a wrap around veranda along the front and side (in typical old South Australian style), spacious rooms, a little extra room off of our bedroom complete with bunks (but we just popped Ivy's portacot in there) and a large extension off the back which housed a second bathroom/laundry, and open lounge/dining area with combustion fireplace. 

It would be fair guess to say the owners also use the house, as the little extras were all thought of. There were condiments in the kitchen, napkins, soy sauce, plenty of cooking pots & pans, plus other handy items.

The view from the lounge

There was a dam out the back, so if you have young kids make sure you keep an eye on them, but it provides a beautiful view and there are plenty of walking tracks around the place to keep you exploring.

The B&B is also located right on the Riesling Trail, so bring your bike along & make the most of what the Clare Valley is renowned for.

As much as I carry on though, I'll let a few photos I took explain the rest for you.

The bottom line is that if you're looking for a great place to getaway with up to 3 couples (and a couple of kids), this is a great place to do it with some good wine, a roaring fire and a beautiful view.

To book or for more info visit http://www.stayz.com.au/108516

The view to one side of the house

The King size suite

The lounge area (TV is off to the left, dining to the right & two more big lounges are behind me)

Didn't get time to enjoy the big bath but did enjoy the space in the bathroom!

Another view of the lounge

 The second bedroom (which has the additional room off to the left of the bed)

The kitchen (small but perfectly country with every convenience except dishwasher)

Beautiful sunsets enjoyed from the veranda

A quirky little place to enjoy a red wine & a view of the vineyards

Qantas, Lunch, Wine, Hilton, Ivy, Wine, Wine, Wine, Hilton, Win.

Wine Australia (@Wine_Australia) are presenting the A+ Australian Wine Celebration in April (#AussieWine). As a wine lover, media person, social media advocate & supporter of the industry, I've been invited to attend the launch of celebrations today at the A+ Australian Wine Fair at the Ivy Bar (@IvyBar) in Sydney.

Am I excited?

In a word, yes.

I arrived in Sydney early this morning and to begin the day's special activities, we enjoyed a special winemakers lunch and VIP preview of the Wine Fair, before checking in to the Hilton, whom will incidentally be having all Australian wines by the glass for the duration of the A+ Australian Wine Celebration.

Follow my adventures today on Twitter @KellyNoble

More info about the A+ Australian Wine Celebration

Australia’s greatest ever wine celebration kicks off nationwide in April 2012, with close to 100 events taking place across the nation, celebrating the diversity and excellence of our local offerings.

The A+ Australian Wine Celebration launches for the first time from 12 to 29 April 2012, and all Aussies are being invited to get involved in the country’s biggest collaboration of wine events.

Held in capital cities and across many of our most beautiful regional communities, the A+ Australian Wine Celebration is set to include an exciting collection of wine, food and music festivals, meet the winemaker opportunities, gourmet dining events and exclusive tasting opportunities.

To find out what A+ Australian Wine Celebration events are happening near you, click here

Rediscovering McLaren Vale

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend some time touring around the McLaren Vale checking out the wineries. It was Steve's birthday, so our primary destination was d'Arenberg for lunch. Everything else was just decided upon off the cuff.

It's a stunning time of year to be driving around McLaren Vale - it's not too hot, everything is still beautiful and green, and you don't have to deal with large tour groups. Perfect.

The view out the back of Paxtons

We started at Paxton's Wines, which is a beautiful little cellar door. Go out the back and check out the view over the hills while you enjoy a glass of their red.

While we waited to get served at Paxtons, we decided to take to Twitter to see where people suggested we go.
Enter Coriole. They tweeted to Steve that if we visited their cellar door they would sprinkle flower petals down the driveway to welcome us. We loved their banter & set out to visit their flower haven.

It's amazing how easily you can engage with businesses via Twitter, and we often use it to decide where to go for dinners, winery tours etc. We figure if they can find the time to chat to us, it sets them apart from their competitors so we're always happy to give them a go.

The beautiful gardens at Coriole

If you haven't been to Coriole before, plan to spend some time there. It's another stunning venue with amazing wines, beautiful cellar door and stunning grounds. If you can, visit the restaurant and try their cheese platter. It's to die for.

From Coriole we travelled to d'Arenberg, sampled some wine and then got stuck in to the most incredible lunch I've had in years.

I was lucky enough to choose the lobster medallions on crab ravioli. I was in heaven. Everyone else at our table chose well too and we all left suitably stuffed. 

I can't recommend that restaurant enough. It's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Absolutely amazing food, plus another great view to enjoy while you eat.

To wrap the day up, we hit up Alpha Box & Dice, which is renowned for being a quirky little cellar door with lots of personality.

We bought a few bottles of wine there while some of our group played pinball on the 'Buck Rogers' machine in the corner.

One of the lounging areas at Alpha Box & Dice

Alpha Box & Dice is great place to take visitors who are looking for an experience that's outside of the bigger commercial cellar doors.

While we didn't have time to check it out yesterday, another great little cellar door is at Samuel's Gorge - a little hidden gem tucked away in an old barn, which is also packed full of charm (& great wine).

With a stack of wine cases to prove the success of our trip, I'll certainly be making the effort to head to McLaren Vale more often over the coming months. I forget it's so close!

I love the photo caption on this picture

The outside of the cellar door at Alpha Box & Dice

Hanging With The Cool Kids at Longview

When you're somewhat limited by the amount of events you can attend (ie when you have a baby), it's important to make sure that those you DO attend are worth your while.

This is why it wasn't a difficult choice to sign up for a day at Longview Winery for their Krush Klinic during the 2012 Crush Festival. We went along last year and had a great time, so we guessed (correctly) that it would be a safe bet this year.

In a nutshell, Longview have pulled together all the best elements of a food and wine festival, and then tweaked them to appeal to the 'cool kids'.

By attending this event, I was cool for a day, by default.

Seriously, it was like someone had grabbed some issues of Rip It Up, Attitude Magazine and Vice Magazine and brought them to life. There were fashion designers, street artists, writers, hippies, glamours, and an abundance of good looking, young people.

To entertain us during the day, we had 4 nationally acclaimed graffiti artists creating spectacular works of art on massive canvases, for us to vote on and for Longview to use as a wine label.

There were some party inducing DJs on the decks, and the odd spell of breakdancing to keep the mood light.

There was plenty of shade (or shelter if the pending storm hit, which it didn't... phew), a good selection of food (including something for the vegos) and lots of Longview's best wines.

One thing I didn't know about & wish I did, was the fact that Longview now have a B&B set up. I'll definitely be booking in to stay for a night/weekend sometime soon but missed out on that opportunity over Crush. Not to worry, I had a beautiful baby I had to take back from my lovely parents who had babysat for the day. There's always a silver lining!

A 10 For The Ten Tenors

Always a fan of food, wine and music events, my parents, Steve and I made the trek Tomich Wines (in the Adelaide Hills) on Saturday night for The Ten Tenors.

What a great event.

The food and wine and the fact that it was held amongst vineyards was enough to get me to go along, but the fact that The Ten Tenors are a world class act, made the night a memorable one.

As the first big vineyard event that Tomich Wines have held (given that most of their events happen at the cellar door on King William Road), I think they need a big round of applause.

The food offerings were first rate. The wine was spectacular. The toilets remained clean and toilet paper stocked throughout the evening. The staging was first rate - something I would have expected to see at a major concert, rather than at a winery event. The location was beautiful - nestled next to some vines and magnificent gumtrees, on a nice flat piece of paddock with room for future events to grow. There was plenty of room for parking and you didn't have to walk for miles to get to the venue. The only thing that could have been improved upon was the signage - a few of us stopped at the winery gates, only to realise the actual concert was being held further down the road in a back paddock. It was easy enough to figure out though.

As for the entertainment. Well. Let me tell you. It was entertaining. The Ten Tenors are an incredibly talented bunch of guys. Mostly young, dashing, suited up fellows with a sense of humour, their show kept the audience riveted throughout the night, despite the threatening rainclouds which threatened to spoil the evening.

The guys started with some traditional opera numbers, of which I don't know any of the names, and then moved on to an 80s medley which the crowd adored. We heard a wide range of songs and genres, which ensured that there was something for everyone. And those voices. Wow.

I have to say though, the masses of middle aged women, swooning over men their son's ages, was a little amusing. The line for autographs at the end didn't move, as each woman tried her charms on the Tenors while they politely tolerated the slightly wine-fuelled adoration.

If Tomich Wines put on another event at their vineyards, do yourself a favour and go.