Barossa Tourism Trip

This term I’ve been looking at all things wine tourism and what fun that has been – each lecture leaves me hungry, very thirsty and with a list of places to visit as long as my arm! So in the interest of our education we organised a “study” trip to a few local vineyards to put theory into practice – we wanted to understand how tourism fits into their vineyards (if it does at all!) and if so what does it mean for them.

Jacob’s Creek

First stop on the trip was the famous Jacob’s Creek. Grapes were first planted here in 1847 and the Creek still runs through the heart of the Barossa to this day. Jacob’s Creek is now a part of Pernod Ricard brands (bought in 1989), who are the second largest alcohol distributor in the world. Over a million glasses of Jacob’s Creek wines are drunk every day across 80 countries around the world! Their cellar door is the home of the brand, with iconic views of the Barossa with the ‘must-have’ photo opp in front of the Jacob’s Creek sign.

The Jacob’s Creek estate is very family-friendly with a large picnic lawn, ping-pong tables, a tennis court and other games to keep the kids (even big kids in our case!) entertained. Tastings are available from $5-$10 allowing you to choose from a selection of wines. The team also have a keen focus on partnerships hosting the MasterChef kitchen as well as being the lead sponsor for the Australian open (hence the onsite tennis court!). Neighbouring St Hugo, also part of the Pernod Ricard family, offers the more high-end experiences with an onsite restaurant offering ‘relaxed premium dining’ providing guests a seasonal menu from the kitchen garden. There is plenty to choose from to keep you entertained, with friendly staff and even a gift shop for all your Jacob’s Creek merch needs, all the details of the experiences available can be found on their website.

We were treated to a selection of wines including their Double Barrel Single Vineyard Shiraz – the wine had been aged in 50 year old single malt whisky barrels to add further complexity, a little more whisky than wine on the nose for my taste but definitely an interesting one to try. 

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Eperosa

The next stop was a very contrasting experience, hosted by the farmer/ vigneron/ winemaker/ cellar door & sales manager aka the one-man-show that is Brett Grocke and his winery Eperosa. A 6^th generation Barossan, Brett’s winery is totally off-grid, thanks to his solar panelled warehouse, and off-the-beaten track – if you don’t know it’s there, you definitely don’t know (hint: look for the wheelbarrow…). Brett is making and selling wine for the love of it, he was named 2021 Halliday Wine Maker of the Year and produces just 2-2500 cases a year. This is a truly authentic experience with the passionate person behind the bottle. Brett is focused on growing great fruit and showcasing that excellence in his wines, he emphasized small details in the vineyard are vital. His wines were delicious and he even has a museum collection – I loved his adage and firmly agree ‘time makes wine’. A real gem, if you can find it, the Eperosa cellar door is open for drop-in tastings 11am – 5pm Fridays and Saturdays.

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Seppeltsfield

The palm-lined parade of Seppeltsfield was next on the agenda, with a massive 420 acres of ancient vineyard, gardens and heritage-listed architecture. This is a serious tourism machine. Seppeltsfield was established in the 1850s as a settlement and there was, and still is, a real community atmosphere to the estate with 13 heritage listed buildings on site creating a village-style offering. Now under the custodianship of proprietor Warren Randall – a qualified viticulturist and winemaker who worked for the Seppelt family during the 1980s. Warren has created a diverse range of experiences on site to capture a wide variety of guests. Some of what’s available to visitors include….

• A segway tour of the vineyards
• Make your own wine barrell (aka cooperage)
• An award-winning restaurant, Fino
• The Jam Factory – local artisans actually working onsite
• Vasse Virgin – all natural handmade skin and body care
• Octeine Coffee
• And of course an array of wine experiences 
• Oh and perhaps a 6 star hotel on the horizon too…

But Seppeltsfield is most famed for the Centennial Collection – an irreplaceable and unbroken lineage of Tawny, every vintage from 1878 to current year. The estate remains the only winery in the world to release a 100-year-old, single vintage wine each year. Their ‘taste your birth year’ experience is their signature experience – no hiding your age in that cellar! 

There is definitely something for everyone here and having been awarded winner of the 2021 South Australian Tourism Awards we were certainly learning from some of the best here. Details of all the concessions and experiences available can be found here

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Langmeil

Last but certainly not least was Langmeil with their warm, welcoming atmosphere, homely stories and delicious wines we were soon made to feel part of the family. The team here want people to slow down and connect and that’s exactly what you can do here. They encourage people to think about the wine and the Barossa as a feeling and that certainly comes across in their passion and produce.

From a visitor perspective, the cellar door offers free tastings of a selection of their wines – I felt right at home in their cosy bar and they have a lovely outdoor area under a vined pergola for sunnier days. But you can also book onto experiences at Langmeil which take you through the history, heritage and the winemaking process in much more detail plus they give you the opportunity to try their iconic range of old vine wines in some incredible settings…

I will certainly be heading back to Langmeil to stock up my cellar and to enjoy a bit more time relaxing in their friendly hospitality.

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This was a fab day out comparing and contrasting some very different wine tourism offerings and made all the easier by our lovely driver Peter from Gin-u-wine tours who I would thoroughly recommend.