The greedy girl’s look at The Barossa Vintage Festival

The Easter break is almost upon us and this year we have an extra-long long weekend in which to enjoy some rest and recreation.  The five day break means that there is plenty of time to both assuage domestic guilt by getting a few chores out of the way and also to enjoy some of the amazing food and wine experiences that are on offer at the Barossa Vintage Festival, 2011.   The Festival runs for a week, beginning on Saturday 23 April and concluding on Sunday 1 May, and if you can’t find something to lure you up to the Barossa Valley in that week then you are just not trying hard enough!  There are an enormous amount of activities available during the week including jazz and big band concerts, comedy shows, art and craft exhibitions and heritage displays, but I’m just a greedy girl when it comes to South Australian goodies so I want to draw your attention to a few of the food and wine attractions that have caught my eye.

I’ve already given you a hint of what can be found at Yalumba and their amazing two day Harvest Market.  This is the perfect family day with picnic food available from the most notable Barossa food producers who will all have stalls with ready made picnic meals.  With producers like Careme Pastry, Schulz butchers, Wiech’s Barossa Valley Egg Noodles, Barossa Valley Cheese and Barossa Gourmet Confections, amongst many others, your biggest problem will be choosing what to eat!  If you don’t have a picnic frame of mind, here are a couple of other suggestions you might enjoy.

Breakfast at Bethany

Situated on Bethany Road, Tanunda, Bethany Wines is one of the oldest established vineyards in the Barossa valley and is run by descendants of the same family who first planted vines on their land in 1852.  On Tues 26 and Thursday 28 April you can enjoy the magnificent views from just outside their cellar door, while indulging in a feast of local goodies, including sinfully good Careme pastries (my, my, that Claire Wood sure does get around!), croissants, locally produced ham and cheeses and the best of the local fresh fruit with a glass of their 2008  Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cuvee.  Bethany has been running these breakfasts for the last four years and they have become increasingly popular, so I’d suggest you book!

Call Lisa on(08) 8563 2086

Fine dining at Hentley Farm

If fine wines and fine dining are what you are looking for, Hentley Farm can offer you quite a treat.  Noted chef and founder of  Adelaide’s Empirical Cuisine Collective, Cole Thomas, has put together a magnificent menu for 5 star dining in Hentley Farm’s newly restored, circa 1880’s barn.  The menu includes a 6 or 3 course degustation or some more casual dining choices, all of which have the option of being matched with Hentley Farm’s fine wines, and promises to be a dining experience to remember.  The dinners are to be held nightly during the Vintage Festival.

Also to be held in the freshly renovated, historical barn are three very special Masterclasses by Barossa Fine Foods.  Covering the subjects of Terrine Making, Sausage Making and Home Curing, this is an ideal opportunity to learn a new skill or brush up some old ones,at the hands of the experts.  Bookings will be essential for these sessions which are to be held during the day in the Festival week.  For more details on both of these very special events call (08) 8562 8427.

Distinguished Vineyards Tour

If the thought of an opportunity to taste some of South Australia’s iconic wines and visit the historical vineyards where they grow makes your heart beat a little faster, this is the tour for you.  Traveling in an air-conditioned bus, you will visit vineyards you’ve only ever seen on wine labels, including Henschke’s Hill of Grace, Seppeltsfield Old Vine Grenache and Langmeil‘s 1843 Freedom – believed to be the world’s oldest surviving Shiraz vineyard.  Including morning tea,  lunch at Langmeil’s and other light refreshments, this sort of opportunity doesn’t come along very often and numbers are strictly limited.  Bookings can be made at Venue*Tix.

I hope that I’ve at least piqued your interest in the Vintage Festival – with so much to enjoy only an hour away it would be a shame to miss out!

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