Adelaide & South Australia - Australia 2004 - page 501

Public buses run infrequently to the major centers from Adelaide. There are
no buses between wineries.
ORGANIZED TOURS FROM ADELAIDE Various companies run limited
sightseeing tours. One of the best, Grayline Day Tours ( & 1300/858 687;
www.grayline.com), offers a day trip visiting three wineries and other attractions
every day. It costs A$75 (US$49) for adults and A$37 (US$24) for children,
including a restaurant lunch. It also offers a daylong Grand Barossa Tour stop-
ping off at two wineries, the Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf. This costs A$85
(US$55) for adults and A$50 (US$33) for children, and heads out Monday
through Wednesday and Friday in summer (Wed and Fri in winter). Both tours
depart at 9am from the bus terminal at 101 Franklin St., Adelaide. Another
option is the Barossa Wine Train ( & 08/8212 7888 ), which departs from Ade-
laide Railway Station on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. There are a variety of
day tour and overnight packages available. Another option is to do it in style in
a vintage car with the Mirror Image Vintage Touring Co ( & 08/8621 1400;
www.mirror-image.com.au). Chevrolets, stretch limos, or Caravelles can be hired
from 1 hour to 2 days with a chauffeur/guide.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Barossa Wine and Visitor Information
Centre, 66-68 Murray St., Tanunda, SA 5352 ( & 08/8563 0600; www.
barossa-region.org), is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and Sat-
urday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. It's worth popping into the center's small
audio-visual display for an introduction to the world of wine; entry is A$2.75
(US$1.80) for adults, free for children. You'll need an hour or so to look around.
Wines are often cheaper at the Tanunda Cellars bottleshop, or retail outlet,
at 14 Murray St., Tanunda ( & 08/8563 3544; [e-mail])
than at the winery door. This historic 1858 stone shop also houses one of Aus-
tralia's finest collections of vintage wines, so pop in if you appreciate wines.
TOURING THE WINERIES
With some 50 wineries offering free cellar-door tastings and/or daily tours chart-
ing the winemaking process, you won't be stuck for places to visit. All wineries
are well signposted. Below are just a few of my favorite places, but don't be shy
about just stopping whenever you come across a winery that takes your fancy.
A tip: Try a sparkling red. It may turn up noses elsewhere, and it takes some get-
ting used to, but bearing in mind that the world's wine industry now hangs on
Australia's every wine offering, it may well be the great tipple of the future.
Orlando and Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre This large winery was estab-
lished in 1847 and is the home of many award-winning brands. Its big seller is
the Jacobs Creek brand, now sold worldwide. Premium wines include the Law-
son Shiraz and the Jacaranda Ridge Cabernet, and new vintages of either will set
you back at least A$45 (US$29) a bottle. There's a cafe and a picnic area with
barbecues. The new Visitor Centre opened in May 2002.
Barossa Hwy., Rowland Flat. & 08/8521 3000. Daily 10am-5pm.
Penfolds Australia's biggest wine producer churns out some 22.5 million
liters (5.8 million gal.) from this one winery every year. Penfolds also owns other
wineries all over the country. It all started when Dr. Christopher Rawson
planted a few vines in 1844 to make wine for his patients. The winery now
houses the largest oak barrel maturation cellars in the Southern Hemisphere.
Nuriootpa. & 08/8568 9408. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; weekends 11am-5pm.