Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to Stay
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For festivals
The Barossa Valley seems to have a major event of one kind of another
every month. Lots of music and German heritage on display.
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For romantic B&Bs
Cuddle up in an 1880s stone cottage in the Clare Valley, with DIY
bacon-and-eggs for breakfast.
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For foodie culture
McLaren Vale brings the foodies down from Adelaide: farmers mar-
kets, winery restaurants and cafes conspire to keep them sober.
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For a day-trip from Adelaide
Head for the Adelaide Hills, just 20 minutes up the free-
way from the city. Old German towns, savvy wineries, cafes and cosy pubs.
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For winery work
The Coonawarra is gritty, dirt-under-the-fingernails wine country, with
seasonal pruning and picking work aplenty.
When to Go
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For crowd-free cellar doors
Winter (June to August) is the right time for empty cellar
doors with attentive vingnerons.
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For festivals
Summer (December to February) sees plenty of crooners among the
vines.
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For vineyard photogenics
Autumn vine colours (April and May) are hard to beat, but in
winter (June to August) mists creeping along vine rows paint a compelling picture.
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For winery work
Grape picking season is autumn (March to May); pruning season is
early winter (June and July).
TIME FOR A BEER?
Of course, not everyone is into wine, and given South Australia's long hot summers
it's no surprise that beer is big business here. For such a successful mainstream
brand, Coopers (
Click here
), the all-conquering Adelaide brewery, bottles surpris-
ingly interesting and largely preservative-free beers. Take a tour of the shiny brew-
ery vats and pipes (with tastings afterwards) or rock into pretty much any pub in
Adelaide for a cold Pale Ale.
Beyond Adelaide there are some brilliant SA microbreweries, studded belliger-
ently in the middle of wine regions and in unexpected small-town locations. A few
of our faves:
