Barossa Valley

On Saturday Justin and I decided to take an impromptu trip down to the Barossa Valley for a scenic drive and some more wine tasting.  Kelsey and Ryan were both in the field again, so I'm sure we'll go back another day with them.  The Barossa is about an hour and 20 minutes from our place north of Adelaide, and the main town is Tanunda.

The first place we went was Rockford Wines, which was a beautiful cluster of old stone buildings and cobblestone pathways.  I forgot my camera in the car though, sorry.  They have, supposedly, some of the best wine in Australia and they're quite snobbish about it.  We somehow managed to weasel our way into the "Stonewaller's Room" which is where special members get to go to taste instead of the regular public cellar door.  They also have wines in there that only members can buy, and even then only in small quantities.  We got to taste wine in there that sells for $100+ a bottle!  Told you it was snobbish.   Also on that property was jams/spreads to taste, which is always fun.  I got a neat spicy pear and blueberry chutney and a garlic and paprika mustard in tiny little jars.

The next stop was right next door at Grant Burge wines, where the wine wasn't great but we ate a delicious lunch.  The last winery we went to was Rusden Wines which was recommended by people at Rockford.  It had a nice atmosphere, but the wine was out of my price range.  On our way there, though, we saw the most perfect rainbow.  This picture is taken too late, but it was much brighter and the one end was right in the field in front of us.  We should have looked for the pot of gold!

As you can see, we had another really stormy day.  I'm sure on a sunny day the valley is beautiful, but also most of the vines had just been pruned so it was looking pretty barren. 

Before heading home we decided to stop for a second lunch of delicious meat pies.  They seem to think that's an Australian thing, but since I grew up eating them I feel right at home!