Pindarie

The Pindarie cellar door is located on the Barossa's western ridge and offers the visitor one of the best views in the Barossa (in my opinion!).

Pindarie rightly promotes itself as a family friendly winery. With both an outdoor playground and an indoor play area, they are able to host the little guests whatever the weather, which is very useful as we found out on our two visits. It was an especially hot day on our first visit in December. We particularly enjoyed sitting outside taking in the glorious views, under the shade of the big tree, sipping a glass of riesling and lemonade respectively. It is worth pointing out there is plenty of space inside and outside to accommodate larger parties, so there is no need to be afraid if you see a tour bus in the car park! Useful given Pindarie is a little further away than the bulk of the area's cellar doors.

Pindarie are known for their Mediterranean style wines and especially for their Tempranillo. Halliday describes the Reserve Black Hinge Tempranillo 2010 very highly, giving it 94 points, 'the deluxe, super-tall bottle has been matched with a sophisticated cork; the fruit is luscious and velvety as possible at this restrained alcohol level, with gently sliced plums running through it's fine, silky tannins and quality oak'. 13.5% alc. It's priced at $40. Other wines of note are the Barossa Valley Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bar Rossa Tempranillo Sangiovese Shiraz which each score 90 points a piece.

The cellar door runs a successful restaurant which serves mediterrean style platters. There is a lovely log fire in the middle of the room which keeps all the diners warm in winter. The only downside of the cellar door design is that the tasting bar is separated from the play area by the inside dinning tables so parents with smaller children may not feel comfortable leaving their little ones alone if the restaurant space is busy. When we visited again in Autumn I played with our sons, who resourcefully transformed the dolls house in to a garage, whilst my husband and his friend enjoyed the Tempranillo.

The passion and interests of the owners is clearly reflected throughout Pindarie. Tony took over Pinadarie from his grandfather in 1990. Together with his wife Wendy, who had studied Viticulture at Roseworthy Agricultural College, they strived to create a sustainable property. Tony had jackarooed at many properties around Australia before graduating from Roseworthy in agricultural studies, and is proudly committed to sustainability. This is clearly evident in the beautiful natural outdoor play area they have created and the winery itself.

946 Rosedale Road

Gomersal

SA5352

Tel: 8524 9019

www.pindarie.com.au

Whistler Wines

Whistler Wines not only is the most child friendly winery that we have been to in the Barossa, it also makes lovely wine. Named after the family name of the owners Pfeiffer (which is a German noun and translates to whistler). It's very much a family run and family centred operation. Co-owner Chris explained to us that as their own children grew up living in the winery they wanted them to have things to play with whilst they were working and it all grew from there. With their own children now grown up, they are responsible for the day to day running of the winery. 

The winery is well located off the picturesque Seppletsfield Road. As you approach the entrance to the winery you are greated by a welcoming family cut out silhouette. Made from corrugated iron this is a style that continues throughout the cellar door. 

Parking is right by the cellar door and there are no troublesome steps to negotiate. 

Once inside we made our way straight to the tasting bar. Whistler produce three ranges, Premium Wines, Estate Range and Barossa Range. The wines are excellent value and my husband particularly enjoyed the Riesling. He purchased a bottle of the Albert Heinrich Shiraz for us to enjoy together at home. There is also a selection of tasty goods from neighbouring properties such as Maggie Beer's Farm shop on sale for those wishing to make their own picnic up to enjoy with a bottle or two in the grounds!

I always appreciate it when the cellar door has a toy area close to the tasting area. My son was in element making his way through the bucket of toys, at least until a tour bus arrived and he had to share his new found favourites! As there was so much else to do this was not an issue. The winery produces a handy leaflet 'Family Fun @ Whistler Wines' which includes a word find and Barossa I spy game to keep older kids entertained and tips on family things to do in the Barossa. There is even a treasure hunt and marked family walks on site too.

After a quick visit to the changing facilities we made our way outside to have a look around. 

Not only is there the usual cellar door outdoor favourites but there's a mini cricket wicket and playground too. I wondered how many 6's the onsite Roos have managed to catch of the years!

Access to the Kangaroos is via a locked gate so be sure to ask at the cellar door if you want to meet the resident bouncy friends. If it's quiet in the cellar door one of the team will be more than happy to take you and your family inside the enclosure.

After such a fun filled stop our elder son was certainly bouncing all the way to the car!

If you are coming to the Barossa Gourmet Weekend with kids, I'd make this cellar door one of your stops. Indeed if events are your thing then look out for some of the others that Whistler stage on Australia Day, Easter Sunday, June long weekend and October long weekend.

Chris and his wife Jayne even offer accomodation at their home Whistler Farm - www.whistlerfarm.com.au. I imagine their tastings would be great fun!

Excitingly for all our friends and family located in Wales UK you can buy Whistler wines in Mumbles Fine Wines. A mixed case will set you back £98 for six bottles!

241 Seppeltsfield Road, Marananga, Barossa Valley, South Australia, 5355

www.whistlerwines.com

Tel: 8562 4942

Barrister's Block

We were lucky enough to time our visit to Barrister's Block to see the freshly reopened cellar door, and found that Jan and her team have truly created something very special in the old dairy shed. 

Before embarking on the tasting I was tempted by the delicious looking lemon cakes, priced at $2.50 each. My elder son and I enjoyed these together whilst looking out the deer and geese through the cellar door window. They were also pizzas and platters for sale too.

The cellar door is really beautifully decorated offering a plethora of seats options to sit back, relax and enjoy a drink and a bite to eat in. We sat on the fun cow hide seats at the bar, where Jan was happy to bring a high chair out so we could feed our younger son at the same time. It was a lovely and relaxed atmosphere at the bar and we felt quite at home. With 7 wines on the tasting list you can enjoy trying a little of everything. I particularly enjoyed the pinot noir and surprisingly, given I'm not normally a fan of red sparkling, I found their Sparkling Blush to be most enjoyable! After the tasting we made our way over to the chesterfield sofas, dubbed Henry's corner after the owner's father, and flicked through some of the old 'Wine Companion' guides and discovered how the winery got it's name!

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the area they have a B&B on site, the Vignerons Retreat. As it was very wet on our visit we did not explore the grounds but with the rustic hayshed, an outside seated area under cover, they are clearly well set up come rain or shine! We promised our sons we'd bring them back again when it's dry so they could enjoy feeding the on site animals.

I would absolutely recommend the Barrister's Block for families and indeed anyone who is looking for a vibrant and fun Adelaide Hills winery dining destination.

141 Onkapringa Valley Road, Woodside, SA 5244

www.barristersblock.com.au

Golding Wines

I discovered Golding wines on a cold and wet Friday in July and I am jolly glad I did. It's a very hospitable and comfortable cellar door, which can keep you entertained and out of the rain for as long as you want it to.

The winery is located up in the picturesque Lobethal area of the Adelaide Hills. Founded in 2002 it's a relatively new player in the SA wine market. They have three ranges: The Market, The Single Vineyard and Portrait Series, all reasonably priced and available to try at the cellar door.

We found Golding Wines to be most excellently set up for families meaning you can enjoy a peaceful and informative tasting session- not an easy combination in the Hills with kids! My husband and I were hosted by Jared at the bar, whilst my elder son happily made his way through the extensive basket full of toys, playing safely right by us. If you require them they have very nice baby changing facilities.

My favourite of the wines was the sparkling, The Last Hurrah, a Pinot Noir Chardonnay blend, which in my opinion would be a welcome addition to any party. I also particularly enjoyed The East End which was a light Provençal style Rose.

Golding Wines is growing in popularity as a wedding venue, offering a lovely function room which extends on to a courtyard overlooking the vines.

On a gloomy day like we visited their lovely log fire is most inviting. If you are spending the day tasting in the Adelaide Hills then Golding Wines is a must do stop for the family.

52 Western Branch Road, Lobethal, SA 5241

www.goldingwines.com.au

Artisans of Barossa

Artisans of Barossa is home to a selection of the region's like minded artisan winemakers who share a commitment to small batch sub-regional winemaking. This means you get to try one wine each from the 7 different wineries represented. These wines are regularly rotated and range in price and style. 

The wines are Hobbs of Barossa Ranges, John Duval Wines, Massena, Schwarz Wine Company, Sons of Eden, Spinifex and Teusner. They are all hand made.

The cellar door is bright, light and airy. There is a play area for the children to base themselves in. As it's a little way away from the bar I stayed with our boys and we played trains and read stories whilst my husband tasted. The play area is also home to the gallery exhibitions which was interesting too see, although I have to admit I was slightly nervous of the beautiful pottery at elbow height of my 3ft something son. Fortunately he was far more interested in the toys and all expensive items remained intact!

 

As my husband was particularly enjoying tasting Teunsner's The Righteous Grenache we headed to coffee bar for a cappaccino/ babycino and took in the view. I  tried to buy a little cake to share too but they just offer platters prepared by local renowned chef Mark McNamara (of the Louise hotel fame). These start from $17 per person and looked delicious.

On the way out a display of beautiful wooden jewellery made from old oak barrels caught my eye. I purchased a lovely bracelet for $40. 

The Artisans of Barossa theme their weekly tasting menu, for example at the time of writing it's Rhone Reds with a focus on the Shiraz varieties grown in the Barossa. It is well worth checking their website before deciding which day to visit in order to make the most of their exciting programme.

Artisans of Barossa Tasting Room, corner of Magnolia and Light Pass Road, Tanunda

www.artisansofbarossa.com

Tel: 08 8563 3935

Two Hands

I was excited at the prospect of visiting the cellar door of Two Hands as if the experience was half as fun as their 'picture series' wine labelling, then I knew we would be in for a treat!

Sourcing their grapes from 5 of South Australia's major wine regions (Clare Valley, Barossa Valley, McLaren, Langhorne Creek, Padthaway) and one from Victoria, their range is offers a great way to sample some of the breadth of flavours created in SA's wine regions (Adelaide Hills aside).  

I found the cellar door to be bright, modern and airy. The main focus of the room is the tasting bar which extends around, offering plenty of room for coach parties and smaller groups to all taste together. Importantly there is a seated area that children and non tasters can sit comfortably in. The back door to the room opens up on to a lovely terrace, which in turn goes down in to the garden area. Great for a summers day. If you have a pram it's actually easier to walk around the side of the main building and avoid the stairs. There are some very nice views of their vines, especially from the car park!

As I was the driver on this occasion, just my husband paid the $5 charitable donation to do the tasting flight. The flight included wines from the picture and garden series. If you love Shiraz then Two Hands really is a must do cellar door. With their wines consistently scoring 90 plus points from the experts, they are obviously rated well by those in the know. 

The team conducting the tasting were very friendly, welcoming and obviously good fun. It was great to be able to stand at the bar knowing our children could sit right by us and play quietly(ish). It took about thirty minutes for my husband to make his way through the 8 wines on offer. Long enough for my son and I to burn off lunch playing a little game of cricket on the lovely flat lawn! Incidentally if you want to eat at Two Hands then you need to plan to go on a Friday when they run their long lunches.

The parasols were down when I took this picture on our last visit in June as it was wet, but they were up when we visited in spring, when all the garden toys were out.

On returning home we enjoyed the 'Angel's Share' Shiraz (2012) over dinner, it was bold and delicious! A very tasty driver's perk and I am certainly pleased the angels left some for the rest of us! I was also happy to discover that Two Hands wines are readily available in the UK via Majestic. With Majestics minimum 6 bottle purchase it's a great excuse to explore the 'Garden Series' and the magic of South Australia's Shiraz. 

273 Neldner Road, Marananga, Barossa Valley, South Australia, 5355

www.twohandswines.com

James Halliday 5 star winery

Time of visits: April and June

Rolf Binder

I read with interest the recent article on Rolf Binder and Christa Deans in Barossa Living. The brother and sister wine making team have been making wine together for 20 vintages now. Rolf looks after the reds and Chrisa the whites. Founded as Veritas in 1955 they now trade under Rolf Binder although the Veritas name remains by the main entrance.

The cellar door is easily accessible for prams as the sign indicates and inside they are fantastically well set up for families, with a play area adjacent to the tasting bar. For the duration of my visit a little girl played happily with her granny, meaning her lucky parents could take their time over the tasting. I on the other hand had two sleeping children in the car with my patient husband so I felt I needed to be slightly quicker!

They do charge a $5 tasting fee but this is redeemable against purchase and once you've tasted their wines its very easy to find one (or more) that tempts. "Whilst Barossa reds are known to be big and bold, Rolf aims to draw out the elegance and finesse of the grape (Shiraz and Mataro) within this genre". Christa aims to bring "a delicate touch to produce such rich and flavoursome, yet delicate white wines".

I tried the whites, enjoying both the riesling and sauvignon blanc, I explained that I was not such a chardonnay fan, but was assured I would find the RB one much less oaky and lighter, which I did. Moving on to the reds I tasted the signature reds 'the Veritas Bulls Blood' and 'Heinrich' which interestingly is an SMG blend rather than the traditional Barossa GSM (this is because it's 55% Shiraz, 25% Mataro, 20% Grenache). I left with a bottle of the 2010 Veritas Petit Syrah, a deeply coloured and delicious red. At $25 I thought this was fantastic value. 

Cnr Seppeltsfield Road/ Stelzer Road, Tanunda, SA5352

Tel (08) 8562 3300

www.rolfbinder.com

James Halliday 5 star winery