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