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