Don't you love this super-cool lanyard the guys at TeAro Estate made for me the day I visited their winery?  It was so thoughtful and nice!  The team at TeAro put so much care and effort into my visit, and I had The Best Time with them.

TeAro Tasting Room

TeAro Estate Tasting Room
20 Queen St
Williamstown SA 5351
(08) 8524-6860
Website

Jaci and I met TeAro's Todd Rowett at the Tasting room in Williamstown.  He's the business development manager, 'brand ambassador', and all-round nice guy.  (He's also married to the boss' daughter!)  The tasting room is relatively new, and I was really impressed by how lovely it is - it actually felt like a hotel on the inside!  We were only there for a brief moment, however, as there was a busy itinerary to follow!


We drove to the family homestead and vineyard, where I got to have a look at a massive grape harvester.

This huge piece of equipment straddles (for want of a better word) the row of vines and plucks the grapes as it's driven along.

We then drove through the vineyard...


... and pulled over at the bottom of this hill.  Todd said we were climbing up the hill to that little blue tent.  But what was up there?

*Gasp!* A private tasting overlooking the vineyard, set up just for me!

There were so many nice little touches - music playing, flowers in a vase...

... some grapes...

Cheese

We did a vertical tasting of Grenache and Tempranillo, hosted by Todd and 4th generation vigneron Ryan Fromm.

TeAro Estate has been a vineyard since 1919, harvesting their entire crop for the larger wineries in the region.  It was only in 2001 that they started producing their own wine, starting with a tonne of Shiraz (naturally).


...and also makes a nifty telescope! Hehehe.

Captain Ryan

The baumé scale basically measures how much sugar there is in the grapes, and thus how alcoholic the resulting wine will be.


Now, this device is called a Vinturi Aerator, and it aerates the wine if you can't wait for the wine to breathe.  Next week from Tuesday to Thursday, the team are running an event called 'Air-Time at TeAro' as part of the Barossa Vintage Festival, a workshop in which they'll showcase the Aerator.  I'd definitely recommend it if you're in the area at the time - I'm sure it'll be awesome!

Let's check out the gorgeous view. Apparently Todd proposed to his wife Kelly up here - isn't that beautiful?  How incredibly romantic!


We then traveled down to the original family homestead...


...and I got to ride with Trev From (Ryan's dad) on a vintage tractor, which he'd restored himself.

After that we enjoyed a nice, refreshing glass of Grandma Fromm's Fruit Cup, made by Kelly, 4th generation family member, tasting room and event manager, and wife of Todd.  It sure was nice to have a cool drink on a hot day.  (They also thought I might be a little wine-d out by that stage - I told you they were thoughtful!)


This door got burnt in a fire many many years ago.

It was so interesting to walk around the homestead and see how people used to live.

Following the tour, we were taken back to the Tasting Room, where Kelly took us through a TeA Time @ TeAro tea tasting experience.


We enjoyed a Scullery Made wine and roses tea.  It is locally made in the Barossa, and has a beautiful deep red colour, and a floral, fruity, slightly sweet taste.


And as if there hadn't already been enough indulgence that day, we were treated to some Coveiter Cupcakes.  Coveiter is a Barossa-based business, and make the most amazing cupcakes!

Mmm... look at that silky buttercream!

The little grapes were handmade from gumpaste - love the detail on the leaves.

look at the detail!

Grandpa Ron Fromm (who inspired the 'Iron Fist' Grenache) joined us for the tea-tasting, and brought some apples from his garden too.  (He must've thought I was a little strange for taking pics of cakes and apples!)
Here's Kelly and her gorgeous little girl - what a sweetie!  I think the cutest thing I ever saw was when Kelly asked her: "Where's Daddy?", and she replied: "Cellar door!"  Apparently she's started swirling her juice in her cup like her parents do when they drink wine.  Perhaps a future vigneron in the making?

Hello everybody!  Did y'all know that the Barossa Vintage Festival is starting up this Saturday, 23rd April?  It's a huge festival celebrating all things Barossan - especially food and wine!  There are heaps of great events on!  I'm absolutely gutted that I can't make it over this year, but I'm definitely hoping to visit for the next one!

To mark the beginning of the Vintage Festival, today's post is going to be all about Barossa wine!  I'll tell you about my visits to Charles Melton, Jacob's Creek and Peter Lehmann.


Charles Melton


We visited Charlie early on a Wednesday morning (you can see from my itinerary it was a rather wine-filled day!), and took a walk around the vineyard and the production area.

Charlie is one of the great characters of the Barossa, and he summarised the winemaking process very simply: "Grapes and yeast turn into alcohol and carbon monoxide". Ta-dah!  Using this principle, you could technically make wine at home in a bucket, (and I'm pretty sure people still do), but I don't know how good it would taste!

Barrels

If you visit at lunchtime, they serve up some lovely lunches of tarts, pies, rillette and cheese platters on the verandah.  (Menu here).  We were a little too early for lunch, so just (just!) cracked open a bottle of Brut Peche sparkling.

Aah... elevenses!

Love this pic of the wine with Charlie drinking in the background!

Jacob's Creek

Next stop on our agenda was the Jacob's Creek, which is definitely one of the larger wineries in the Barossa.  The Jacob's Creek cellar door actually won the award for the best Major Tourism Attraction at the South Australian Tourism Awards 3 years running, beating other attractions like the Adelaide Zoo, the Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience and the Adelaide Casino!  Good work guys!

Ooh... shiny

We were here for the Sensory Experience, an activity which they've just launched.  It is an "is an interactive workshop that helps increase your knowledge and enjoyment of the complexities of wine through sensory analysis."


I won't go through all the steps we took in detail, because I don't want to spoil the experience if you do end up going, but suffice to say we certainly used every item on that tray!  The wines in question were the Reserve Riesling 2010, Reserve Chardonnay 2009, Reserve Pinot Noir 2009, Reserve Shiraz 2007 and a mystery wine in the black glass.

The session was run by the incredibly knowledgeable Sasha, (AKA "Sasha-paedia"). He took us through some basics of how our tastebuds and smell receptors work, the types of flavours and aromas you can expect from different wines, and of course, some guided tastings.

It was actually at this tasting that I learnt that I like white wines with stronger secondary characteristics (e.g. oak, butter etc.), rather than ones with a more dominant fruity taste. So there you go!  More aged chardonnay, please!

Sasha-pedia

For me, the most interesting part of the session was the food-and-wine matching portion.  We were given two plates of food and sauces (below), with a mixture of different flavours and textures, and got to try tasting them with the different wines.  Such a great way to figure out what flavour combos work for you!

The Sensory Experience costs $30 per person, and is run by appointment for groups of 10 or more.  I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoy wine and want to expand your knowledge - it was a fun, interactive experience and I learned heaps about wine tasting and matching food to wine.

Sasha came up to me after the Sensory Experience - he'd read my entry post for the Barossa's Table competition, and suggested that a Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre blend wine would have been a better match for my meal.  He said it would have complemented the saltiness from the prosciutto and the sweetness from the root vegetables.  Will have to try the meal again with a good GSM!

Following the Sensory Experience, we had lunch in Jacob's Restaurant.



The Jacob's Restaurant menu changes seasonally, and I couldn't find a copy of the summer menu on their website, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to go by memory for the following dishes!  (The current Autumn menu will give you an idea of the types of food they serve and the prices).

Fish, fried in a sparkling-wine batter

I ordered the fish (fried in a sparkling wine batter), and it was delicious!  Very fresh, with a light and crispy batter.

Grilled halloumi with peaches, pistachio and rocket

Roast duck (with my apologies for the poor description!)

Mmm... fries

Traditional Potato Salad

Our final morning in the Barossa was spent at the Peter Lehmann winery, where we were treated to a personal wine tasting and a wonderful lunch.  Linda Parbs, the lovely function manager, took us around and shared the Peter Lehmann story with us.

Cellar Door

Photos of Peter Lehmann and the grape growers

Does this next painting look familiar?  This lady adorns the label of the '08 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Peter and Marg Lehmann are big art collectors, and they commission local artists to create paintings for their Barossa Art Series collection, based on the theme of the Queen of Clubs.  The Queen of Clubs, or 'Gambler's card', represents the great gamble that Peter Lehmann took when founding the winery in 1979.  It's a gamble that's certainly paid off!

We then had a private tasting, which included 9 wines (!) across the different ranges.


The wines included the flagship 2006 Stonewell Shiraz and the 2006 Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz.  I never used to be into sparkling Shiraz, but my trip to the Barossa has totally converted me!  Apparently sparkling shiraz with bacon and eggs is a "Barossa Brunch".  Mmm... how good does that sound?!  Linda also cracked open a Pinot Noir Chardonnay Cuvée for us to try too - I can never say no to sparkling wine!


Peter Lehmann Wines Cellar Door offer a range of different private wine tasting experiences - take a look at their website for details and fees.

After all that tasting, it was time for lunch!  We shared the famous Weighbridge Platter, which includes great produce from all over the Barossa.

Weighbridge Platter - $30

Weighbridge Platter
Linke's Lachsshinken & Mettwurst
Zimmys Dill Cucumber
Olives - Relish - Almonds
Matured Cheese
Lyndoch Bakery Bread

The lunch was complemented with a rose, which was perfect in the warm weather.  (Only a tiny sip for me, as I was driving to the airport straight from the winery.  And in case you're wondering, yes, I did spit most the wine from the tasting.  Drink responsibly guys!)

A quick walk around the gardens, and it was time for us to head off.  Big thanks to Linda for a lovely morning!

Phew, tenth post of my Barossa's Table series, and I'm only up to my third dinner!  Let's keep plowing on through, shall we?



For our third evening, Jaci suggested Lyndoch Hill restaurant.  It wasn't on the original itinerary, but when a previously arranged activity at a different venue fell through, she thought I would enjoy a nice dinner at Lyndoch Hill.  It was about half an hour from my accommodation on Seppeltsfield road.  I drove there by myself, through unlit, winding country roads, almost constantly referring to the GPS.  (I am such a city slicker!)  Boy, was I glad when I saw that big, shining beacon on top of the hill!

The inside of the restaurant has a slightly retro feel - almost like a wedding reception centre - but the food is definitely modern, with fresh and local ingredients treated in a haute-cuisine manner.  Service was efficient and friendly - our lovely waitress that evening was actually a full-time teacher who waits tables in the evenings, and she clearly loved her second job!

It was very quiet that night - apart from our table of 3, there were only two other tables occupied.  I think that most locals don't go out much during the week.

I know the following plate of bread looks rather meagre, but I assure you there was more bread on this plate when it was brought out!  I only remembered to take a photo after we'd already eaten a few pieces.
Before our meals, we were treated to a little warm amuse bouche, like a seafood bisque in a shot glass.

Seafood Amuse Bouche

Jaci ordered the soup of the day - a hearty vegetable soup.

Vegetable Soup

Incidentally, I find it very challenging to photograph soup attractively - fellow food bloggers, any tips?

No such issues with Alex's entree: cured ocean trout with a touch of dill and mustard.  Lovely!

Ocean trout with mustard dressing, dill crème freche (sic), lemon - $15.90

Roasted pigeon, corn puree, popcorn, buckwheat - $17.00

My entree of roasted pigeon was a delicious, well-executed contrast of textures and flavours.  Tender pieces of pigeon meat sat atop incredibly rich, buttery quenelles of smooth corn puree, with added crunch from roasted buckwheat and popcorn.  The sweet corn puree contrasted beautifully with a deeply savoury jus, generously portioned in a little jug!


Jaci had the very light cured ocean trout for her main ( a good strategy for those who dine out regularly for work!), whilst Alex and I both went for heavier meat dishes.

Kapunda Chevron braised goats shoulder with a rich jus, salsa verde, lentils - $34.00

I almost never eat goat, so it was quite a treat to order it!  Here, the goat was slowly braised until meltingly tender, and served with lentils and a super-smooth and creamy mash.  The only complaint was that I found the sauce way too salty, so much so that I had to scrape it off in order to enjoy the meat.

Alex went for a more classic dish - black angus sirloin on mash with mustard cream sauce.  Beautiful, isn't it!

Barossa black angus sirloin on a creamy mash with a shallot & parley salad finished with a mustard cream - $36.00

We also shared a couple of sides, both of which were fabulous.

Greens beans, orange and almond brown butter sauce - $8.00

The green beans were cooked until tender but not limp, with crunchy fresh almonds and a light brown butter sauce. The brown butter added a nutty flavour, echoing the almonds, without even a touch of greasiness.  Lovely!

We also ordered couscous, studded with raisins and pumpkin seeds.  Y'all know I loved this!  (I adore pilafs and couscous dishes), especially with the added sweetness of dried fruit!  I simply must try to make this one at home! 

Cous cous, raisin, pumpkin seed, lemon, parsley salad - $8.00

We were much too full to order dessert, but the following little pre-dessert of sago, rhubarb and a coconut granita was a wonderful way to finish off the meal.