Wine … we Aussies do love it don’t we? If you have clients who are also so inclined, South Australia and the ACT are both offering fabulous packages that tick the boxes for every wine lover and budding oenology (the science of viticulture) student!
SOUTH AUSTRALIA – New Flinders Ranges and Wine Experience Tour
Flinders Ranges Odysseys has launched a new ultimate six-day Flinders Ranges and Wine Experience Tour, combining the bustling city of Adelaide, South Australia’s leading wine and gourmet food regions and the spectacular and rugged Wilpena Pound and Flinders Ranges outback.
The six-day Flinders Ranges and Wine Experience includes a leisurely day exploring Adelaide, a choice between the Barossa Food & Wine Experience or the new McLaren Vale & The Cube Experience; a three-day Flinders Ranges Outback tour and three nights’ accommodation in Adelaide at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel with full buffet breakfast each morning.
Arrive in Adelaide and spend the day or afternoon discovering this vibrant city. Visit some of its main attractions like Adelaide’s university and art gallery, St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Zoo, go shopping along Rundle Mall, or even take a tram trip to the seaside town of Glenelg.
On the Barossa Valley Food and Wine Experience coach tour visit the award winning Pindarie Cellar Door for wine tastings and morning tea; Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop for a tour and tastings of her delicious food products; enjoy a two-course lunch and wine tastings at the beautiful Lambert Estate; take in the picturesque views at the Mengler Hill lookout and indulge in a chocolate and wine pairing experience at the Barossa Valley Chocolate Company.
On The McLaren Vale & The Cube Experience coach tour explore the main street of McLaren Vale and its many shops and galleries; enjoy wine tasting at Stump Hill Cafe and at the stunning Wirra Wirra Vineyards; visit the d’Arenberg Cube for a guided tour through the Alternate Realities Museum and a scrumptious two-course lunch and wine tasting at Polly’s Restaurant, and visit the 70-acre working vineyard of Beresford Estate Wines for wine, beer or gin tasting.
Explore the 540-million-year-old Flinders Ranges in luxury air-conditioned Mercedes Benz vehicles and in small, intimate groups of up to eight people, accompanied by a personal local tour guide on the three-day all-inclusive Flinders Ranges Outback tour.
Over three days visit the old copper mining town of Burra; stop at Kanyaka Station Homestead Ruins and see what’s left of this once massive sheep and cattle station and watch the sunset overlooking the stunning Chace Range while enjoying a glass of sparkling wine and gourmet canapes on the Sunset on the Chace tour.
Explore the southern Flinders Ranges seeing local sights and the picturesque Bunyeroo and Brachina gorges; visit the famous Prairie Hotel, Australia’s #1 Outback Hotel recognised as an “unmissable outback experience”; take in the phenomenal views at Mt Remarkable, and enjoy wine tasting and lunch at Clare Valley. There’s also the opportunity to take an early morning scenic flight with Chinta Air (additional charges apply), to gain a true appreciation of the scale and grandeur of Wilpena Pound.
All meals are included and are not to be missed. Indulge in a mouth-watering three-course Lamb Tasting food experience served with matching Clare Valley wines; a delicious two-course dinner at Rawnsley Park Station’s Woolshed Restaurant and try the Prairie Hotel’s signature Antipasto Platter.
Accommodation is at the award-winning Rawnsley Park Station overlooking the southern side of Wilpena Pound and includes daily continental breakfast.
The six-day Flinders Ranges and Wine Experience Tour starts from $2547.00 per person, twin share and includes Adelaide Sightseeing’s Barossa Food & Wine Experience or the McLaren Vale & The Cube Experience, the three-day Flinders Ranges Outback tour and three nights’ accommodation in Adelaide at the Majestic Roof Garden Hotel with full buffet breakfast each morning.
The tour departs Adelaide every Saturday and Wednesday until 31st March 2022. Saturday departures include the Barossa Food & Wine Experience and Wednesday departures include the McLaren Vale & The Cube Experience.
ACT – Canberra Wine Region Package
East Hotel has launched its Canberra Wine Region Package, in partnership with Van du Vin wine tours and supported by Visit Canberra.
Canberra is the perfect place to truly feel invigorated and relaxed. A place to delve into the local wine region, soak up the flavour and scenery and relax in an iconic boutique hotel that fosters the importance of all the little things.
Combine a bespoke, selective, private wine tour with a genuine, elegant, boutique hotel for a perfect weekend away.
With over 40 cellar doors, visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to working out how to spend their time – enter much-loved East Hotel and luxe tour company Van Du Vin, and their Taste More Than Relaxation Canberra Wine Region Package. The recently launched, bespoke travel package offers a tailored wine tour across the Canberra District, along with a night’s stay at the vibrant East Hotel.
Whether you’re looking to acquaint yourself with refreshing cool-climate riesling, or dive into some exciting examples of the region’s hero, the shiraz viognier blend, the team will design a package to suit your travel plans (and of course, your palate). Both half-day and full-day private tours are on offer, and each package includes all your tastings, lunch and your own private guide carting you around in a luxury vehicle.
Following your collection from East Hotel, your guide will provide an introduction to the Canberra District on your drive to the first stop, Brindabella Hills Winery. The cellar door is a beautiful spot, where you’ll no doubt be entranced by the views overlooking the Murrumbidgee River. Enjoy a tasting of their estate range, including their refreshing 2019 Riesling, and unique 2019 Shiraz Nouveau (a blend of shiraz and riesling). It’s also time for lunch: Sweet Pea Catering serves up a locally-sourced two course menu – paired with wines and a stunning view. If you time it right, local chocolatier Fudgemental Canberra may also be around to prove the theory that regionality is key to food and wine matching, with chocolates specifically designed to pair with the Brindabella Hills wines.
Gallagher Wines is up next, where you’ll meet owners Greg and Libby Gallagher. Greg is the winemaker and Libby is a cheesemaker (name a more iconic duo); their fromagerie on site at the cellar door. No points for guessing you’ll be enjoying a very well thought out cheese and wine tasting here.
A short drive and you’ll be at McKellar Ridge Wines owned by husband and wife John and Marina Sekoranja. Take a seat under the patio or in the quaint cellar door to embark on a tasting of their estate range – be sure to sample the Estate Shiraz Viognier.
The afternoon will take you to Yarrh Wines, where you can choose one of their premium wine flights, which includes local nibbles. If you’re lucky, you might even catch winemaker Fiona Wholohan herself for a chat. The final stop of the day is Eden Road Wines where (if you’re hungry) you can nibble on a cheese platter and taste their wines sourced from the Canberra District, along with nearby Hilltops and Gundagai.
Once you’re back at East Hotel, change the pace with a cocktail at the on-site Joe’s Bar, before heading to Agostinis Restaurant for an Italian-inspired meal paired with something from their exquisite wine list, which champions bottles from both near and afar. Then it’s back to the hotel – ideally for a bath, to reset after a hard day.
TOP IMAGE: Rawnsley Park Flinders Ranges South Australia
