Day 14: McLaren Vale
Wednesday 23rd February
It was a spectacular morning with no wind, brilliant blue skies and loads of sunshine. The boys went on a two hour bike ride this morning so Annabelle and I left a little bit later and we turned left when we got down to the promenade, heading south. There is plenty to look at on this route as well with the Seacliff Surf Club, the Caravan park and plenty of luxury properties to inspect on the way.
We all caught up at the Garden Cafe and spent a leisurely morning there enjoying the balmy weather, lovely coffees and milkshakes. This was the cafe’s second day under new management and we were happily supporting their new venture. We expect they should do quite well given there is little cafe competition within easy walking distance in the area, apart from a coffee van located at the Caravan park!
The plan for today was to visit vineyards in the McLaren Vale region and so we set off at 11.15 for our 12 noon appointment at Oliver’s Taranga ($25 per head). The management here took a huge step during Covid to invest in developing the wine tasting area to be both aesthetically pleasing and Covid safe. They’d done a great job and we enjoyed a great hour or so on their lovely balcony enjoying and tasting their delicious wines. I’d highly recommend adding them to your to-do list if ever wine tasting in the McLaren Vale region.
S C Pannel was next on our list but they were closed for the day and so we headed over to Samuel’s Gorge. This was another lovely tasting experience, despite the developing warmth of the day, and more wine was purchased here.
Our last stop for the day was at Chapel Hill, as this is right next door to Samuels Gorge. The tasting rooms here are very atmospheric, being located in an old Chapel and, I might add, at a much cooler temperature than what we experienced at the outdoor tasting deck at Samuel’s Gorge. We all enjoyed their wines and they’re at a great price point so yet more wine was purchased. Samuel’s Gorge is another vineyard that I’d highly recommend for a visit. We headed home after Chapel Hill to rest up before our trip back into the city for dinner at Osteria Oggi.
Osteria Oggi was very busy for a Wednesday night but perhaps the Adelaide Fringe Festival helped to boost numbers. It is a lovely setting and we had a most enjoyable meal, despite being rather exhausted by our full day of travel and wine tasting. We had planned another TV session for once we got home but half our party dropped out and headed to bed, that being myself and Annabelle. There was another big day planned for tomorrow, with a trip to Langhorne Creek, and we needed to rest and prepare!
