Day 24: Adelaide Hills to the Barossa (Greenock)

It was cold when we woke up today: 2˚C (35.6˚F) outside and only 6˚C (42.8˚F) inside! Thankfully, we have the diesel heater (and our booties!).

Today, we would make our way from the Adelaide Hills to the famed wine region the Barossa, but not before we nearly ran out of power in the van. Adam and I were futzing around (and trying to stay warm), when the normally green power light on the control panel suddenly went red. Adam, worried about damaging Sherwood’s batteries (I won’t bore you with the details, as much as he might like me to), sprang into action and started up the van. (When we run the van, or drive, the batteries charge. This much I understand.) Needless to say, my work morning (albeit a Sunday) was a bit interrupted.

The solution? One last wine tasting for me in the Adelaide Hills, while Adam stayed with Sherwood and put out the solar mat, hoping for more charge.

The winery of choice was The Lane; we’d tried to get here yesterday but ran out of time. This is where our friends Naomi and Michael got engaged, and I always remember how beautiful they said it was. They were not wrong! I fell in love with the vineyard right away. Absolutely stunning.

Then I fell in love with the wines, as they specialize in whites. (I like to think I also specialize in whites. 😁)

So much so, in fact, that I became a wine club member. I am only a wine club member at one other winery – our friends at Ballabourneen/Binet Family Wines in the Hunter.

Because we had to drive to the Barossa, Adam again took the role of designated driver, took a walk, and did some work in Sherwood. I sat perched on a stool overlooking the spectacular vineyards as a very friendly woman took me through the wines.  

I did not want to leave.

But we had a three-and-a-half-hour trike ride this afternoon through the Barossa to look forward to. The trike ride was a birthday gift to the two of us from our family, and it was excellent fun. “Tony the trike guy” from Barossa Unique Tours was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He picked us up and dropped us off from our campground at Greenock Centenary Park, so we wouldn’t have to drive anywhere. We thoroughly enjoyed his company on our afternoon out.

As part of our tour, we got to choose three or four wineries to visit throughout the Barossa. I had some spots in mind but was also open to Tony’s suggestions. We settled on Langmeil, Elderton, and Seppeltsfield. Plus, because we had Tony, there would finally be some pictures of the two of us together!

Langmeil is steeped in history and is home to some of Australia’s oldest grapevines. The buildings at the cellar door are gorgeous old stone. The cellar door was busy, so we sat outside (a bit nippy!) enjoying the courtyard and letting the wine flight (of about eight wines each) warm us.

Wind in our hair (or under my helmet, in my case, and across his scalp, in Adam’s), we cruised next to Elderton. Our relationship with Elderton wines dates back to the beginning of our relationship, and Adam’s goes back even further. Adam used to travel to Adelaide for work, and after work, he and our friend Craig would go for nice steaks and a bottle (maybe two?) of Elderton Shiraz. And he used to tell me about it. So, when Adam came to live with me in Boston for three months in the early stages of our relationship – and over his 30th birthday – I found a liquor store in Boston that would order me some Elderton Shiraz.

Later, when Adam brought me to Adelaide for the first time (about 10 years ago), we visited the Elderton cellar door and were both somewhat disappointed, not with the wines but with the space on the edge of town and how it didn’t really live up to the elegance of the wines. Well, no more! Elderton has shifted and renovated its cellar door, and it’s a beautiful space befitting this fantastic brand.

See! One of us together! ⤴️

And because Adam prefers to simply enjoy a glass of wine rather than go through a tasting, that’s what we did here, by the fireplace. Perfect!

Back on the trike, this time to Seppeltsfield, another historic Barossa winery.

Known for its fortified wines, we did the fortified flight here. (Also, I really need the practice for my WSET Diploma exam, as I have struggled with fortifieds.)

We also saw the Prince Harry cask.

Which was timely, as we happened to be here on the weekend of King Charles’s coronation:

On an important side note, the trike itself was fantastic. Exciting, comfortable, and fun, and Tony supplied everything we needed: jackets, helmets, and a storage box for all our wine purchases! And had I known how warm those motorcycle jackets are, I would’ve had one for my whole childhood in Minnesota – the best!  

Tony and Adam
Tony and me and the best jacket evah!

After a fabulous afternoon, Tony dropped us back in Greenock at our campground, but were we done for the day? Not us!

We were meeting friends Bec and Bob for dinner at the Greenock Hotel, but not before squeezing in a visit to the Greenock Brewers, which came recommended by Tony the trike guy. We enjoyed a drink there, then meandered over to meet up with Bec and Bob. (Bec is the lovely daughter of my mother-in-law’s partner, Phil. Try to keep up, will ya? We have only met once before, but we all became fast friends.) Bec and Bob both work at another famous Barossa winery: Rockford.

Thankfully, we were not too pickled from our afternoon excursion to enjoy a lovely dinner with them, and over dinner, we plotted to visit Rockford tomorrow and to park Sherwood in Bec’s driveway tomorrow night. Bec very graciously offered up her shower and laundry. A real shower! Yippee! And clean clothes! Yippee squared!  

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