behomeforT: Back to Australia. Adelaide, McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley

A little detour from Italy. A nice break in Australia. A short weekend trip to South Australia.

A few weeks after we got back from Europe we decided to visit friends in Adelaide. Don't worry, there are many more posts about our Italian adventure and all the food we ate to come. But I just wanted to show you these pictures of beautiful McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley.

After a reasonably calm flight we arrived from sunny Sydney in rainy Adelaide. Very rainy.

Adelaide was cold, very cold (for Australian understandings). That's why our friends were really happy with the onesies we brought for them from Sydney. What's better than sitting in front of a fire place in your onesie with a glass of wine and some nice cheese? And that is exactly what we did!

We had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant on Friday and on Saturday we left for McLaren Vale. Fortunately one of our friends (let's call them M&M) was happy to drive after a boozy Friday night which worked out well for us. McLaren vale is absolutely gorgeous. I would say it's even prettier than the Barossa Valley. Beautiful trees, flowers, and vineyards. Amazing sunsets. A rainbow here and there. Warm cellardoors with smokey fireplaces and sometimes a winery dog or a restaurant. Tasting wine near the fireplace. Cold outside, warm inside. I loved absolutely everything about it.

We visited Maxwell Wines, Tapestry Wines and Lloyd Brothers. The first two wineries were lovely and had lovely wines. Lloyd brothers was not so nice. The wine tasted cheap and there were only a few wines available for tasting that day. I love the smaller wineries.

McLaren Vale is closer to the ocean and therefore the vines are more exposed to the effects of the ocean. I found the reds a bit lighter and not as full bodied as the Barossa reds. Still very nice though.

On Sunday we visited Taste of Eden Valley, Turkey Flat, Rockford Wines and Grant Birch in the Barossa. At Taste of Eden Valley you can taste wines from small wineries which do not have a cellardoor. Turkey Flat is a lovely small winery (with a cute winery dog!) in a beautiful area. We bought an amazing Pedro Ximinez!

We also had a lovely lunch at Casa Carboni, an Italian cooking school in the Barossa. I could stay in the Barossa for days. For weeks even. Wine tasting in winter is the best! I would highly recommend both the Barossa and McLaren Vale!