What a pleasant surprise it was to wake this morning to find it cold, but at least dry, giving us an opportunity to strip the canvas annex walls down and get them stowed safely away without the need to try and dehydrate them, an unimaginable feat we were hardly looking forward to. Thus, in a flurry of harried activity, we withdrew the canvas from the awning tracks, slathering it across the ground, before folding it into hefty parcels of heavy sheeting, all the while keeping our fingers crossed that we would complete the chore before the rain started again.

Thankfully, we did manage to stow the folded walls, keeping them dry, before we took the dogs for a walk about the park in an effort to wear them out. After their ordeal of being stuck in ‘The Beast’ all day yesterday, we had decided to leave them in the van today. We are not expecting to be out for as long today, so have decided that they will enjoy the freedom of being able to run about the van unhindered, although I highly suspect that they will still spend the bulk of the day sleeping anyway. With the walls away, the dogs worn out, we headed off for a day amongst the vineyards of the Barossa Valley.

It was only a couple of minutes down the road, when we stopped first in the main street of Tanunda to commence of exploration of the region, starting with a couple of antique shops and more in keeping with the gourmet theme, a couple of bakeries, shelves stacked high with crusty loaves of fresh handmade breads, pastries, tarts, cakes and all things sweet. The Tanundra Bakery in particular offered up some of its saccharine goodies, in the form of a couple of apple crumble doughnuts. Custard filled doughnut rings, frosted with a lemon glaze and topped with a chunky stewed apple sauce, it was all I could do not to go running back in to buy some more.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm…

…Doughnuts!

Local wineries, for which the area is well renown, were next on our jam-packed itinerary. With well over a hundred to choose from, we had succinctly whittled our list down to a much more manageable ½ a dozen venues, although even that number was being on the glass ¾ full side of optimistic. Thus, while we meandered about the countryside, taking the Barossa Scenic Drive for the most part, we passed a great number of pristine, orderly fields of barren looking, winterised grape vines, before stopping at our first cellar door of the day, at Rolf Binder Wines, where there was a $5.00 to taste, refundable if you chose to buy something, fee. I’m still not sure if we got ripped off or they got ripped off with that theory, because we ended up getting a ‘free’ tasting. They on the other hand, ended up selling nearly $100 worth of wine.

Next stop on the program was the huge Seppeltsfield operation, which as well as a cellar door that rivaled a fancy epicurean emporium, had on site a gallery and shed of artesian crafters. We got to see a glass blower, shoemaker and milliner in action, sadly however the knife maker was taking a break while we were there. Maybe lucky, as his fantastic creations of hand forged Damascus steel, of which I would love to call one my very own, were quite well and truly out of our (and by our, I mean Becs) price range.

Now, Where Was I Again?

With yet another couple of bottles of vino lunked out to ‘The Beast’ we were on our way once more only to get a bum steer from Shazza as to how to get to our next destination. Anyone would have thought it was little old Shazza that had been on the sauce, rather than ourselves. After a tipsy turvy drive up a rugged dirt track and across a rain swollen ford, we finally found the gate for Greenock Creek Wines. It was here that we were ushered into a miniscule, sub terrarium room that actually lived up to its description as being a cellar. The only wine I liked here was the flagship Shiraz (pronounced she-rar-ze again), but at near enough to $200 a bottle that the change hardly mattered, I sagaciously chose to savour the tasting, while leaving the bottle.

By now, I was beginning to surf a wave of red, so decided to put aside any further wine tasting for the time being, as we headed instead for the opportunity of a gourmand food tasting experience at the ‘you might know me from such shows  as…’ Maggie Beers Farm. Sadly for us, Maggie Beer was not in residence this afternoon, but we did arrive in just enough time for the daily 2:00PM cooking demonstration. We were ably shown by one of her minions how to use a range of Maggie Beer branded products to cook up the most delectable onions, pumpkin and mushrooms.

Maggie Beers’ Kitchen.

Following the demonstration, which concluded with a taste test, we were all ushered out to the show room, where further tastings were aplenty, with the majority of her products available to taste. It ended up being another case of who got ripped off, when we sucked, slurped and nibbled enough itty-bitty samples to see us forego lunch, but then left them a hefty sum of cash in exchange for several bottles and tubs of sauces, jams, preserves and bottles of semi-sweet pear cider.

We fondled our way across the vineyard ridden landscape to nearby Nuriootpa next, where there was the promise of award winning small goods from a proper, old fashioned butchery. The jolly, rotund butcher was quite happy to have a yak, as we pointed at a range of unusual hams, bacons and other cured meats, including a pressed concoction of beef and pork knuckle that looked disgusting, but tasted, well not quite so disgusting. Samples were liberally dispensed, while we picked out a few rations to last us the next few days.

Here A Vine, There A Vine, Everywhere A Vine.

Past more neat rows of vines, we motored onwards to the next small town, where a cheese factory awaited. Specialising in the softer cheeses that appeal to Bec, it was no surprise that we relieved them of a bag of goodies. Being the good, honest folk we are, we were quick to return however when we noticed an error on our bill. With that little matter sorted out, and the $15.00 we were overcharged refunded, we struck off of our list the next couple of planned stops, instead preferring just to strike out for Bethany Wines due to our rapidly diminishing time frame, where Bec hoped to replenish her dwindling stock of their sickly sweet late harvest Riesling. In luck, they had just what Bec was after, while I collected a final bottle of heavy weighted She-rar-ze, before we made our way back to the caravan.

The Dainty ‘Bethany Wines’ Cellar Door.

Looking at the back seat of ‘The Beast’, hidden almost in its entirety by our many slim bags of bottled nectar, I honestly don’t know where we are going to manage to find the room to store them, either in the van during the trip home or indeed actually at home. It is too late now though.

Back at the van, I opened the door to be greeted by the dogs and a smell like no other. They had obviously chosen to end their holiday like they began it, leaving us a nice present, thankfully piled up on a mat in the bathroom, for ease of cleaning. Bec had told me that Alvin needed more walking this morning, but did I listen? No. So guess who found themselves on their hands and knees mopping the floor? Thankfully, it was confined to the linoleum, and we quickly had the van in tiptop shape once more. In time at least, to leave them once more while we went out to have a meal in town.

The Tanundra Hotel was the venue of choice tonight, where I was drawn to the Fillet Mingon and the whimsical notion that you get the choice of either one or two of the 200gram fillets. Like there was a choice? Hello, but this is my main meal, not an entrée. More in a fit of excitement that it was better value to order two fillets than one, than out of actual hunger and desire to eat two generous fillets, Bec ordered the same deal.

They came out cooked to perfection, two thick rounds of beef, wrapped in a salty rasher of bacon and coated with a thick mushroom gravy, amidst a plate full of chips and vegetables. I swiftly ravished my plate, before moving, albeit a little slower, onto Becs half a left over fillet. Well, waste not want not and in hindsight, it only equates to a half a kilo of prime grilled cow.

Totally off topic and as an aside before I go tonight, I have found myself removing my watch each night, blaming its tautness against my wrist on swelling. Having just re-read my last couple of days worth of blog entries I have decided there might in fact be a rather more rational and sensible explanation to this sudden tensioning. It’s most obviously fluid retention from the quantity of wine I’ve been quaffing!

Until next time, have fun, stay safe and don’t forget to write.