Panoramic view over the Barossa Valley from our lunch spot at Pindarie Vineyard
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04 November 2017
This morning we had breakfast at Linke’s Bakery that has been operating in Nurioopta since 1938, it is now managed by a daughter of the original owners. The bakery is situated at the end of what was once a very grand residence “The Gables” (below left) erected in the Art Deco Style. I loved the beautiful windows and doors throughout the house (below right) and bakery, and we both enjoyed our breakfast of poached eggs and salmon on sour dough bread. Very yummy.
We were aware that the Farmers Markets were on this morning in Angaston, so decided to have a look. It is a very crowded and popular place, spots for eating breakfast and snacks in front of the main building, and also inside. There was an enormous variety of foods to buy but as we had just had breakfast we had a browse then made off to our next stop at Seppeltsfield Winery.
Seppeltsfield Winery had been closed yesterday when we attempted a visit, so we decided to go back there today.
With a proud and priceless legacy dating back to 1851, Seppeltsfield is Australia’s most iconic wine estate. Seppeltsfield was established in the Barossa Valley by Joseph and Johanna Seppelt just 15 years after the European settlement of South Australia. One of the largest and most modern wineries in the world of its time, Seppeltsfield went on to thrive as an artisan community throughout the early 1900’s. Steeped in rich Barossan heritage, the estate is considered a true national treasure which helped shape the history of the Australian wine industry.
Seppeltsfield’s history is punctuated with many moments of visionary foresight. Seppeltsfield’s founder, Joseph Seppelt and his eldest son, Benno, were particularly renown for their longer term vision for the estate, closely following custodianship principles to ensure a legacy was passed on to future generations. This is no more evident than Benno Seppelt’s inception of the Centennial Cellar – a truly unique and unparalleled system of maturing single barrels of vintage Tawny for 100 years before release.
In 1866, plans to build a new bluestone cellar were started by Joseph. 12 years later in 1878 and following the passing of his father, Benno completed the stone cellars. In a gesture both unique and inspirational, Benno selected a puncheon of his finest wine and gave instructions that it was not to be bottled for 100 years. This single barrel of 1878 Tawny port was to remain maturing in a separate room within the bluestone cellars, untouched in the same location 100 years. This special room would go on to become the ‘Centennial Cellar’. Tasting room (left)
The tradition of laying down a barrel of the finest wine from each vintage was continued every year following and continues to do so today. The Centennial Cellar now comprises an unbroken lineage of every vintage from the current year back to 1878. Seppeltsfield remains the only winery in the world to release a 100 year old, single vintage wine each year. Remarkably, the winery also offers the opportunity for visitors to also taste and purchase their birth year Tawny. Part of Fino Restaurant (right)
Seppeltsfield is a massive operation, we went through the tasting rooms, the gallery with photographs of the original Seppeltsfield family, then made our way to the Makers Studios at the JamFactory. JamFactory is a unique not for profit cultural organisation, supporting and promoting outstanding design & craftsmanship through its widely acclaimed studios, galleries & shops for over 40 years.
JamFactory has facilities in Adelaide and in 2013, Seppeltsfield welcomed the opening of JamFactory to the Barossa estate – the first regional extension of JamFactory’s Adelaide origins and a new chapter to the region’s art tourism offering. The contemporary craft & design studios, gallery and shop is located within the Seppeltsfield estate itself and is housed in an historic 1850s stables building, which has been extensively renovated. Michael working on making leather belts (left)
JamFactory at Seppeltsfield provides a unique hub for craft and design in the Barossa. The facility provides studio space for professional artisans working in a variety of media, including knife making, ceramics, millinery, glass and leather. A separated walkway through the building allows visitors to meet the makers and view their skills in action; with public workshops available, providing a hands on experience. The gallery presents a diverse program of curated exhibitions showcasing local, national and international work by leading artists. The retail shop provides an extensive range of hand-crafted ceramics, furniture, glassware, jewellery and other collectables by pre-eminent Australian artists and designers. Rose-Anne shows Sandra how she sews leather shoes, bags etc (right)
There was also a fantastic exhibition of glassware and jewellery plus indigenous art, we were lucky to be able to spend some time looking at these wonderful works (left and below).
Some of the building is heritage listed, including part of the Makers Studios where we saw the leathermakers, this area was originally the stables where seventeen horses were kept, the walls are still marked with the numbers of the horses, and part of the floor and original door has been retained (above right).
By this time we were thinking of lunch, and it had been recommended to us that we try the Pindarie Vineyard. This turned out to be an excellent suggestion, the restaurant is perched on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful Barossa Valley and the mountains beyond. We tasted some wine, but as we were driving decided against having a glass (disappointing!) and shared a delicious Shepherd’s Platter with all types of meats, salads, dips, chutneys, dried fruit, cheeses……needless to say it is one of my favourite types of lunch, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a very beautiful area and although it was a sunny day the wind was still quite cool, but we decided to have our table on the lawn in full sun, and had such a relaxing time. As did the other patrons, a large crowd was obviously celebrating a special occasion, and it was a perfect place for children to play.
We had read about the Chateau Barossa and its collection of unique china ware, so decided to make this our next stop. It is a very impressive building, and they had some wonderful goods to buy plus wine to taste, but unfortunately the tours of the china collection is only at 11am each morning. We may go back tomorrow before we set off for Hahndorf. The gardens at the Chateau were quite splendid, again roses everywhere including a wonderful climbing rose, and it was relaxing wandering around the garden in the sunshine.
On our way back to our motel we stopped to take some photos of the beautiful roses that grow in profusion in many of the roads in the area, running alongside the vines.
Further along the road we saw the turnoff to Jacobs Creek and decided to take a look. It is set in beautiful grounds, and we were able to walk around for a while, have a taste of some of the wine, eat an icecream, before heading back to our motel – for a catnap!
Some of the numerous vines on the property (right), entrance (below left), wine display (below right) and scene from the tasting room (below centre)
Tonight will be our last night in the Barossa Valley, tomorrow we drive to Hahndorf before our last night in South Australia.
