Back in mid November in 2015 I had the opportunity to go along to one of several ‘instameets’ hosted by Qantas to celebrate their #feelslikehome campaign. The Adelaide leg of this week long journey around Australia was to explore what South Australia is famous for – wineries!
Last week I showed you a few vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, but for this instameet, we were headed to a different region – the stunning Barossa Valley.
If you fancy yourself a bit of a wine aficionado – you will surely have heard of the Barossa and Clare Valley regions. If not, these regions are famous for producing some of the most incredible wines around and that is not an exaggeration. A Barossa Valley shiraz was crowned the best in the entire world last year! South Australians know how to do wine, and we know how to do it damn well.
So who was I to pass up getting to explore this stunning region and taste some gorgeous local wines along the way?
The first stop of the day was to the gorgeous Maggie’s Farm Shop. Maggie Beer is an icon in Australia and famous for her quince paste, pheasant pate and burnt fig ice cream. We arrived late in the morning and the lighting over the vines was absolutely stunning.
While I was photographing the vines I stumbled into a patch of ridiculously flattering lighting – so it was only natural that I took the opportunity to take a few self portraits!
Next it was time to head inside and to my surprise, time to meet the amazing Maggie Beer herself! Maggie oozes grace, charm, warmth and sincerity. It isn’t hard to see why she is such a well-loved Aussie icon.
After downing some booze-free bubbles (surprisingly good) and some amazing mushroom and verjuice pate finished with a glorious burnt fig ice cream, it was time to go exploring the beautiful grounds surrounding the restaurant.
After not too long myself and a few other instagrammers came to a stunning olive grove. Another gorgeously scenic and photogenic place. The sun had gone into hiding at the time, which gave the place a slightly eerie vibe.
We then decided to move on and head to the vines for some more beautiful pictures.
When I said the grounds were beautiful – I meant it. Although we were headed to the vines, we just had to stop at so many gorgeous places along the way!
Then finally we made it back to the beautiful vines.
After what felt like no time at all it was time to leave Maggie Beer and head onto the next destination – Seppeltsfield Winery.
The Seppelt family settled in the Barossa in 1851 – over 160 years ago – and have been proud winemakers ever since. The estate and vineyards are some of the most beautiful in all of the Barossa Valley, and thus made an excellent stop for a bunch of photography enthusiast instagrammers.
First things first, it was time for a cellar door tour.
Each year Seppeltsfield produce a special reserve wine to be kept and aged for an entire century! I was able to get a picture with the reserve produced the same year I was born – 1993.
After finishing up the cellar tour, we headed out to explore the beautiful and expansive grounds.
Then it was off to taste some beautiful wines and then start the drive all the way back to Adelaide.
T H E L O W D O W N
Qantas Instameet: Big thanks to Qantas for an amazing day!
Maggie Beers Farm Shop: From the Adelaide CBD it is a lovely 70 minute drive to the Farm Shop
Seppeltsfield: This vineyard is just a stones throw from the Farm Shop
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm M.Zuiko Pro Lens
Threads: I am wearing the gorgeous ‘Turkish Baths’ maxi by Aussie label Tigerlily, my well worn ‘Arizona’ Birkenstocks and a vintage ring
Remember: That the best wine comes from Adelaide!