The Epicurean Way road trip: Hahndorf to the Barossa Valley

FEAST YOUR WAY THROUGH THE CULINARY HEART OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA ALONG THE EPICUREAN WAY ROAD TRIP.

Grab your picnic basket and esky and journey through the iconic wine regions of McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare Valley. Let your taste buds lead the way along the Epicurean Way road trip as you sip and dine your way through South Australia’s best wineries, restaurants and artisan produce. Download the Epicurean Way road trip map and take yourself on a deliciously decadent drive. Here’s our guide to the best things to see, do and most importantly taste along the way between Hahndorf and Nuriooptpa (the Barossa Valley).

HAHNDORF TO NURIOOPTPA

Woodside Cheese Wrights

The perfect accompaniment to your freshly picked fruit? Award-winning artisan cheese crafted with milk straight from the Adelaide Hills. From gooey to crumbly, creamy and sharp, Woodside Cheese Wrights create seasonal cheeses using locally sourced goat, cow and buffalo milk. Tastings are a must (calcium is important after all, right?) and you can even try your hand at the art of cheese making during a masterclass. If you’re in need of a sweet treat afterward, head next door and stock up on locally made chocolates at the Willy Wonka-worthy Melbas Chocolate Factory in Woodside.

Lot 100, Mismatch Brewing Co 

LOT 100, home to Mismatch Brewing Co, is all about sustainability and transparency, and their craft beers are no exception. With their brewery located onsite in the Adelaide Hills, their 84-hectare property has a cellar door and restaurant and run tours through the Mismatch Brewing distillery. Sample their refreshing brews including lager, ale and chocolate stout all using quality natural ingredients. Lot 100 is just a 40-minute drive from Adelaide through the beautiful Adelaide Hills.

Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo Wines 

It’s been a while between drinks and with any luck, you’re not on designated driver duties for this road trip because more boozy goodness awaits at Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo Wines. Hidden among the Northern Adelaide Hills in an old 1920s coldstore in Gumeracha, wine, gin and cocktails await. Enter a labyrinth of distilling rooms and watch how the cellar door’s incredible range of wines and gin are made. When you’re done, chill out in the super-stylish bar and tasting area, sipping Applewood cocktails, Unico Zelo wines, wine and spirit flights, and of course, bar nibbles. Take your time tasting your way through all of the foodie offering of the Adelaide Hills and cosy up nestled in nature at one of the best places to stay in the Adelaide Hills including Mount Lofty House, Pavilions at Lenswood or Ode to Orchard.

Maggie Beer's Farm Shop and The Farm Eatery

Still hungry and thirsty? Perfect, because the next stop is one of the world’s best wine regions, the Barossa. No visit to the Barossa is complete without stopping in at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, and with a new restaurant on site it’s an unmissable stop on the Epicurean Way road trip. Take a seat at the table of South Australian culinary royalty for a long lunch featuring the Barossa’s best produce. Pioneered by daughter Elli Beer, The Farm Eatery is a modern casual restaurant, showcasing the Beer family’s quintessential South Australian cooking style. Want to learn to recreate the incredible dishes for yourself? Book in for a cooking class with head chef Tim and learn to make the farm’s signature dishes or choose from classes specialising in handmade cheese, artisan bread, pasta, pickles and preserves, and even plant-based cooking.

Seppeltsfield

Speaking of Barossa legends, next stop is iconic winery, Seppeltsfield. Arguably the Barossa’s most iconic winery, spend the afternoon sipping wine as old (or young) as you. Founded in 1851, today the historic bluestone cellars of Seppeltsfield produce a plethora of award-winning wines which stand tall among the world’s best, including the sublime 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny. For an extra special experience, drink in the history of Seppeltsfield and descend into stone cellars dating back to 1878 to taste your own birth-year Tawny directly from the barrel, guided by a Seppeltsfield wine educator in the beautiful Centennial Cellar. If you’ve worked up an appetite sipping your way around Seppeltsfield, take a seat at the home of progressive regional dining: Fino Seppeltsfield. Located in the heart of Seppeltsfield Estate, it shares the original 1900s bottling hall with Seppeltsfield’s cellar door and serves contemporary regionally sourced cuisine. Be sure to stop by Seppeltsfield Rd Distillers afterwards for a gin flight.

El Estanco

From Friday night fiesta's that see people gather over a glass of vino and wood-fired pizzas, to pastry chef Cheryse Zagler's mouth-watering pastries adorned with fresh and dried botanicals - there is something for everyone at El Estanco. The restaurant has a uniquely South American flavour and flare with owners Abby Osborne and Julian Velasquez focusing on ethically sourced produce and sustainable practices. El Estanco is housed in a newly renovated 1890's property in the heart of Greenock and caters for breakfast, lunching and Friday night dinners. 

Hentley Farm

Globally acclaimed for its excellence in culinary service, Hentley Farm is a single estate boutique winery nestled amid rolling hills in the west of the Barossa Valley. In keeping with the local theme, it's always a plus to be eating out of an 1880s stable converted into a contemporary modern restaurant!