The Vine Inn and Court Barossa Valley review | SA’s Great Travel Planner

After a day driving around the Barossa as the designated driver it’s clear what I need as we pull into our accommodation. A proper drink. The Vine Court in Nuriootpa has a tasty selection.

After a day driving around the Barossa as the designated, water-sipping driver – we’ve been to Lyndoch and Tanunda, to Angaston via a detour up Mengler’s Hill, taken far too many side-roads to this winery or that, and now we’ve come to Nuriootpa – it’s clear what I need as we pull into our overnight accommodation.

A proper drink.

Fortunately, we’re staying at The Vine Court in Nuriootpa, which has at close hand a very tasty selection of the necessaries.

First up, there’s a Sip n Save bottle shop behind its sister hotel, the Vine Inn. It looks just like any other bottle-o but once you start peering into its wine racks and fridges, you find it’s got a massive range of local and overseas wines you’d be lucky to find in one place in Adelaide.

Then there’s a pleasant surprise at the nearby Foodland, which if you’re looking for something to nibble with your bottle, has more choice of fancy cheeses than you’d expect – good SA locals and an impressive range of the French variety.

A two-bedroom apartment.

But Nuriootpa isn’t your usual rural town. We’re in one of the world’s most famous wine regions, even if it always surprises me that such great wines can come from the same soil that raises all these gum trees.

So now the picnic basket is replenished, it’s time to check out our room in the centre of town, turn on the airconditioner, and put my feet up.

The Vine Inn has two large slices of Nuriootpa’s main street and we’re not in the main building, which is home to reception, the restaurant and the hotel rooms.

The spot we’ve been allocated is across the street, more or less, in what looks to have been an old motel, now refurbished. We have a two-bedroom apartment for the night, with a car park right in front.

It’s not super luxurious but it is roomy and comfortable. There’s a flat screen television and some pay-TV channels (although for some reason I couldn’t locate the ABC) and a couple of couches to lie on and relax. Alongside is a kitchen with a dining table, a fridge and a stovetop, microwave, but no dishwasher or oven.

There’s two separate bedrooms, each with a bathroom with shower and toilet, so no need to share with the kids if they’ve come along. The bed was fine and if you don’t like airconditioning, there are overhead fans.

The room is well located for a walk along the main street, although they must be a serious church-going lot around here because not much was open on Sundays, especially in the morning.

Perhaps that accounted for the quietness of the vast dining room at the Vine Inn, where we popped in for a big country breakfast and had it almost to ourselves.

But if the town itself is quiet on a Sunday, you don’t need to drive far to find plenty more good food and wine experiences.

It’s five minutes to the Penfolds local cellar door, which – for a price – offers the opportunity for you to make your own blend, or do a tasting of Grange. And well-known names like Maggie Beer and Peter Lehmann are only a few minutes further away.

The Vine Inn and Court are well-placed for an exploration of the many charms of the Barossa.

Reviews are unannounced and paid for by SAWeekend.

This review was first published in March 2017 and details updated in March 2021.

• Murray Street, Nuriootpa
• [phone]
• vineinn.com.au
• LOCATION 77km northeast of Adelaide.
• ACCOMMODATION Executive style rooms.
• FACILITIES Bistro, bar, conference facilities, functions for up to 300 people, gaming, gardens, pool, bottle shop. Internet, flat screen TVs, airconditioning.
• PRICE From $125