Small taste of heaven

AN exclusive chauffeur-driven tour of the Barossa Valley's small wineries is a corker of an idea, writes Christina Pfeiffer.

Local icon ... from rust bucket to regal ride, John Baldwin's beloved Daimler was a wreck rescued from a farm. The car is now carriage for John's exclusive tours of Barossa's small wineries

A GLEAMING black Daimler pulls up at the driveway of Peppers The Louise and the six of us pile in. Our chauffeur and guide for the afternoon is wine specialist and Barossa Valley personality John Baldwin. It's a cosy fit in this 1962 beauty once used by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Left for a wreck on a farm before being rescued by John and faithfully restored, the Daimler is slowly becoming a Barossa Valley icon. John, who runs exclusive tours, is an expert on the area.

According to recent Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation statistics, Barossa Valley wine exports were up on the previous year by almost 20 per cent, admirable considering the current Australia-wide wine glut.

Home to some of Australia's top wine producers including Henschke, Peter Lehmann, Yalumba, Penfolds (grapes for Penfolds Grange are largely sourced from the Barossa Valley) and Jacob's Creek, perhaps some of this success could be attributed to the old vines planted by the area's original settlers in the 1840s. Today, we've given John the task of introducing us to some newer boutique wineries.

Our first stop is Chateau Tanunda, a stately 19th century blue-stone building where up-and-coming winemaker Tim Smith is waiting. Chateau Tanunda showcases wines produced by small, independent and mostly unknown winemakers who form part of the Barossa Small Winemakers Centre. Tim is personally supervising the tasting of his three wines.

Buying from local vineyards, he started by blending in his kitchen. In a few years he has progressed to exporting 90 per cent of his product to the US and UK.

Tim believes the secret of making good wine is ensuring you're in control of every stage of the process. We are impressed with his creations, and the connoisseurs among us place an order for several boxes.

Encouraged, we wander around the centre to find brands you wouldn't find in your local bottle shop; even local Nuriootpa High School has a wine for sale at $20 a bottle. Another small maker is Charlie Scalzi, an energetic Italian who produces 2000 cases each year from his picture-perfect God's Hill Vineyard.

John whirls us past rows of vineyards, from cellar door to cellar door, in his Daimler, while at the same time providing fascinating snippets of local history. Unlike the rest of Australia, which was settled for the most part by convicts, South Australia and the Barossa Valley attracted farmers, merchants and fortune-hunters. The Barossa, in particular, was popular with German settlers who planted grapevines, many of which survive.

At Burge Family Winemakers we meet Rick Burge, whose hands are stained with dark grape juices. A cousin of the better-known Grant Burge, Rick – along with his adorable pet goats Geeta and Meetu – provide us with a fascinating insight into life as a small winemaker.

We order more cartons of wine and dream of lazy Sunday afternoons back in Queensland where we will be able to enjoy drinking these bottles of red produced with such loving care.

Food is almost as important as wine in the Barossa Valley, and between cellar-door visits we snatch tastings of smoked meats from the butcher and home-made cakes and muffins at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop, set by a lake, a restful respite among the vineyards.

The area is dotted with historic buildings such as Collingrove Homestead, a stately home built in 1856 for John Howard Angas who was sent from England to manage his father's land holdings in the Barossa Valley. Now owned by the National Trust, it contains many original furnishings and the exterior, coach house and stables are almost unchanged.

Rendezvous House, a renovated homestead of polished floorboards and white-washed walls which serves as an art gallery and restaurant, displays local modern art and a fresh, creative menu.

The writer visited South Australia as a guest of the South Australia Tourism Commission and Peppers The Louise, Barossa Valley

Sunday Mail (QLD)