What to do in the Barossa this summer

The Barossa is a fantastic place to visit year-round, with each season having its own perks. If you are planning on visiting the Barossa this summer, we’ve put together some information that might be handy and some insider tips and thoughts on what to see and do while you’re here enjoying the area – live like a local for a few days.

IT’S WARMING UP!

It gets quite a bit warmer during the day, and we begin to enjoy evenings outside: wining, dining and socialising.

Summer gives us seas of green canopies in the vineyard, in stark contrast to the golden paddocks of grain stubble following harvest in December. In our vineyard there is a growing canopy of green, as the leaves keep growing to protect the bunches of grapes that continue to grow towards ripening. If you are here in late summer, you may see some early grape picking occurring (we sometimes start our Chardonnay in February depending on the weather.)

LIVE LIKE A LOCAL – TIPS FROM OUR STAFF

 

Tips from our Cellar Door Host, Cameron Malouf:

What is your favourite place to visit within the Barossa, during summer?
Usually anywhere cool is the key for me. The walking and biking trails around the Barossa are so beautiful at this time of year so if the temperature is a little kind the Barossa Bush Gardens is a nice central place to have a relaxing stroll or grab your mountain bike and head for Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park and tear up some amazing trails. Of course to freshen up afterwards, Seppeltsfield Road Distilling is a nice place to unwind with a cool cocktail of perch yourself at the bar at Western Ridge Brewing for a quenching ale.

If you had friends or family visiting during summer, where is the one spot in the Barossa you would take them?
Elderton Wines and Small Victories Wine Co of course! The one food destination would be Vintners Bar and Grill for a great ever-changing menu, brilliant wine list and superb service. If it was a Saturday I would rally the troops for an early morning trip to the Farmers Markets and then adjourn to Vintners for a lazy lunch.

Your wine tip for summer – what will you be drinking?
From the Elderton stable I’ve been really enjoying the 2021 Eden Valley Riesling and 2021 Barossa Semillon. I’m also enjoying the Small Victories 2021 Pinot Gris served ice cold or the Small Victories 2021 Shiraz in the door of the fridge, chilled is a great juicy pasta or pizza wine for warm summer evenings. Other tasty summer bevvies at my place are a cheeky Muscadet from Jerome Betaudeau, William Fevre St Bris Sauvignon Blanc or perhaps a super chilled Maconnaise Chardonnay. If all else fails though, a crisp lager is always pleasingly refreshing!

WHERE TO ENJOY BAROSSA OUTDOOR DINING

Outdoor dining throughout summer in the Barossa is so lovely. Here’s a few spots in the Barossa to check out.

The outlook is gorgeous from the outdoor tables at Vintners Bar & Grill, between Nuriootpa and Angaston

Enjoy lunch on the terrace at Fino Seppeltsfield

Enjoy lunch or dinner in the beer garden or under the front verandah at The Greenock

WEATHER / WHAT TO PACK

The weather is heating up, and we have lots of sunshine and warm to hot days. Pleasant evenings are also ideal for outdoor dining (though you might need some bug spray). While average day temperatures are 26-29 Celsius, January and February generally bring more frequent hot days with temperatures of 30-36+ Celcius.

Barossa.com suggests, “Pack light clothing including short sleeved shirts, shorts, skirts and dresses. The sun can be very strong during the summer months, so hats and suncream are also helpful. Local tip: pack a pair of long pants and a sweater in case of a cool evening.”

WHAT’S ON IN SUMMER

So you’re planning your visit to the Barossa this summer– what’s on that you can add to your wine tasting itinerary?

If you’re up for some adventure, you can see the Barossa patchworks from above with a hot air balloon or helicopter flight.

In late February the community celebrates the Declaration of Vintage, by the Barons of the Barossa. The day includes a street procession with the Barons dressed in their ceremonial attire and is very interesting to see. It is a great community celebration with our great winemakers and grapegrowers – a great nod to tradition, with a view to the future of the Barossa.

Check out the suggested itineraries on Barossa.com https://www.barossa.com/visit/suggested-itineraries where you can explore arts, shopping, not just wine tasting and more!

For more events and tastings throughout the Barossa, check out the Event Calendar on Barossa.com.

AND OUR CELLAR DOOR, OF COURSE!

As always, we welcome you to our Cellar Door. We have a magnificent verandah, providing the perfect shaded spot for an afternoon glass of wine with a plate from our small tastes menu. And if it’s just too hot, a tasting experience inside in the aircon is the spot to be!

Summer is the perfect time for a hit of tennis, so maybe you’d be interested in our Taste, Set, Match experience – perfect for a small group of 4-6 people to enjoy a day in the life of Elderton! Start with a private tasting experience, followed by a friendly tennis match on our grass court at Cellar Door (along with a shaded spot to enjoy a bottle of wine and platter of our favourite local foods to share). Read more about this experience.

BAROSSA INFO

Barossa.com is also a wealth of information to help plan your visit –  from accommodation and transport, to dining and suggested itineraries. Check out http://www.barossa.com/visit.

When you are here, the Barossa Visitor Information Centre in the main street of Tanunda is also a great place to start for information. For a quick look at what is open over the festive season, the Visitor Centre have put together this handy pdf of opening hours of local Cellar Doors, places to eat and things to do.

If you’re one of our Elderton Commanders, then contact Jodhi in Cellar Door to access our concierge service, to help plan the perfect summer Barossa getaway. You can even use our pool, as a Commander reward!

Cheers!