CITY OF FOOD & WINE

ASwe fly into Australian air space we observe the land mass below that is still under water from widespread flooding across the state. What is it about Australia –it’s either floods, fires or drought?

We’re quickly through immigration and with our luggage loaded we head for the city. Approaching the CBD there is something uniquely familiar about this urban sprawl. The wide majestic tree lined avenues, open gardens and easy to navigate grid remind us of what Christchurch once was before the earthquake.

Enter Colonel William Light: a distinguished military officer who designed Adelaide and Christchurch 200-years ago. Thanks to the Colonel’s bold vision and forward thinking Adelaide today airs a feeling of wide open spaces and independence. Back then the Colonel could not have imagined that he was laying the foundations for creating one of Australia’s most gastronomic regions producing fresh gourmet produce and some of the world’s finest wines.

With backdrops of the Adelaide

Hills to the east and the Gulf St Vincent to the west, the city offers its million plus inhabitants life in a Mediterranean climate and a blissful lifestyle. Set amid fertile valleys and pastures and an unspoiled coastline, Adelaide is undoubtedly one of the most liveable cities in Australia.

Often referred to as the city of churches and with more restaurants per capita than any other Australian city, Adelaide could easily be referred to as the city of restaurants with some of the best wines in its backyard. With just five short days we decided to make a meal of it.

For those wanting to build up an appetite a walk along Gouger Street, Adelaide’s undisputed eat street is a great place to start a culinary tour. Centrally located and easily accessible by foot, the area brings a wealth of alfresco dining with first class restaurants, bars and cafes.

We started our culinary journey with a stroll through the Adelaide Central Markets, a 150-year-old twoacre cosmopolitan European style food court located in the heart of the city serving 150,000 customers a week. With over 250 colourful stalls under one roof this is a mecca for foodies. Selling everything from artisan cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables to charcuterie and seafood, the markets are an integral part of city life and what’s in season that guarantees to excite the taste buds.

Next, the National Wine Centre: the showcase of South Australia’s multi- million dollar wine industry. Situated in the Botanic gardens, the National Wine Centre displays 40,000 bottles of wine in its cellars. This is the out-and-out place to learn all the basics of wine and the growing regions in South Australia. Barossa, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills in the north to McLaren Vale and Coonawarra to the south. All are within city limits making for perfect day trips.

We devote the afternoon with a visit to Adelaide’s best known and favourite beach. A short 15-minute tram ride from the CBD is Glenelg, Adelaide’s premier seaside destination and home to some of South Australia’s most expensive real estate. Synonymous with white sandy beaches, wide ocean views and stunning sunsets, not to mention its vibrant restaurant and café brigade.

The following morning we rise early and set off for a day wine tour of the Barossa Valley, one of the world’s most famous wine regions renowned for its shiraz, grenache and cabernet sauvignon. The wines grown here are typically deep in colour and aroma, concentrated flavours and fine tannins. Its dry, undulating landscape could not be more Australian yet the principal influence on its cuisine and culture is from Europe. More reflective of the Barossa are the unlimited classics as Penfold, St Hallets, Seppeltfield, Wolf Blass, St Hugos, Jacobs Creek,

Peter Lehmann’s and Yalumba. The list is endless.

Next stop Eden Valley, a higher, cooler sub region to the south east 90-minutes from the CBD noted for its historic and rich heritage. A fertile wine region that’s home to over 40 cellar doors and some of the most award winning wines in the country. While well suited for red wines, the bony weathered hills are responsible for some of Australia’s finest riesling .

We begin the next day with a casual 20-minute drive to Adelaide Hills, South Australia’s coolest region and at one time considered Barossa’s poor cousin. It’s one of Australia’s fasted growing wine regions with over 60 cellar doors and a popular weekend destination for city dwellers.

Entering this extraordinarily beautiful almost alpine landscape is like entering another world. An enchanting drive up into the slopes of Mount Lofty Ranges the road twists and turns and then abruptly, as if emerging from a cloud burst, you’re suddenly surrounded by stone cottages, rolling pastures, orchards and vineyards.

Hahndorf, the original German settlement, makes much of its heritage. Now a busy little tourist town and just the sort of place to draw a breath and spend a few hours with a unhurried stroll to explore the arts and craftspeople, cafes, antique shops and food outlets.

We end the day with a visit to Port Adelaide on the city fringe and where the Navy ties up. We walk along the docks with its new cobbled streets and revived Victorian buildings that have been fully restored to their former glory. Oozing with maritime history, this waterside heritage precinct is a must do experience as are the Maritime, Aviation and Railway Museums. Every Sunday next to the iconic lighthouse, the Sunday markets is a popular haunt for bargain hunters wanting to check out the boutiques and curiosity shops.

25-minutes south from the city and part way to Fleurieu Peninsula is McLaren Vale with its burgeoning vineyards and intense swell of vineyards dotted with pretty, quaint cottages. The constant climate of warm sunny days and light sea breezes off the Gulf of St Vincent make for a perfect wine growing region. McLaren Vale is all about full bodied reds from vines planted over 150 years ago. Although much of the region’s wine growth has occurred on soils of inferior quality, the well-drained and shallow red soils of terra rossa make for some of the finest wines ever made in Australia.

Coonawarra thoroughly deserves its international reputation for its outstanding shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon as well as some wonderfully dry chardonnays. It’s also one of Australia’s most prolific olive oil regions, with cheeses, smallgoods, almond’s and berries thrown in for good measure. Not to be outdone, the region has evolved into a buzzing theme park of restaurants, cafés and wine bars and is a magnet for the food and wine buffs that frequent here.

Just 145km long and 57km at its widest point is Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island. Located 13km off the southern coast the island is home to 5,000 locals and considered one of Australia’s last wildernesses with an abundance of native flora and fauna.

Named by famous explorer Matthew Finders after his meat- starved crew tucked into a hearty meal of kangaroos that greeted them on the foreshore when they landed on the beach.

Crammed with kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, sea lions, penguins, fur seals and 250m species of birds, the island also boasts some of the best crayfish in South Australian waters. Sadly in 2019 much of the wildlife and homes were destroyed by fires reducing the island to sandy dunes and charred trees but thanks to the resilience of the locals the island has quickly regenerated.

With so much to see and do Adelaide deserves more than five days. Over that time we explored many of regions unique sights, tasted some exceptional cellar doors and sampled some exquisite cuisine while raising our glasses along the way! 

Need To Know

Getting there: Air New Zealand fly four times per week direct from Auckland www.airnewzealand.co.nz

Getting around: Rental car is the best option

Places of interest: Bradman Collection, Botanic Gardens, Port Adelaide, Colonel Light’s Lookout, Carrick Hill, Mount Lofty Summit, Ayres House, Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Art Gallery, St Peters Cathedral, Railway Museum, Adelaide Oval, Haigh’s Chocolates, National Wine Centre

Best shopping: Rundle Street Mall

Background reading: Adelaide a brief history by Kathyn Gargett and Susan Marsden, South Australia Lonely Planet by Denis O’Bryne

Other information: South Australia Tourism Commission southaustralia.co.nz