Adelaide – Sumptuous Barossa reds and the Crush Festival at Adelaide Hills

Also home to Sir Don Bradman, Adelaide is called the city of churches (we didn’t visit any) and is the capital of the state of South Australia and 5^th largest city in Australia.

What’s probably more interesting is that it is known for its beaches (didn’t hit these up either), festivals and is surrounded by areas that produce the best (and most) of Australian wines with Barossa valley as the crown jewel and other popular regions like McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Adelaide Hills.



Adelaide Hills as viewed from the 'Bird in Hand' winery



Adelaide also hosts the Santos Down Under Bicycle tour and once hosted the Australian Formula 1 GP before it moved to Melbourne. The Adelaide Oval is a regular fixture on the Cricket tours and it was here the Aussies started losing control of the Ashes in December 2010. Amongst other festivals, it is home to Carnivale, Guitar-, Fringe-, Film- and Crush- (Wine & Food) festivals (yes – we were there for THAT one!).

Barossa Valley - After Napa and Sonoma, we had been a tad disappointed by Hunter Valley (near Sydney) with regards to the wine and came here with reasonable expectations but Barossa did not disappoint at all – if anything, it was quite the experience - to not have to stand with a crowd of people to taste wine and to be able to have lengthy conversations with owners and vintners, sipping their wine, free at most cellar doors.  One of them (‘Two Hands’ charged $5 but took us on a tasting journey consisting of 15 wines (wines from $30-300), all with sides of fantastic olive oil, aged Spanish prosciutto and fresh sourdough bread (for 5 bucks!!!)... And yet another, ‘Torbreck’, charged $5 if you bought nothing – these guys had a $700 bottle of wine that you could taste! (I believe one of the most expensive in Australia) - Needless to say we bought at almost every other winery we went to.

Our Barossa favourites: Rockford (www.rockfordwines.com.au), Torbreck (www.torbreck.com.au), Two Hands (www.twohands.com.au),

Unfortunately we were unable to make it to a number of others – like Rolf Binder – apparently has an amazing Shiraz called ‘Bulls Blood’... closed by the time we got to that one!

Crush Festival (Adelaide Hills) – Not quite like Barossa for reds but whites that were full of character and with 40 degree C (100-105 Fahrenheit), apart from a great Rockbare Shiraz, I stuck with the cool whites myself. Live bands, picturesque locations and food pairing was the order of the day - some of the best Pinot Gris I have ever tasted, with slow-roasted lamb – and wine and Danish ice cream and a the DJ spinning tunes on a gorgeous hillside.

Video while we sipped some grape juice at Rockbare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-3CIsKkaDg

Hahndorf – a beautiful town nestled in the Adelaide hills, is one of the oldest German settlements in Australia and looks like one; good German restaurants line the street that is surrounded by wine country. We visited a Cheese cellar door that offered some divine hand-made cheese – name of the place? ‘Udder Delights’ (www.udderdelights.com.au)J.

Our Adelaide Hills favourites: Rockbare, (www.rockbare.com.au), Bird in Hand,   (www.birdinhand.com.au), Lobenthal Road (www.lobenthalroad.com.au), & Nepenthe (www.nepenthe.com.au)

For More photos from our Adelaide trip, please visit: http://priyankaandankurdownunder.shutterfly.com/pictures/47

Australia Day Celebrations...

Australia Day is celebrated annually on 26 January to commemorate the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland. Apparently some people, most of indigenous heritage also refer to it with other names like ‘Invasion Day’J.

For us, it was a mid-summer day off with tons to do as it is a day (fortunately like many others) that Sydney really comes to life.

Sydney ferries@finish line-view from Gautam-Piyali's place (McMahons Pt.)

Sydney Ferry Race – a number of Sydney green-and-gold ferries, that typically carry passengers across the harbour, race with each other from Shark Island to the Sydney Harbour Bridge which serves as the finish line. Hundreds of motor vessels and sail boats come out to follow the race and the harbour is lined with boats. Gautam and Piyali’s apartment was the perfect viewing pad – located on the 16^th floor of a water-front building with a view of the city, bridge, opera house and the harbour.

Vintage Car Rally – hundreds vintage cars (and pick-ups, fire-trucks and buses) lined Macquarie, College and Bent streets in Sydney with a large number of American antiques... not enough Italian or German representation, I thought.

Darling Harbour Fireworks

BBQ and concerts in Hyde Park – Live events, BBQ and other foods for sale along with the typical offerings of beer and wine and with temperatures above 30 degrees  (~90 Fahrenheit), along with the shade seemed to hit a note with Sydney-siders who flocked here by the thousands calm and cool.

Finale at Darling Harbour (yes – this is Australia and its spelt harbour) – Fantastic fireworks accompanied by music at darling harbour topped the day but only after the girls took some time off to get manicures and pedicures while the guys played table-tennis!