In the main street of Angaston

Determined that we were not going to spend all day out and about today, and knowing that most wineries didn't open until 10:a.m., we set ourselves a target of around that time to head out from the park.

We said farewell to Kevin and Helen, a Western Australian couple that we enjoyed drinks with last night just before that time and we managed to be heading up toward Nuriootpa by about 10:15a.m.

Our first winery to call on was be The Willows Vineyard but when we arrived at the gateway, we found it didn't open until 10:30a.m. and we were a little early.

To fill in time we drove a little further out of Nuriootpa to the Wolf Blass winery, but on arrival found there was a bicycle race being hosted and conducted from their visitors centre so we decided to leave them to it.

Pammy ploughing rocks in Angaston

By this time The Willows Vineyard would have been open so we returned there and drove down the fairly long driveway passed the main house (which we were told was once a hospital) and on to the small,l but charming, tasting cellar.

Our visit to this winery was the result of some very good advice form our good friend Eddie who we consider to be an expert on where to find good wines, and he was right once again.

We were the only people there at that time and we were greeted by a friendly lady who looked after us very well. When we mentioned Eddie had suggested this winery to us, she exclaimed that he was a good customer of theirs and she had just recently dispatched an order of their wines to him. This made us think we didn't need to buy any, we could just visit Eddie and Jean when we get home.

However after a tasting of a couple of their whites and another couple of reds, they tasted so good we had to buy some for ourselves. So with a big bend in the credit card and half a dozen good reds (at $23 per bottle) in a box, we managed to get out of the cellar and on our way once more.

From here we made our way down to Angaston where we parked in the main street and took a walk around the shopping area. (Fortunately there we no Settler Bear shops in this town).Along the way we called in to a Cheese makers shop and sampled some soft cheeses, both goat and cow products and after a while, purchased a very nice camembea made from the cows milk from the Barossa Valley. The next shop we called in to was an IGA store where a little meat and a few other small items were purchased for tonights dinner.

Bottoms up in Schilds Estate - Lyndoch

Our first call in Lyndoch was to Schilds Estate cellar door where another couple of whites were sampled, (or more like 'Thrown down very quickly') along with a couple of reds that were very elegantly tasted. (That's my story anyway!) With Pammy really liking the Fronignac, she ended up with a couple bottles as there was a saving of $4 off each bottle when purchasing two bottles. With the money saved on the riesling, we purchased four bottles of Shiraz as well as this was only $35 per bottle. Nothing like making savings on wine purchases and those saving must be used very constructively.

Interestingly enough, the shiraz purchased was harvested from the top of the hill and was far superior to another tasted that came from the same grape vines in the same paddock and the same year, but the $20 bottle shiraz was from the bottom of the hill and did not produce the same body and flavours. Obviously the best wine came from drier vines and maybe a little different soil as well, but a huge difference in taste and flavour.

Feeling pleased with our purchases from Schilds Estate, we decided to make one more call and that was to the Yaldara Estate winery which was just out of Lyndoch, so off we went and pulled up in the car park outside the very elegant building that looks like it has been there for centuries, however we do know it was really constructed around 1960.

We have been to this winery previously but do like the facade and gardens, and Pammy likes the wine as well. She fronted the bar and tasted some more white wines and yes, she did find one that she liked, a late picked Traminer Riesling with a price tag of $25 for a 500ml bottle. She figured she could use some of the savings made on the purchase of the two bottles from Schilds to pay for this one....

There were also a couple of good full bodied shiraz tasted and it was a little difficult to decide which one to take, so one bottle at $35 and another G4 Farms Shiraz at $45 was also added to the purchase. Well we have to agree with the print out on the bottom of the receipt issued when it says: 'Life's too short to drink bad wines' and although that is an old saying, it really does ring true when you are in the beautiful Barossa Valley.

Before leaving the Yaldara Estate complex Pammy found her way into an Opal Shop that had a great display of opals and other souvenirs. The 'Other One' just wasn't fast enough to keep her out, but when she saw his tears as she was looking at all these opals, she did have some pity on him and just made a purchase or two of the items that were much closer to his budget capabilities.

Been there- Done that at Yaldara Estate