Australia’s outstanding wine regions offer so much more than just impeccable wines and beautiful vineyards. Journey beyond the cellar door for meaningful experiences that are fascinating, immersive and sometimes even a little bit quirky. Read on for six adventures at some of Australia’s premium wineries that form part of the Ultimate Winery Experiences collective.
Tasting in the Dark, Hardys Tintara
At world-famous Hardys Tintara in McLaren Vale, South Australia, take a journey deep into the darkness of the Hardys private cellars to find out how removing the sense of sight influences the wine experience. This fun and interactive Tasting in the Dark experience engages the senses like no other, as your host guides you through the wine tasting process and helps you gain a deeper understanding of your own palate and truly elevate your wine experience.
Taste Your Birth Year, Seppeltsfield
The Seppeltsfield Taste Your Birth Year tour in South Australia’s beautiful Barossa Valley offers the rare opportunity for visitors to try their own birth year vintage Tawny, directly from the barrel. Join one of the Seppeltsfield wine educators in the renowned Centennial Cellar and sip on a wine as old (or young…) as you are. Discover why sometimes in life it is best to be the oldest in your group! Here in the Centennial Cellar is one of those times when you taste directly from the barrel of your birth year – a fascinating insight into the aging process of premium fortified wine.
Yalumba Cooperage Tour, Yalumba
Legendary Yalumba in South Australia’s Eden Valley boasts the only on-site winery cooperage in Australia and one of just five in the world. This experiential adventure begins with a tour of the winery and a history of the family owners, the Hill-Smiths. Next, you’ll gain a rare insight into the craft of wine barrel-making, a century-old tradition at Yalumba. Depending on the time of year, you could witness firsthand the Coopers hard at work preparing or maintaining wine barrels for Yalumba’s fine wines. Finish up in the Wine Room for a tasting of five wines, featuring varieties iconic to both Yalumba and the Barossa.
Bush Tucker Tasting, Mandoon Estate
The Swan Valley region in Western Australia holds a truly special history influenced by the traditional owners of the land. Mandoon Estate, situated on Noongar land, offers a unique opportunity to listen to the stories of the area and learn about local indigenous food and culture from Noongar Elder, Dale Tilbrook. Taste some traditional bush food with Dale and listen to stories from decades past about indigenous farming methods and the history of the Noongar peoples from this ancient land. Did you know that The Wadjuk had lived in “Man-done” – a woodland or place of tree thickets – and harvested the wealth of this valley for thousands of years?
A Tavola! Cooking School, Pizzini Wines
Join Katrina Pizzini in a hands-on cooking class which will leave you relaxed, empowered and inspired by the end of your session. All cooking classes are taught in the purpose-built A tavola! Cooking School at Pizzini Wines in Victoria’s stunning King Valley, and run for approximately four hours. Learn to master the art of making ‘Pastries and Puds’ or create the perfect ‘Pasta, Gnocchi and Risotto’! Click here to see full descriptions of the various standard and speciality classes on offer throughout the year and to book your place.
St Hugo and Riedel Masterclass
Next time you sip on your favourite wine, consider how the glassware influencers your experience. During the St Hugo and Riedel Masterclass you’ll find out just why a varietal-specific wine glass is a vital component for enjoying wine to its fullest, and how the shape of a glass draws different characters and personality from each of the four St Hugo favourites. Whether you’re a novice or aficionado, you’ll learn something new in this intriguing masterclass, in South Australia’s beguiling Barossa Valley.
How to win a case of Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier from Yalumba
Here’s your chance to win a case of Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier. Showcasing the coolness of the Eden Valley high country, this is a smooth and sophisticated Shiraz with beautiful aromatics that come from the addition of the exotic Viognier varietal.
Comment below and tell us which of the six unique Australian wine experiences featured in this article you would most like to take part in and why.
A winner will be chosen in early October 2022.
The competition closes on 30 September 2022.
19 Responses
They are all very interesting but I think it would be taste your birth year at Seppeltsfield although my birth year would probably need decanting and filtering!
Taste Your Birth Year,
My year of birth was 1967 Procull haram whiter shade of pale was Number one .!
A whiter shade of Pale let alone points in he right direction .
Followed by the words…
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray.
What more can I say this is written in the stars that I dearly to experience first hand.
Add to this statement….
Procol Harum–the name, roughly translated from Latin, means ”beyond these things”–
I WILL JUST LEAVE THAT THERE …🌅👍🌈🙏😇
Bush Tucker Tasting would most definitely be an experience to treasure and remember always. An absolutely fascinating glimpse into traditional and indiginous ways of life, brilliant.
I’d love any & all of the tastings but the unique real Australian experience it would have to be the bush tucker tasting
I would most like to take part in the Taste Your Birth Year, Seppeltsfield as next year is a special birthday for me.
It would have to be the St Hugo and Riedel Masterclass for me. I’ve always wondered why you should use very different glasses for different wines. It would fascinating to learn from the experts and to see if I could taste the difference…
Bush Tucker tasting , Mandoon estate , I love the idea of foraging and using what is seasonal and available locally and then matching some fresh great tasting wines from the estate while listen to local folk lore and stores handed down from generations ago
Bush Tucker tasting sounds like fun,
The history , the folklore the Aussie Sun.
A mystical mix on which i’d dote,
It’s certainly the treat that gets my vote.
Two main reasons.
Anything that adds to the experience of drinking great wines is desirable.
Anything that adds to your knowledge is always welcome and improves your life.
As I,m of a rare vintage it would be a Taste Your Birth Year, Seppeltsfield .
Taste Your Birth Year, Seppeltsfield.
Got to be the best option, though would be great to have the time and the opportunity to try them all!
When you get the chance to taste wine made in your year of birth:
it instantly personalizes the experience,
you get a sense of belonging,
a sense of ownership,
you are going to want to buy some and take it home to enjoy on future birthdays,
you’ll follow the story of that particular wine,
you could gift some of what you purchase to friends born the same year for their birthdays, or at least give them a glass of yours on their birthday as a special treat,
you could connect with others who share your birth year and have taken the same tasting experience to form a little club where you can meet up, share the wine, and reminisce about your birth year and all your formative experiences through life,
likewise you could join a club with others who have different birth years and sample their wines at get togethers – maybe you’ll prefer another year’s vintage!
you would recommend the tasting experience to others for the same reasons.
I was born in 1966, the year England won the World Cup.
A great year to remember.
And keep remembering.
And keep celebrating, year after year, with a very special wine that reflects it.
Having had a few wine tastings in France I am intrigued by the tasting in the dark.
My choice would be to taste my birth year. I tried to do this in Madeira, but they told me that 1947 was a bad year and there was no madiera wine available with that date! I had to make do with a 1948. Great, but not the same at all!
Let’s hope that 1947 was a brilliant year in Australia!
‘Taste Your Birth Year’ HAS to be the one for me. What an opportunity that would be!
Difficult decision. On reflection though, it’s the Bush Tucker tasting for me.
There’s so much to be learned from local indigenous people about their food and culture.
I would feel honoured to have this experience.
Bush tucker tasting Mandoon Estate would be very interesting .
The Yalumba Cooperage Tour at Yalumba. Making wooden barrels looks like a complex craft and I’d like to know more about this age old process: being able to taste Yalumba and Barossa wines sounds pretty good too!
Taste Your Birth Year, Seppeltsfield
For me this would be the obvious choice. I was born in 1948 exactly one week before our beloved new king – Charles III. I trust his reign will last for many years and I will be around to watch and enjoy many significant events within the Royal Family.
1948 is also famous for the National Health Service in England and Wales which as the second largest single payer health service in the world has saved many lives – including my own. I cannot imagine life without it. It is a major event in our social history and we have much to be proud of.
The first computer program was executed on the ‘Manchester Baby’ computer in 1948 and consisted of seventeen instructions – a program which calculated the highest factor of the integer 2^18 = 262,144 and ran on a digital, electronic stored program computer. A small step but look how far we have come since then!
On a lighter note Scrabble was trademarked in 1948…. The Word ‘WINE’ would get me seven points… significant for me as I was born on the 7th of the month!
So, it has to be Taste Your Birth Year for me!
I’d opt for the A tavola! Cooking School at Pizzini Wines experience as I have literally just returned totally enthused from a hands-on cookery course in Andalucía. Despite thinking I was a pretty decent cook, I learned so much from Chef Carlos on how to cook traditional Spanish food. So I’d love to join the Pizzini Paella and Tapas class to see an Australian slant on Spanish dishes and try Australian wine with the food instead of Rioja.
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