Day Trip: Wine Touring

Taking weekend visitors under your wing in Adelaide can only mean one thing: winery tour. But if you don’t have any visitors of your own in town this weekend, it’s perfectly acceptable to steal borrow someone else’s for the day. Put together a loose itinerary, get some drinks on ice, and then get going. That last part is important. Though not as important as packing good friends and good vibes.

Just a little bit of planning can go a long way. Here’s my handy five step guide to a great day out.

1. Choose your region. The beauty of Adelaide? You can rotate your way through the various regions as you rotate through visitors.

2. Decide on your venues. Just a rough plotting of points on a map will do. Or trust those in the know and from your first stop simply follow the cellar door manager’s tip of where to go next. And so on from there.

3. Book your lunch spot. Confirm your lunch spot. Allow for getting seriously behind schedule. It happens on every wine tour. Especially if you stop at the local taphouse. And then order onion rings, even though they're not on the menu. And inevitably loose track of time while sampling the new brew on tap. Mmmm VALE/DRK..

So program the restaurant’s phone number in your phone and politely let them know just how late you’ll be.

4. Get in the spirit. Ask questions. Taste something you ‘don’t usually drink’. Sign the guestbook. Take a few photos. Your memories toward the end of the day might start to get a little bit hazy.

5. On the way home? Crank the stereo. Break open some salty treats. Don’t be tempted to drink your nice new purchases, finish off the beers in the esky instead. And when you arrive back at your drop off point.. Don’t forget to tip your driver!