Cellar Door Fest in Adelaide

Earlier this month I went to Cellar Door Fest in Adelaide. Located over the weekend, at the Exhibition Centre, it was a great opportunity to meet winemakers as well as of course taste their wines. Talking to producers is so enlightening. You are able to speak to people who are directly responsible for their product; emotionally and financially.

Some wineries I knew from previous tastings I attended and from working for Liquor Barons Swanbourne Cellars. Other wineries I had seen were at recent Adelaide events like Ferment the Festival and Beer & Bubbles.

Vinteloper: What was unique about this stand (as well as their cool labels) was the fact they had Sauvignon Blanc grapes in a wooden crate and at 7pm they opened it up to the public to stomp them (crush the grapes). This was common practice in Portugal at the time of vintage for making Port. Machines have replaced much of this work but I believe stomping by feed still does exist. Anyway, it was a great idea to showcase ‘traditional’ wine making and get the public involved. I love their sense of creativity and the wines are so fresh and vibrant and it was good to meet the winemaker, Akira.

Ulithorne: I’ve come to know the Ulithorne brand well over the years through tastings with Sarah Cecchi of Tirage wines who distributes them to WA. Plus the wines have shown up well on panel tastings that I used to attend. The GM Ryan Kinghorn explained the wines and styles to me. I didn’t taste all the wines but the ones I did were vibrant, fresh with depth and just wonderful.

Cellar Door Fest Adelaide

Dowie Doole: I heard positive reviews about the company and I was keen to meet the team. I loved the rosé especially. I believe it was $19 and at this price, it is perfect and great for summer!

Jeanneret: I’ve tasted some of their Rieslings before so I was keen to try more of the range and speak to the team. Lovely and bright yet textured at the same time. I’ll need to head up to the Clare Valley and visit the cellar door.

Hustle and Vine:  I met the winemaker, Andrew who was a  friendly guy. They make two wines which are ideal for easy drinking. I like their marketing and branding and wish them well on their business.

Alpha Box & Dice: Love the label, so quirky and different and  I enjoyed the range of wines. Really passionate and enthusiastic team. Based in McLaren Vale, under 1 hour from Adelaide, I really need to visit them and use it also as an opportunity to taste more of their range.

Les Deux Coqs:The team here make typically French cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients; saucissons, terrines, rillettes and tapenades. I sampled a few tasty dishes and a great way to cleanse the palate between tastings.

There was tasty food available to buy and at reasonable prices; $9 for a pork slider, perfect and so filling! I would definitely come again to Cellar Door Fest.