La Chaine members enjoyed a day of experiences when we travelled to the famed Barossa Valley for a day of food, wine and camaraderie. 19 members departed from the city (on time as well) and arrived at our first destination, the Seppeltsfield Cooperage. We were met by La Chaine member and resident Master Cooper Andrew Young. We viewed some of the processes of barrel making and were treated to a ‘firing’ of a re-purposed barrel. This warmed us up for the ensuing day. 

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Our next stop was a visit to Alkina winery in Greenock for a hosted tasting with cheese and meat plate. We were guided through some of the wines with commentary explaining the wineries history and production methods by our lovely host Cynthia. Wines tasted included Semillon, Rose, Grenache, with additional blended reds in magnums.

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Our third stop was hosted by La Chaine member Owen Andrews who provided a food tour at the Seppeltsfield Winery. Individual tasting platters reflected some of Andrew’s work featuring local ingredients. Cured meats, cheeses, chutneys etc were accompanied with a gorgeous Riesling and Vermentino. This initial tasting took place in the kitchens before we moved on to a guided tour about some of the old buildings at Seppeltsfield and how food along with wine played an important part of this historic area. We soon found ourselves seated in the old dining area where Andrew discussed the components of 3 mouth-watering tasting spoons with accompanying wines with the final wine, a well-aged Para Grand Tawny. 

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Our final stop for the day saw us head for El Estanco restaurant in Greenock for a sumptuous lunch. Seven courses and a number of wines later it was time to head home. Our thanks to Julien – Head Chef who ensured we had a great afternoon. 

Toward the end of our lunch some members became missing in action, only to be found at the local hotel where they just ‘popped’ in for a cleansing ale. A quick group photo in front of our bus and it was all aboard for our drive home.

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A big shout out to Serena who organised this event and to those who hosted us, and of course our wonderful members who without you, these events would not be the successes they are.

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Maryanne – Vice Charge de Presse