September, what a wonderful time to be in Adelaide. Apart from my 30th Birthday there are so many great wine events to attend, I thought it would be an opportune time to compile a few of the more affordable, can’t miss events. If I miss anything, please let me know the details and i’ll update ASAP!

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TASTE of SOUTH AUSTRALIA at the Royal Adelaide Show

Cellar Door Experience

Date: 4th-12th September             Time: 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm & 6.30pm
Location: Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville
Venue: Taste of South Australia IGA Pavillion
Cost: Free with Show Entry (Adults $19, Concession $15)

The Cellar Door Wine Experience will provide you with exposure to a range of great South Australian wines. There will be six free educational wine sessions each day lasting 20 minutes.  Wine enthusiasts can taste and compare four wines while a short presentation is made by a ‘wine educator’.  Approximately 40 people can be accommodated per session.  The open plan allows passing visitors to access the information.  Sessions include wines from many regions. Some of the wineries included in the tasting last year included Petaluma, Peter Lehmann, Jim Barry and many more top producers.

Presented in conjunction with the South Australian Wine Industry Association, the Cellar Door Wine Experience provides a hands-on, educational experience for wine lovers at any level of wine knowledge.

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Barossa Small Winemakers Annual Tasting

Date: Saturday 5th September              Time: 10AM – 5PM
Location: Chateau Tanunda, 9 Basedow Road Tanunda
Venue: Grand Ballroom
Cost: $ 10 per person includes souvenir etched tasting glass
Having been a regular visitor to the Barossa Small Winemakers Centre I can tell you that this will be a fantastic event.

The Barossa Small Winemakers Annual Tasting is a showcase for wines of the Barossa’s small independent winemakers. Wines here give visitors to the Chateau access to wines that are rarely found elsewhere.

The centre is housed in the cellar door sales area at historic Chateau Tanunda, just a few minutes walk from Tanunda, in the heart of the Barossa Valley – one of the World’s premier wine regions.

The Small Winemakers Annual Tasting features over 90 wines made by over 30 small producers in the valley. These are mostly handmade wines, produced in very small quantities. They come from growers with small parcels of some of the finest fruit in the Barossa. These people are the heart and soul of the Barossa, and are producing wines that are difficult, if not impossible to find. Many of these wines are made by fifth generation vignerons or master winemakers, employed elsewhere, who produce their own vintage.

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FRIDAY LUNCHES AT THE WINE UNDERGROUND

Date: Friday 11th of September and Friday the 18th of September              Time: Lunch
Location: 121 Pirie Street, Adelaide
Venue: The Wine Underground
Cost: $65 per person, all inclusive. Phone 82321222 ASAP to book.

Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, one of Adelaide’s top restaurants (Top 100 in Australia 2010 Gourmet Traveler Restaurant Awards) The Wine Underground unleashes a couple of brilliant Friday Lunches.

On Friday the 11th one of the Barossa’s leading lights, Two Hands, provides the wines. If you haven’t tried these guys wines then do yourself a favour and grab a bottle of 2007 Gnarly Dudes Barossa Shiraz and sink your teeth into some textbook Barossa goodness. Their range includes great Shiraz from Australia’s top regions as well as some interesting whites. Should be a good one.

On Friday the 19th of September two of Australia’s top Pinot/Chardonnay producers provide the wines for a lunch that could be a classic. Marchand & Burch from Great Southern in WA team up with Kooyong from the Mornington Peninsula. Awesome. If you love Pinot and you love Chardonnay then this event, at $65 per person, is about as unmissable as wine lunches get… Bring it on!

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Vale Cru Wine Tasting

For more detailed information on this event go to :: http://mclarenvale.ning.com/events/vale-cru-high-quality-small

Date: Sunday 20th September 2009              Time: 2.00 to 5.00 pm
Location: The Victory Hotel, Sellicks Beach
Venue: Outdoors on the grass at the Victory Hotel
Cost: $ 40 per person, includes free wine glass and $20 off per dozen on the day.

“Come along for an afternoon discovering McLaren Vales ultra premium wines, and meeting McLaren Vales small batch winemakers.

Outdoors on the grass at The Victory hotel, overlooking the vines of McLaren Vale and Sellicks beach. The wines will be poured by the winemakers. Phillip White and Drew Noon will discuss the importance of the land in winemaking.”

Cost: $40 per person (includes a free wine glass and $20 off per dozen purchased on the day).

This information was taken from the Vale Cru website, looking forward to some exciting happenings from these guys in the future…

Well that’s it for now… Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you know of more exciting events coming in August and September!