Today I am taking you on a wine tour around the beautiful Langhorne creek wine region. It’s a cool 22 degrees, mostly overcast, and a fairly strong breeze. Nibbles and Tabby have been washed and wine wagon decorated with happy birthday decorations.
Today’s tour is a surprise for the birthday girl, who joined her friends for her birthday lunch at ‘The Winehouse’. One of the birthday girls friends had arranged us, and I could hear the squeals of surprise and excitement as we approached and she was informed that the carriage was for her.
Our group gathered for a group photo, because if it isn’t on social media, it didn’t happen, then excitedly climbed in to begin the adventure. Nibbles is feeling very fresh today, so we briskly head towards Bleasdale. I guess both he and Tabby feel good after their 3 week holiday. It certainly took a fair amount of scrubbing to get them presentable today! A short but enjoyable trip, where you can see the vines along the banks of the Bremer river, currently full of fruit, nearly ready for vintage in the coming months.
Langhorne creek is steeped with history, which I’ll happily share what I know as we travel along, unless your group is chatting away amongst yourselves, like today’s group. We pass Frank Potts reserve, a quaint campground, which is walking distance to some great cellar doors. We pass old levy banks, with the sleepers still in place, a sign of how the vines used to be irrigated. In the distance we can see some old stone buildings, and ruins of an historic shed.
Arriving at Bleasdale, our group disembark, then can either head straight to the tasting room, or to the museum, which is full of wooden wine vats of yesteryear and a 3.5 tonne lever press built in 1892 and used until 1962. It is a sight to behold, and I really recommended taking the time to check it out. While our passengers enjoy tasting the port (my favourite from Bleasdale) and the wines, Nibbles and Tabby enjoy snacking on the inviting grassed area. We spend about 30 minutes here, before loading back into wine wagon, and heading to our next stop.
Enjoying the clip clop noise of the horses hooves, we wave thanks to cars as they pass. These two horses are such distinctly different personalities. We happily chat about these as we go along. Nibbles is enthusiastic, always keen to pick up the pace, and can at times be a little bit of a ratbag. Tabby on the other hand is dependable, reliable and very proud to do the best job she can. A quick look at the traces shows that Nibbles will happily leave the heavy work to Tabby, while he flits along receiving the accolades.
Arriving at Kimbolton is a bit bumpy along the dirt road, but being the newest cellar door in the region it is definitely a worthwhile stop. They have a tie up rail for us, where I can disembark to offer the horses water, which is conveniently located under a magnificent gum tree for shade on the warmer days. The contemporary design of the cellar door, made from shipping containers, is a testament to their desire to offer something unique to Langhorne creek. Often hosting special foody events here, Kimbolton offers the opportunity to feel engulfed by the vines. A staircase allows viewing over the loaded vines from the top of their building, and is surrounded by lovely gum trees and lush green lawn. The cellar door staff are always really helpful and friendly and offer a logical way of tasting to find the wine you like best.
We aren’t on a strict timeframe. We usually set off at 1:30, and return to the starting point at 5. Due to Covid we now have to book in advance, so we do have rough guidelines of where we will be and when. When we arrive at the cellar door, we’ll tell you the rough time when we should be leaving, and the time in between you can spend enjoying however you like, be it tasting or sitting outside soaking up the ambience. I have to stay near the horses, to feed them carrots, and talk to people who want to pat them, so I make use of this time by writing blogs, and trying to get unique photos to use in social media posts.
My group appear, very happy and chatty and enjoying the wine, pose for another photo and we set off, along a bit of a dirt road between the vines. Onward to Bremerton, over the Bremer river, past the Bridge Hotel (our usual meeting point) and along the Main Street of Langhorne Creek. This really is a quaint town, with its lovely old buildings, and vines in the heart of the town.
We arrive at Bremerton, my passengers enter the beautifully renovated cellar door. Only recently completed it combines new contemporary, wth the gorgeous original barn. The staff here know their wine! A comprehensive list of available tastings, and expansive areas indoors and out for you to enjoy sitting, relaxing, perhaps enjoying a platter.
The great thing about our wine tours is they are just so flexible! We can modify the route or the time to fit in with your plans. We can even schedule in a lunch stop if you would like. We have 5 cellar doors in our range of distance, and while we have found what works ‘best’ we are certainly happy to modify it. Talk to us at the time of booking and we can choose a route that you will love!
My group appear, some a bit stumbly, most very clearly having enjoyed their wine. Purchases stowed safely in the carriage, passengers all aboard. Nibbles and Tabby clearly know this is the final leg and make tracks for the finish line. Sometimes while waiting at a cellar door they can get a bit fidgety and impatient, but not on arrival to the passengers cars. This is where they stand perfectly, pose for photos and enjoy the treats that are offered.
Our passengers gather all of their belongings, and place them in the car of the designated driver- we strongly recommend having a designated driver, we can also arrange outside transport if you would like to be picked up from the suburbs. To make it a totally encapsulating experience, you could book accomodation in the town, and be collected and delivered to there! We can tell you which ones we are able to offer this service to.
Once we leave our passengers, we head back to our float and trailer to unharness and feed the horses, load the carriage on our trailer and head for home. It is a long day, but such an enjoyable one. I love being able to share this experience with people from all walks of life. Please call or message if you would like to know more of what we offer, or would like to book. We are only too happy to tell you all about it!