The Barossa is one of those bucket list destinations that anyone you speak to who’s been there invariably says “oh, you’ll love it”. I believed them all, but I wasn’t sure why.
So my husband and I embarked on a weekend away in late May with few expectations, a sparse itinerary and carry on luggage only.
We arrived hours late after a flight delay, in the dark, slightly frustrated about the loss of an afternoon of exploration and only a small window to unwind before our dinner reservation.
We pulled up at Le Mas (French for “farmhouse”), where we’ll be staying the next 3 nights, in this slightly anxious state and are greeted warmly by Connie.
Fussing over our luggage, assuring us our restaurant and taxi had been rescheduled, Connie suggests a welcome gin and tonic in the Orangerie, which serves as reception, lounge and restaurant.
A fire is crackling away in the suspended fireplace. The modern chandelier glows warmly. As Connie serves up our drinks she starts chatting away, sharing with us key details about the property including arrangements for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Showing us to the accomodation wing, Connie gives us the choice of two rooms. One has a queen bed, polished floors and the larger bathroom of the rooms. The other has a king bed, warm charcoal carpet and a smaller (but still decent size) bathroom. After debate about the pros and cons (including the shiver I got in the queen room after the armoir squeaked eerily) we choose the king bed room.
Left to refresh before dinner I become acutely aware how very French the property is. It’s at this point I should also share I’m a tragic Francophile.
Le Mas is owned by Geraldine and her mother Marie-France and is inspired by the farmhouses of Southern France.
There is a small tray with fresh macarons placed by the bedroom window. Another tray has two Madeline’s, baked fresh by Marie-France whom we will meet at breakfast tomorrow.
The toiletries are by Hermes, the drapes are French silk, the linens are high quality, light yet warm. Fluffy robes sit in the armoir, soft slippers are parked by our bed, patiently awaiting our feet.
The wing has a cosy den, shared by the four guest rooms. An open fire crackles, a floor to ceiling library is ripe for exploring. We find original books like Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer” and Winston Churchill’s “Triumph and Tragedy” diaries from world war 2 as well as fashion tomes, encyclopaedias and great Australian writers such as Bryce Courtney and Liane Moriarity. I could park myself on the plush leather couches there for at least at week!
Then we’re off to dinner at Vintners, a local favourite, recommended by Geraldine.
There’s the option of a 2 or 3 course menu focussed on fresh local produce.
I start with the blue swimmer crab pasta with fermented chilli and ginger butter. It’s so delicate, yet the flavours are deliciously intense and the crab is melt in your mouth tender. My main is yellow curry of Spencer Gulf seafood. It’s ever so tender, fragrant and with big juicy prawns and mussels with a freshness I’ll never forget.
Craig chooses the SA calamari with chickpeas, lemon and warmed native sea greens – a new addition to the menu – which was equally divine. The subtle lemon tang made the dish come alive in your mouth. For main, Craig couldn’t go past the lamb cutlets featuring pomegranate.
We were too stuffed for dessert but as we were getting ready to settle our bill our very kind host brought out a small slab of triple cream Brie with a candle to celebrate my birthday: “you said you weren’t sweets eaters but I heard it was your birthday”.
And of course, there’s always room for good cheese at the end of a meal!
Next morning we arrived for breakfast at the agreed time of 8:15. Guests choose their preferred meal time at Le Mas, which helps Marie-France prepare. She times the arrival of fresh baked pastries and bread to the table perfectly. Now these croissants are something else. Hand made by Marie-France with flour and butter imported from France, they have this Francophile beside herself with delight.
Accompanying the baguette and fig bread – also hand made by Marie-France – is house made marmalade using oranges from the property, a small fruit salad with yoghurt and granola. Orange juice, French press coffee and tea are also served. Then…! Marie-France offers to make an omelette. It’s impossible to resist and without regret when it arrives shortly after, a small but perfectly light cheese omelette, sprinkled with parsley and “perhaps it needs some salt”.
Whilst we could linger all morning in the Orangerie listening to Marie-France’s stories (she’d been a concert pianist, a silk importer and more!) we’re on a full tourist schedule today.
Promptly at 9:30 we’re whisked away by our guide for the morning, Adele from Barossa Unique Tours in a convertible 1966 Mustang that will showcase Barossa’s history, beautiful landscapes, produce, gin and of course, wine!
Firstly, a quick stop at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, a treasure trove of gourmet delights and the perfect spot for a cuppa and fresh sweet treats (if only we hadn’t filled up on Marie-France’s breakfast!). Be sure to take time to spot a turtle in the dam and get a picture with the stunning landscape as backdrop.
We head on to Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, to sample their award winning handcrafted gin. We opt for a flight of two dry and two sweet gins, adopting the recommend 4 step tasting process of smell, taste neat, add ice, add mixer. The flavours and botanicals really do shift as you move through the four steps.
Next stop is Peter Lehman where we get stuck into those juicy reds the Barossa is so we’ll know for. Our host Brontë, a part time psychology student, is a wealth of knowledge on wine and the Lehman story, generous with his time and his pours!
We dove into more juicy reds at St Hugo, Craig and I sharing their Flagship tasting experience of single vineyard and back vintage Shiraz and Cabernet wines. Sharing wine flights is a great way to ensure longevity on a big day out of tastings!
Our last stop – we thought we couldn’t drink another drop! – is the Underground Barossa, an initiative by second generation wine makers Amelia and Trent Burge (you may know Grant Burge wines for their fabulous reds and bubbles). Our tasting experience included a small mouth size bite of food with each wine, beautifully matched to showcase the characteristics of each variety. Nestled in our little cave in the former cellar, our hosts were knowledgeable, very friendly and made us instant fans of the labels created under the watchful eyes of the Burge siblings.
Back at Le Mas, the fire in the den has been lit and armed with a refreshing gin and tonic, we chill out reading books and reflecting on our day.
Before too long it’s time to eat again, this time in house at the Orangerie, with a traditional 3 course French meal prepared by Marie-France. Onion soup, beef burgundy and a crème caramel as good or better than anywhere we’ve had in France or at home. There’s something very special about this in-house dining experience. It’s without the buzz of a humming restaurant, but it contains its own elegant ambiance, adaptable to its guests who may be romancing quietly in the corner or taking it up a notch as part of a group celebrating well into the night.
Sunday is dedicated to lunch at Fino. Part of the Seppeltsfield wine property, everyone we asked about the Barossa says we must visit Fino’s. A four course degustation with matched wines was the brief (we’ve eaten far too much to take the 6 course option!) and it didn’t disappoint. We started with Kingfish, lilly pilly and geraldton wax, paired with a Seppeltsfield Reisling (a wine variety I am loving more and more). Secondly (and the description will undersell it) is butternut pumpkin, chana dal and hemp seed, next level comfort food that we’d happily have ended the meal with. The hero of the menu was the slowed cooked wagyu brisket. The staff totally talked it up including reminding us the knife was just for show! Succulent, full of flavour with the fat balanced perfectly by the sweet sugarloaf cabbage.
Completely stuffed with one course to go, our waitress kindly offers to swap out the dessert for cheese. Their house made quince paste is simply divine!
So how to finish this Barossa tale? We’re one more sleep away from heading back to our busy reality, and already we’re relishing our next opportunity to return to the Barossa.
But first – dinner! We’d originally planned to eat out, to make the most of the great variety of quality restaurants in the Barossa region. Wisely as it now seems, we cancelled and opted to remain in-house. Marie-France had prepped some croque monsieur that morning “just in case” we felt like a light evening snack.
The fire in the den was freshly lit. Connie brings in another 2 large glasses of their Grenache (we’ll be ordering cases of those to be delivered to home!) and we lounge around, reading books from the library and turning our minds to home.
Breaking our cosy silence are some of the hotel guests returning reinvigorated from a quick dip in Le Mas pool. We didn’t bring our swimmers and it’s cold and dark outside but… the pool is heated and Connie encourages us, coming with pool towels, an umbrella and the promise of fresh slippers to replace our mud sodden ones on return.
Very shortly after we too return, invigorated from a quick splash in warm water under cool skies and the cheekiness of it all.
Showered and warm, we return one last time to the den where those cheesy French toasties are waiting for us, sending us into a mild food coma and the promise of another great nights sleep.
Our final morning is an early start, but Marie-France is there once again with her fresh baked croissants and bread, and stories of her life well lived.
Le Mas is one of those places you instinctively know you’ll come back to because there’s a connection, a sense of place, a feeling of belonging.
It helps that our hosts Geraldine and Marie-France and their team, specifically Connie, are exceptional hospitality professionals. They have created a beautiful, well appointed property that stands apart from the plethora of boutique hosted accommodation nearby.
From the thoughtful touches of evening chocolates to the exquisite home cooked food to the sweet little extras such as calling cabs to transport you, bicycles to explore the region and sharing their personal journies, Le Mas is the home away from home that you’ll be drawn back to time and time again.
So ends our Barossa tale, with bellies as full as our hearts, delighted with stories to share and a promise it won’t be too long before we return.
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