Our chefs are up to their elbows in the garden at the moment. Spring is a time of year when we say out with the old and in with the new, and the same applies in the garden. New fragrant blossoms decorate the quince and pear trees, the first spears of asparagus shoot up from the ground and our kitchen garden beds are being sown with tomatoes and capsicums. The many delightful faces of broad bean flowers mean a bumper harvest very soon, along with baby spinach, peas, chervil, oregano and majoram. The kitchen team are pickling onions and looking to the pantry for their house-made preserves and have been using some native foods; dried quandongs and wattleseed from a nearby farm in Eudunda.

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Appellation's wine list picked up the gong for Best Wine List in South Australia for the fifth year in a row at the recent Gourmet Traveller Wine and Fine Wine Partners Wine List of the Year Awards. In other wine news, the annual Barossa Wine Show judges picked 2010 vintage as world class for reds, and just in case you didn't know 2012 was an amazing vintage for Eden Valley Rieslings - our advice get your hands on some! Our sommelier Cass has been out and about tasting...some of her interesting finds: 2011 Teusner 100 Flowers Botrytis Riesling, Domain Day Saperavi and she won't stop raving about Massena's new releases, especially the new vintage of The Surly Muse Viognier.

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This is an impressive but easy dessert using the last lemons of the season from your tree (we've used the old fashioned lemonade lemons here) or any citrus sitting in your fruit bowl from a generous friend.  You will need:

Tart filling:

150g lemon juice

135g unsalted butter

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

Pistachio shortcrust pastry:

2 cups pistachio nuts

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

225g unsalted butter

1 large egg

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Cuvee Louise at The Louise lunch - don't miss this!

Seven dishes of Barossa’s best produce paired to eight fine Pommery champagnes including premier crus and back vintages of the iconic and esteemed Cuvee Louise.
Saturday 10th November 2012 at midday.

$295 per person 

Thanksgiving Lunch
Enjoy this American tradition, done in the Barossa way...start with a glass of sparkling, a generous table of shared platters of delicious regional fare (yes turkey included!) with boutique Barossa wines. $10 from every meal will give thanks to the Barossa chapter of Make-A-Wish.
Sunday 25th November 2012 at 11:30am.

$135 per person

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Two Hands Wines, one of Australia's best shiraz producers is only minutes from The Louise and is offering a range of exclusive tastings just for our guests...

Join the team at Two Hands for a long lunch and masterclass. Starting with a winery tour, barrell tasting with one of the winemaking crew followed by a long wood-fired pizza lunch with current vintage wines at their stunning cellar door. $50 per person, min.4 geusts.

And from November 16th, every Friday for 5 weeks you can join owner Michael Twelftree or winemaker Matt Wenk  for a long lunch and barrell classification tasting. $50 per person.

Bookings essential and made with our Guest Services team.
 

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Aglow with golden hues and suspended from the ceiling of Appellation’s dining room, JamFactory Glass Studio’s Kristel Britcher’s 'Cumulus Lucis' or cloud of light, has found its home enchanting visitors. Kristel hand blew 84 glass forms to hang from the ceiling in Appellation’s dining room. Her work and that of artists of 'The Jam' highlight the vitality and sense of place and purpose of the international renowned glass art studio that is the JamFactory. And it's right here in South Australia. So on your next visit stop by the studio and gallery on your way to the Barossa.

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As the weather warms and we start to venture out and about, so too do our furry friends the Australian icon the kangaroo. Why not join them for breakfast? Our local guide will drive you to a nearby park for an easy hike in native bushland peppered with yakkas, gums, wattles and many species of birds, to find your perfect spot for a gourmet picnic breakfast with glass of moscato or fresh orange juice, surrounded by families of resident kangaroo. And if you're lucky you may even spot a joey or two!

$135 per person all inclusive

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What a glorious time to visit the Barossa - vines are alive with the first green buds of the season, reminding us all that vintage will be here before we know it. Fields of neon yellow canola enliven the landscapes, the air is filled with birdsong and the first roses of the season make their appearance. This time of year sees the return of the Artisans at Greenock market and the Barossa Rose & Flower Show. But one of the most appealing things to do over a weekend or midweek escape is to find a great cellar door and sit out in the sun a with a fine glass of wine and enjoy a platter and some laughs with friends. Great spots nearby The Louise are Murray Street Vineyards, Hentley Farm and Peter Lehmann Wines to name a few!