5 DAYS OF FOOD, DRINKS & FUN IN HAHNDORF

Bookended by a brewery, cheese cellar, cidery, winery, distiller, and the world-famous Beerenberg Farm Hahndorf, located in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, Hahndorf is visited by people of all cultures and ages who come to enjoy its heritage, charm and hospitality, but it is a special Mecca for food, drink and wine lovers. That’s why we’ve put together this 5 day itinerary for those who want to do more than just visit for a day.

 

Itinerary written for a Couple of Foodies…. 

DAY 1 

Start early and travel up the South Eastern Freeway only 30 minutes from the Adelaide CBD and you’ll arrive at the historic artisan village of Hahndorf in the beautiful Adelaide Hills.

On arrival, visit the brand new Beerenberg Experience at the Beerenberg strawberry farm. Whether you are travelling during strawberry season (November to April when you can pick your own fresh strawberries) or at any other time of the year, Beerenberg is a must visit when exploring the Adelaide Hills and our German inspired Hahndorf village.

The new Farm Cafe makes a killer coffee to get your motor running and is the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea. You’ll find everything from freshly-made sandwiches, salads and homemade pies, to delectable cakes, scones, waffles, and pastries, served – of course – with their very own jams, relishes and sauces.

Their Farm Shop is open from 9am to 5pm every day of the year except for Christmas Day, for product tastings and you can discover hidden treats you won’t find anywhere else.

E-Bike

Option 1 >> E-Bike

From here “get on your bike” as you join a bespoke Hahndorf Guided Electric-Bike Wine Experience with Bike About Tours through the beautiful Adelaide Hills. 4hours $265pp.

Visit the iconic Udder Delights and a trio of the hills best wineries including Hahndorf Hill Winery, Shaw + Smith, Nepenthe and The Lane Vineyard.

This experience is an approximate distance of 14km and is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Electric-Bikes and your guide are part of the tour, and you will have pannier bags on the bikes to carry your produce and wine. This full day experience includes all tastings, a gourmet picnic hamper and a bottle of The Lane Lois sparkling for 2 guests.

The Lane

Option 2 >> no E-Bike

Or if E-Bikes aren’t your speed, relax and go behind the scenes in the state-of-the-art winery at The Lane Vineyard for a crash course in winemaking with one of their winemakers.

This is an interactive experience taking you through the art of winemaking before being unleashed to create your own master blend! After bottling your masterpiece, indulge in a structured tasting that captures the best of The Lane Vineyard.  Enjoy their famous Gathering Experience – a seated, miniature ‘degustation style’ tasting that showcases the harmony between the Estate wines and restaurant menu. 120 mins $180pp.

Then visit the Adelaide Hills Wine Bar and Wolf Blass Gallery and Wine Museum on Main Street. The museum is a display of Wolf Blass’ personal achievements and records, covering an incredible 60 years of winemaking.

After a day exploring it is now time to check-in to your accommodation.

There are lots of choices in Hahndorf from multi-award-winning motels The Manna by Haus, The Lodge by Haus, Oak Tree Cottages, The Old Mill, and varied styles of accommodation at the Discovery Parks Hahndorf Resort and higher-end options like The Studios by Haus and Thiele House Retreat.

Once refreshed and rested choose your venue for pre-dinner drinks. If it’s wine you are after Somerled Wine Bar and Cellar is open until 7pm 7 days a week, perfect for a quick wine flight or glass of bubbly before dinner. Romantic and glittering with French flair with tiny twinkling fairy lights.

Depending on what evening you dine in Hahndorf there is a plethora of options from traditional Bavarian feasts to many multicultural influences including Spanish, Thai, Italian, Irish, Chinese, and Indian.

One of the best things about staying in Hahndorf is that all experiences are only a short stroll of less than a 5 min drive away.

Work up an appetite on the 8-minute walk to dinner.

Hahndorf Inn

If you choose to get a taste for Hahndorf we recommend you visit The Hahndorf Inn. Standing proud this pub is rich in history, heritage, and hospitality! They are famous for traditional German food (pretzels, Flammkuchen – German pizza, ‘famous’ giant crispy skin pork knuckles, Gegrillter Kassler – huge smoked pork chop, Oktoberfest chicken, sauerkraut), German music and German atmosphere.

Dine on the street or enjoy open roaring fires in the cooler months.

If you think you are up for tackling Australia’s largest hotdog wrap your lips around their Metre and a Litre Challenge. A metre long hotdog made with wurst and all the toppings washed down with a litre stein of German beer.

 

DAY 2

Wake up to the sounds of village life with birds chirping and artisans, producers and shopkeepers starting their day.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at The Haus located in the heart of Hahndorf. Open 7 days for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks this is one of the most popular and bustling restaurants on Main Street. Showcasing an amazing selection of dishes created from the best seasonal local produce. Their kitchen is open from 7:30am until 9:30pm daily. Dine inside or take in the sites of the village by sitting perched on their front terrace.

Today is all about the art of food.

Walk to the Adelaide Hills Visitor Information Centre housed in the historic Hahndorf Academy building where you can learn about the early Prussian settlers in the charming museum. You’ll be amazed at the stories of the Pioneer Women’s Trail which honours the women of Hahndorf who supplied Adelaide with fresh produce at a time when most foodstuffs had to be imported into South Australia.

Women and girls would carry baskets of vegetables and dairy products on their backs, or on yokes across their shoulders, they eft the village at midnight to walk the rough bush track to Adelaide 35 km away.

To pay tribute to them purchase a Plentiful Pickings bag, voucher booklet and ice brick for $45 then use the vouchers (collectively valued at $300) for a full day of artisan fun, retail therapy and discovery.

Redeem your vouchers at a great variety of shops, wineries and food producers including Hahndorf Sweets, Bean and Bikkie, The Fruchocs Shop, and many more. Gather up other favourite locally made ingredients from The German Pantry, Hahndorf Market The German Pantry and Max Noske & Son Butchers to create the perfect picnic to enjoy on a visit to The Cedars – the home, studio and garden of beloved artist Sir Hans Heysen.

Lovers of fine art, charming gardens and famous family lives will have much to discover at The Cedars. From 1912, this 36-acre (expanding to 132-acre) country property with its towering trees was home to iconic landscape painter and early conservationist Sir Hans Heysen, his wife Sallie and family of eight – including Nora, who became a famous artist in her own right.

Guided tours are offered of the house, the delightful original garden planted by Hans himself – and his completely intact studio. Here visitors can step back in time to see one of his works taking shape, surrounded by his materials, sketches and other artefacts – just as if the artist had stepped out for a break.

Tonight, it is time really get creative. Book a private art class with Rebecca Prince from The Paintbox Hahndorf. This will be an evening to rejoice in the wonderful medium of watercolour with a glass or two of local wines and a light meal. No formal skills are required, and all materials are supplied. This is a relaxed class so expect lots of laughs, sharing of tips and tricks and a beautiful piece of artwork to take home.

Photos by www.facebook.com/meaghancoles.nowandthenphotography www.nowandthenphotography.com.au

DAY 3

This morning’s breakfast will be enjoyed at a local’s favourite spot, Kitchen 2C. Home to fresh juices, delicious coffee, a gourmet-lovers big breakfast and incredible ricotta pancakes.

Head just 3 minutes’ drive out to the entrance of town to join celebrated Udder Delights cheese maker (and one of the state’s newest brewers) Sheree Sullivan for a fun and informative Cheesemaking Class. Be prepared for a hands-on experience where you get to do and eat everything. You’ll craft your own feta, while also learning how the same recipe can be used to make camembert, and lots more!

Taste your way through an in-depth masterclass featuring five cheeses and fresh-baked ciabatta, plus a glass of Hesketh wine or Grunthal beer. You’ll learn how to make cheese before enjoying coffee or tea and a selection of house-made cakes. The class costs $190 per head and is run in the Greenhouse of Udder Delights Cheese Cellar’s new home Grunthal Brew where you can kick on afterwards with a wine, beer and gin tasting.

Next, you’ll be given the Sidewood VIP Treatment, with a dedicated masterclass tasting of the Sidewood Sparkling wine portfolio in the new Mappinga room lounge, exclusively available to you and your guest and accompanied by a charcuterie and cheese tasting plate. Get taught the ‘art of Sabrage: opening a bottle of Sparkling wine with a sword’ using their flagship, Cassandra Blanc de Blancs and enjoy the rest of the bottle over your gourmet tasting plate.

Be ushered from the Cellar Door to Sidewood Restaurant and have a 3 course lunch served in your own luxury Sidewood day bed with a bottle of our 2013 Mappinga Shiraz from the museum collection; winner of the “World’s Best Shiraz / Rhone varietal” at the Decanter Wine Awards 2015 in the UK. A ‘unicorn’ wine to enjoy with your lunch for a ‘once in a lifetime’ Sidewood experience. Relax in your day bed or play Petanque, Finska or lawn bowls before leaving with a bottle of Sidewood Chloe Cuvee as well as a special memento. $795 for 2 guests.

After your Sidewood experience, meander your way back to the Hahndorf Main Street and pop into Hahn & Hamlin for a few light share plates featuring some of the most exciting locally produced ingredients. Sit on the front verandah and enjoy the sights and sounds of Hahndorf for your last evening.

DAY 4

You may be feeling a bit gentle after your previous long and delicious day so we suggest breakfast at The Plough, our Irish bakery and café. Renowned for their authentic Soda Bread, great coffee, you can also add a Guinness to your day as an Irish hair of the dog!

Get ready to take your creating skills to another level at Ambleside Distillers with a Gin Blending Masterclass. An intimate small group Gin Blending Experience where you choose from over 22 distilled botanicals to create your own unique blend of gins to take home. The experience starts with a Gin Tasting Flight, followed by a talk from one of their team about the notable botanicals they use. View the Australian made copper stills and hear about the distillation process. To finish, you will be creating and blending your own personal gins. $105pp and participants will receive 2 x 200ml bottles of gin.

Next, you’ll walk to Comida – a stunning Spanish inspired restaurant and bar which leads to an expansive and perfectly manicured garden area where you can enjoy lunch featuring paella, and tapas.

After lunch just a few doors down drop into Landhaus Wines Cellar Door offering the largest flight of wines in the Adelaide Hills with over 17 wines spanning sparkling, whites, rose and award-winning red wines. Enjoy their alfresco area or sit fireside depending on the time of year. $10pp tasting fee.

If you are lucky to be in Hahndorf on the one weekend a month Landhaus neighbours La Prova might be open you can also try La Prova’s wines. A grand experiment that brings together traditional Italian varieties and ancient Australian soils. Their lounge style cellar door is purely for your enjoyment. Come in and take your time over a flight of five wines served with local goat’s curd and crackers. $15pp

Following sampling Italian wine varieties immerse yourself with Italian food at Geppetto’s restaurant. Home to freshly made pasta, pizza and all your Italian favourites, here you can enjoy great wine, amazing hospitality and live music on weekends. This place is lively and once you experience it for yourself, you’ll recommend to your friends.

DAY 5

It’s your last day, sleep in and make the most of your holiday before checking out of your accommodation.

Walk to Bean and Bikkie Co our very own specialist gingerbread café and indulge in a gingerbread latte. Their happy gingerbread people are sure to bring a smile to your face and provide that perfect final instagrammable moment.

Grab a second coffee takeaway (yes, they are that good) and get our steps up with one last up and down lap of Hahndorf’s Main Street. It’s time to do some shopping! As Hahndorf is a town of makers you’ll find incredibly unique gifts and items for your own kitchen and home.

Make sure you stop into Storison, Jack + Sarah, and Colourdoor for beautiful homewares, the Hahndorf Knifeshop.

Visit the Hahndorf Academy and Bamfurlong for handmade high end craft homewares and gifts, ceramics, blown glass and woodwork. No trip to Hahndorf is complete without shopping at the famous Hahndorf Leathersmith, Hahndorf Soap Factory, and Hahndorf Candlemaker.

Hommes Unique is a must stop for gentlemen and beverage lovers with a wide range of quality for barware and small batch pre-made whisky cocktails by the Chesterfield Whisky Firm. Poke around antique, vintage and rustic shops for those treasured kitchenalia items before you are shopped out!

By now you’re ready to hit the pub. But not any pub, we think we’ve saved the best for last. The German Arms has been Hahndorf’s meeting place since 1839 and is not only steeped in history but it’s walls can literally talk! The German Arms was the first hotel in Australia to launch augmented reality with historic photographs of the pub coming to life. When it comes to food, beer, wine, and cocktails you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Before you bid farewell to our village, be sure to drop into Ottos Bakery and load up with a family savoury or locally grown apple pie for you or the folks back home.

Categories

Related News