Happy Hour With Moorooroo | Wine Tasting in a COVID World

Photos by Sven Kovac Copyright Barossa Grape & Wine Association

Wine Tasting in a COVID World

If you’ve been wine tasting recently you’ll know many venues have had to make changes to adapt to COVID restrictions. If you’ve not yet visited the Barossa, what should you expect when you go wine tasting and how can you make the most of your experience?

You may be aware that current restrictions dictate that all consumption of alcohol is only allowed by seated patrons. You may be surprised to discover that this has actually led to some significant benefits in many venues. These restrictions have necessitated innovation, many wineries are not simply transitioning wine tastings from a bar to a table, but creating entirely new experiences for you to enjoy! Here at Moorooroo Park Vineyards we’ve added a cheese and wine flight to your options, which has proved to be wildly popular. 

What does this mean for you? You’ll find that with individual wineries varying their experiences on offer, a day wine tasting in the Barossa may look very different. You may find that you’re experiencing something completely new and different at each venue. What is absolutely certain is that you’ll never be bored! This also means that an afternoon in the Barossa, visiting just one or two wineries is totally worth the short drive up from Adelaide. And if you’re visiting from interstate, even your friends who don’t love wine as much as you will find a weekend in the Barossa informative, engaging and most importantly heaps of fun!

Should you make a booking for a tasting? Yes! Many wineries, especially small places like us really appreciate a heads up that you’re planning on visiting. Especially now, with capacity restrictions, making a booking allows us to ensure we have a seat for you. And if you let us know what you’re planning for your visit be it a glass of wine and a cheese platter, a cheese and wine flight, or just a good old fashioned tasting our very small team has time to prepare. This is a similar story for many wineries in the Barossa at the moment. 

Paid experiences are becoming much more common, be it carefully selected chocolate and wine pairings, winery tours, vineyard walks or tasting flights. How should you feel when you see paid experiences, especially tasting fees on a website or menu? We strongly believe this is a good thing! Charging for experiences allows wineries to create awesome, varied adventures. Our policy is to run toward businesses that are innovating new experiences, not away from them. 

Our industry has experienced a strange time with COVID, many of you are well aware that the Australian response to the prospect and reality of lock down has been to stock up on wine. This has been great for the production side of things, most notably for large businesses and retailers like Dan Murphy’s. On the other hand the tourism aspect, cellar doors, tour operators, accommodation providers and the like, have been feeling the pinch. Many small producers like us rely entirely on a cellar door, so we’ve been so happy to see people turning up to the region and supporting local businesses!

In reality not a huge amount has changed when it comes to the wine tasting experience in the Barossa. You’ll find yourself seated at a table rather than standing at a bar, and in many cases you’ll be presented with more options than just a simple wine tasting. But our passion for wine means that the most important part of your visit remains unchanged, the wine is still fantastic. We really hope you come and see what the Barossa has to offer, and then visit again!

Hopefully we’ll see you soon.

Photos by Sven Kovac Copyright Barossa Grape & Wine Association


In Bottle

2016 Samuel Nitschke Cabernets
The 2016 vintage floods the senses with red fruits while raspberry and aniseed dominate the nose. The palate presents savoury, herbaceous, earthy, and finishes jammy, like blackberry, almond and vanilla. It’s a full bodied wine with a lingering, clean finish.