Pikes Wines — Attraction in Polish Hill River

As wine enthusiasts, we knew Pikes makes great wine. What we didn’t know is how many different wines they make, and how amazing the venue and the hospitality in the tasting room are! With a fire roaring in the background, Mike was bursting with enthusiasm from the moment we arrived. Before our visit, we were only familiar with The Merle Riesling, but Mike showed us the many other wines that Pikes has to offer, including Viognier, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet, all of which were excellent, with their Rieslings being truly exceptional. It is important to note that Pikes does not nickel-and-dime you with tasting fees like some other wineries; rather, you are welcome to taste whatever you’d like, and then return the favor by purchasing a bottle or two of your favorites. This is how most cellar doors (i.e. tasting rooms) would operate back in the day, and how they ought to, in our opinion. Bravo to Pikes for continuing to champion a good, old-fashioned tradition. (And keep up the great work in...

It was after a drive to "The Pink Lake", we decided to head out to the Clare Valley Wine region. It was not part of the plan but it just seemed to work out. This was a weekend of wine tasting for the Mrs and our friends as it was their first time in Adelaide. Looking at Google reviews we decided on Pikes. Upon arrival we were treated by Kay and she seated us for the Wine Tasting. The Mrs and our friends were enjoying the tasting as Kay was treating them like VIPs. She was a great Host. After leaving the tasting and with 3x bottles of their finest, we wanted something to eat so we decided to get a bite to Eat from the Beer brewery cafe onsite. My Calamari was nice, wife's fish burger was nice and our friends bought chicken pieces and a dips platter which they all enjoyed. So it was back into Glenelg from here. I'd say it was a good unplanned visit of Pike's Winery....

A good place to visit as it has a cellar door, restaurant and brew house. The new Slate restaurant has a covered deck overlooking the vines which provides for a nice view and breeze but was not enclosed so we spent much of the time swatting flies away from our food. Also, the ambiance was shattered a number of times by tractors and ATVs driving right past the window. Not sure why a service track goes past the dining area?? While quite nice, the fish was a bit overcooked but the beef tartare was excellent. I think the menu is a bit overpriced for what you get though, mains around $36...If they diverted the service road, enclosed the deck and dropped the food prices a bit, it would probably get 5 stars. To finish on a positive, the Riesling is...