How to Plan a Barossa Food Tasting Day

Wine might be the headline act in the Barossa, but the valley has a whole other world of flavours tucked between the vines. Spend a day here and you can move from orchards to chocolate factories, tasting what local makers create with their own hands. This guide walks you through how to turn that into a full food tasting day, built on simple ingredients, big flavour and the people who bring it all to life.

How to Plan a Barossa Food Tasting Day

The Barossa Valley equates to wine tasting. Everyone, with great reason, talks about the Barossa’s wines.

But wander around for a day and you realise the world-renowned valley is just as much about people who make things with their hands. Cheese stirred in small batches, honey pulled from backyard hives, chocolate cooling on steel benches, fruit dried the old-fashioned way.

The Barossa Valley is a region that takes simple, high-quality ingredients and turns them into something worth making a stop for.

Arrive hungry, wander between orchards and farm shops, and taste your way through the kitchens and makers that give the Barossa its diversity of flavour.

Gully Gardens, Angaston

Gully Gardens Barossa is one of the few remaining heritage orchards in the valley. The land has been producing fruit for more than 120 years!

In 2024, it passed into the hands of a local couple, Ellie Agnew and Owen Agnew, who took on the orchard with respect for its history and a passion for honest, seasonal produce.

They grow classic Barossa fruit, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples and pears, harvesting in season, then drying a portion of each harvest in the traditional way (sun-dried or dehydrated when needed) to produce long-lasting dried fruit. They also turn surplus or imperfect fruit into handmade treats like fruit snacks and chocolate-dipped fruit, cutting waste and offering real-fruit flavour with a twist.

On weekends, the orchard becomes more than a fruit shop. Their farmshop opens for coffee and scones, inviting visitors to slow down under the trees or settle in the old fruit-shed space with a warm treat and something local to take home.

Barossa Valley Cheese Factory

The Barossa Valley Cheese Company sits on Murray Street in Angaston and is the creation of cheesemaker Victoria McClurg, a former winemaker who swapped grapes for curds and opened the Cheesecellar in 2003. They work with local dairies to craft a wide range of artisan cheeses, from soft white mould cheeses and goat milk specialties to aged cheddars and halloumi, all made on site.

When you visit, you don’t just browse a cheese shelf, you get to taste. The Cheesecellar offers daily tasting plates or full platters with cheese, local condiments and crispbreads, giving you a sensory snapshot of Barossa flavours in dairy form. For many visitors, that first sniff of the cellar door’s air and the creamy texture of a fresh Camembert or the salty snap of halloumi becomes a small, grounded moment that feels very Barossa.

Barossa Valley Ice Cream Co.

Barossa Valley Ice Cream Co. makes everything in small batches, often using fruit and honey sourced from growers just a few kilometres away. Discover flavours like, Balsamic Roasted Strawberry, Salty Caramel and Honey and Rosemary.

The flavours shift with the seasons, so you might end up with apricot one week and roasted fig or local honey the next. The space is casual and friendly, and they are generous with tastings, which makes choosing a flavour part of the fun. Stop for a light, sweet break in the middle of a Barossa day, and take a moment to reset before heading back on the road.

Sold in everything from single-serve cups to larger take-home tubs, and you can try them at their shop in Provenance Barossa on Tanunda Road or at the Barossa Farmers Market.

Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop

Follow the road out to Pheasant Farm and you will land at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, a place that feels half pantry, half kitchen and very much an integral part of the Barossa. Shelves are stacked with pastes, chutneys, jams and verjuice made from produce grown on the property or sourced from nearby growers. And tastings are encouraged.

During a visit here you’ll end up wandering with a wooden stick in hand, trying things you didn’t think you needed to try.

Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop grew from the kitchen where she shaped so much of Australia’s modern food identity, long before “paddock to plate” became a trend. Her experiments with local fruit, verjuice and seasonal cooking turned a working farm into a place people wanted to step into, taste from and learn about.

The sweet little café looks out over the dam and serves simple dishes and ice creams built on the farm’s own recipes; a quiet spot to pause before you move on.

Vasse Virgin

Walk through the old Seppeltsfield grounds and you eventually reach Vasse Virgin, tucked inside one of the estate’s historic buildings, where the air smells like olive oil, citrus peel and something herbal you can’t quite name. The space feels part apothecary, part workshop, with shelves stacked high with cold-pressed olive oil skincare and food products made on site and using traditional methods.

So it’s not all food, but it’s definitely worth a stop regardless. You can try everything, from the thick, silky soaps to the salt scrubs and lotions infused with lavender, sandalwood or native botanicals, and the staff talk you through the ingredients like they know each batch personally.

The best part is, there is a small tasting counter too, offering olive oils, dukkah and condiments that remind you the brand’s roots are in food as much as skincare. A gourmet food room adds to the experience, plus there’s an option to get hands on with one of their workshops.

Jacob’s Creek Picnic Perfect

Over the years some wineries, like Jacob’s Creek, have turned the simple idea of a picnic into something a little more local and much more memorable. It all starts with a hosted wander through the vineyard, glass of sparkling in hand, where you get a feel for the vines before you settle in. After that, you collect a platter filled with local South Australian produce and choose a bottle of Jacob’s Creek wine to take with you.

There are plenty of picnic spots scattered around the Jacob’s Creek estate, and the map helps you find the spot that suits your preferences. Of all the ways to taste the Barossa Valley and South Australia, this has to be the most luxury as well as efficient!

Barossa Valley Chocolate Company

Inside Barossa Valley Chocolate Company, the first thing that hits you is of course, the scent of tempered chocolate drifting out from the production room. Dedicated chocolatiers work behind glass so you can watch trays of truffles, bars and pralines being made in small batches, each one built with local fruits, nuts or regional flavours.

At the tasting bar, try a few pieces before deciding on your purchase. Plus, the gelato cabinet is stacked with flavours that lean into Barossa produce. There are a number of tasting experiences you can choose from too, including a Sorbet & Chocolate Pairing and Pralines and Coffee.

Where to stay in the Barossa Valley

Mercure Barossa Valley sits just a quick wander from Tanunda’s main street, close enough to the wineries that you could almost smell the barrels. It’s tucked off the road in a quiet pocket of the valley, a peaceful spot with plenty of space to settle in.

The hotel has freshly refurbished suites, an easygoing restaurant and the kind of warm hospitality the Barossa does without thinking. Take your pick between roomy luxury apartments or stylish king rooms that make it very hard to leave in the morning.