5 Top Tour Tips

When on a well deserved break and thinking about taking a day tour, some simple suggestions may help to make for a great day out exploring the sights.

Here are our top 5 tour tips to help maximise your gourmet food and fine wine experience. But remember; just like individual likes of food and wine it’s all about personal preferences, having fun and sometimes embracing the unique and extra-ordinary.

Cooking Class Past making

Getting Involved – group cooking demonstrations

Tip 1. Get involved

A great tour delivers a memorable personal experience. Let yourself be transported from the everyday to a place that’s new and interesting.  Please enjoy the performance, embrace a new perspective and hopefully leave with a lingering impression.

The best way to get in on the fun is to participate. To capitalise on the opportunity it pays to be open to trying new things, sharing your own experiences, getting involved, asking questions and above all having a laugh or two.

Tip 2. Collect a few Souvenirs

Maybe for you it is caps or fridge magnets, some artisan produce, photos, stories or even just some new friends and fond memories.  Whatever the inspiration, after a great day out exploring new places, people or activities it’s rewarding to be able to share these with friends and family. Souvenirs are a great way to remind ourselves of what made the day special.

A favourite bottle of wine makes a great postcard substitute, or some local ingredients to put in the picnic hamper for the next day. You could collect both to make the evening in the hotel or B&B just that little more relaxing, indulgent or romantic.

Tip 3. Support local business

Embrace the opportunity and allow the local cellar doors, artisan producers and growers to contribute to your experience and share their passion and expertise. They typically work very hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors and offer an insight into the uniqueness of their product.

Boutique operators are typically members of the local community who value the importance of their role, both to the survival of the region and to your enjoyment.  Their success is driven by the ambience, service and quality they offer.

It is important to remember that they are still a business,  no different to any other. To consider them free entertainment would be unfair, as they rely on selling product to survive.

Tip 4. Share your experience

Cellar Door tasting

Regional Cellar Door Tasting

Venues rely on word of mouth advertising.

They love when you share a memorable experience and reflect on the opportunity to improve when you provide constructive feedback.

They recognise that many of their guests are novices who are interested to learn first hand.

It is clear that sometimes things may be cheaper at retail outlets or on-line, but there is little to rival the level of experience, information, sense of place and community than at ‘the farm gate’. It is also often only at the source that you get to see what goes on behind the scenes.

Tip 5. Be open-minded

The relationship between nature and food and wine is dynamic, driven by location, weather, soil, tradition, technique and even technology.  It is this individuality which makes for such unique and diverse experiences.

In Australia we love a good story and in our experience a lot of our best comes with one, so don’t be afraid to ask .

So please embrace the opportunity, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Shiraz and Co Tours – a focus on convenience

That is why at Shiraz & Co Tours we tailor many of our itineraries so we can ensure we personalise the experience. If you are thinking of exploring the regions around Adelaide on Tour for the day and have some specific food and wine passions, email [email protected] or call 0411752062 so we can guide and assist you.