It’s always good to get a recommendation to visit a venue and I’m more than happy to pass this one on as well, but only if great tasting excellent value wines, locally sourced food and happy service from staff, while you sit in a wow setting on a bend of the Murray River is your thing. This is one of those ‘what’s not to love’ places and when you visit you’ll find it hard to drag yourself away.

Firstly there is ample parking even with a caravan in tow, then it’s just a short walk to the tasting area and bar which sits at the back of the lawn and terraced area so as not to interrupt the view. You immediately have the feeling that you’ve walked into someone’s own private back yard on this enviable spot on the river. You are treated like long lost friends too by the friendly staff at this family owned vineyard and cellar door. Jamie served us on the day we visited and couldn’t have been a better host, making us feel welcome and answering any questions we had.

We were familiar with the Caudo Rose wine but not any of their other varieties, which include whites, Shiraz and Mediterranean style reds, sparkling wines and a port as well as a rum and their specialty, Sangrias. The Sangria range are lightly carbonated red or white wines spiced with fruit flavours and packaged in bright beautiful, Spanish inspired bottles. Their wines logo is a rose which refers to the land once being a successful rose farm and some of the wine varieties, Peace Chardonnay, Honor Shiraz and Olympiad Merlot, are named after roses. Not only did we enjoy tasting the wines but with a mixed dozen of wines costing only $120, we were happy to leave with a nice selection as well.

If it’s a little early in the day when you visit you can start with a coffee and just enjoy the location from bar tables, or picnic tables on the lawn or even booths with awnings that can be put up if needed. On weekends in summertime this place is full of people (and dogs on leads are welcome too) and with the warm weather, jugs of sangria are popular while visitors enjoy a grazing platter of local foods, wood fired pizzas or a unique, cook your own BBQ. This involves being given a little charcoal cooker and enough meat to cook a meal for 4 people as well as salad and bread.

The location of the winery makes it easy for visitors to arrive by road or by river and there is designated parking for houseboats and speedboats so there are plenty of options to make your visit easy. This part of the river is called Hogwash Bend and is around 8 kilometres east of the town of Cadell in the Riverland of South Australia. There is also a conservation park nearby where you can free camp in a very basic setting with no facilities or there are caravan parks in the nearby towns of Morgan or Waikerie.Caudo Vineyard is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10.30am to 5pm.

Cheers

Glenys