Kuipto
The tradition of travelling out of Adelaide for our wedding anniversary continued this year except this time we had a little 4-legged baby with us!
The ‘Tiny House’ movement has grown significantly in recent years as people grow ever more sustainable and eager to digital detox. We had been keen to book CABN Jude in the Adelaide Hills but unfortunately it wasn’t available on these dates. Luckily CABN had recently added a few more locations to the menu and Matilda was available and dog friendly (yay)!
While listed as located in Kuipto, the location is more accurately in The Range. Imagine a triangle connecting McLaren Vale, Willunga and Kuitpo, Matilda is located in the middle and you almost feel lost in this Bermuda Triangle. We have stayed in McLaren Vale and Blewitt Springs before, not to mention driven the region countless times, but it is always special discovering something new about an area you already love.
We started our weekend with lunch at a favourite, Pizzateca. Travelling with a pup means we are have to be more particular about where we book. We knew Pizzateca had an outdoor area so we were confident Gigi would be welcome, but upon arriving with our little stallion we were made to feel very welcome. Gigi attracted much (deserved) compliments from the friendly staff. We’ve eaten our fair share of Pizza is some of the best pizza spots in Italy. So we feel confident enough in assessing Pizzatecca, which is without a doubt, the best pizza we’ve tried outside of Italy. Not to mention the arosticini, an Abbruzzese specialty.
A post lunch wine tasting seemed appropriate so we headed to another favourite and new addition to the Vale, Down the Rabbit Hole. Honestly, this really is the way of the future for cellar doors. Quirky, boho, stylish, friendly and totally instagramable. The best part though? You cannot get a bad wine here. Dom and Elise have done an exceptional job with this cellar door, the brand, the experience but most importantly the wine.
A couple of wines in, we decided it was time to check in to our tiny CABN. You have to drive along an unsealed road to find the gate to the property. After parking the car, you walk down a little and feast your eye on the beautiful CABN. Surrounded by the vineyards of Fox Gordon and overlooking a dam, the site really is everything the photos make it out to be. Whilst small, the CABN is perfectly cosy with all the amenities one needs. Our favourite part was the shaded deck area, overlooking the landscape and scenery and perfectly orientated to enjoy both the sunrise and sunsets. Whilst the property was not completely secured, as long as he was in our sights, we felt comfortable letting Gigi off his lead. When he needed to be though, there was a long rope provided which gave him ample slack to roam around. We popped a bottle of bubbles, put out a cheese board and enjoyed our wedding night anniversary under a full moon on a warm balmy spring night.
Waking up to a gorgeous sunrise, we could well have stayed in bed all day, however, our little pup had other ideas. Neither of us (or at least in adulthood) had ever actually visited Kuitpo Forest. We didn’t know much about where we were going and unfortunately the visitor information was closed so decided to pick a trail, walk 30 mins and then turn around. An hour walk in muggy conditions with a pup was more than enough to quench our thirst so after taking the perfect picture amongst the pine trees we visited K1 Wines by Geoff Hardy. Driving down the entrance we were reminded of the beautiful wineries of Tuscany with their long driveways and perfect landscaping. Wine tasting on the scenic lake makes for a more traditional experience compared to that of Down the Rabbit Hole, proving that there is still room for both modern and classic experiences.
We decided to venture into our favourite little town, Willunga. We wanted to stop in at another of our favourites in the region Hither & Yon. These guys have a shop front for their tasting experience on the main street of Willunga. With a bowl of Coriole Olives before us, we worked our way through the delicious wine list. It is a mixture of good solid tables reds and other more exclusive ones to pop in the cellar. We downed a few too many wines here and after filling our boot with bottles galore made our way back to the CABN.
With the weather changing, we nestled in for a night by the campfire, wine, marshmallows and some local cheese. We absolutely loved our stay here and were tempted to message to see if we could stay another night. Only the forecast of bad weather and Marius’ need to go back to work stopped that. The bed was comfortable, the how water and shower pressure perfect, the BBQ and deck area a delight. The view, scenery and location on point. We honestly could not recommend this place enough.
If you’re ever in need of a coffee whilst in the area you must visit Dal Mare Coffee Roastery. It’s not easy to find, despite the address being the main road of McLaren Vale but it is the best coffee in town.
To conclude our weekend, we stopped past another old favourite of ours, Alpha Box & Dice. Rather than a tasting, we ordered ourselves a glass of wine, a cheese platter and savored the last moments of out anniversary getaway. Another successful adventure with our travelling iggy.