23 Apr 2013
| South Australia highlights this month include a new chocolate bar in Adelaide, a new golf & sail experience on the Fleurieu Peninsula and new records set in both rare wine sales and attendance at Santos Tour Down Under: |
 SPANISH CHOCOLATE DESSERT BAR DISHES UP SLICE OF HEAVEN - Adelaide’s newest dessert bar is bringing a Spanish flavour to the city's streets. Chocolateria San Churro has opened on the corner of Rundle St and East Tce and is a sweet-tooth’s slice of heaven. San Churro sources chocolate from boutique chocolate artisans to make its delicious Spanish inspired creations of chocolate dipped churros, sundaes, cakes, tasting plates and Spanish hot chocolate.BRANSON JOINS THE RANKS OF STELLAR VISITORS - Hot on the heels of Hilary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce, Sir Richard Branson is the latest famous name to grace Adelaide with a visit. The British business entrepreneur will be speaking at the National Young Achievers Congress which takes place from 8th – 9th May 2013. WORK UNDERWAY ON WORLD-CLASS VICTORIA SQUARE REDESIGN - Work is underway on the new event lawn and plaza at the redeveloped Victoria Square in Adelaide, which is set to deliver a world-class event space catering for up to 10,000 people. Plans for the new venue include 87 lemon-scented gum trees and a series of lights around the square projecting patterns on to the paths and lawns. The redevelopment includes an event lawn for up to 5,000 people in the northern half of the square, a paved central plaza and a raised stage, and water playground at the northern tip. The project is set for completion in time for the Tour Down Under next January when the square will host events on most weekends. WINE NEWS:  POWERFUL NEW LOOK FOR SCHILD ESTATE WINES - The Barossa’s Schild Estate winery is going through a dramatic transformation taking on a striking new look to showcase the authenticity of the brand and connecting the wines with the Schild family. Schild Estate’s new look speaks not only of a sense of place but also of the generations of family who have made the estate home. Each new label in the Estate Range represents a member of the family or a long-held family emblem. Ben Schild purchased Three Springs Farm in 1952 and three generations of the family still live and work on the property. The estate is made up of seven unique sites in the cooler southern end of the Barossa. NEW RECORDS SET AT RARE & DISTINGUISHED WINE AUCTION - The most recent Rare & Distinguished Barossa Wine Auction, a sold out event attended by 500 guests and featuring 144 lots, achieved a number of new records including the highest ever recorded purchase price for a single bottle of Penfolds 1962 Bin 60A. An imperial of 2008 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz sold for AUD$59,750 to Sultan Trad of Thailand, and the bottle of Penfolds 1962 Bin 60A went for AUD$5,175. Fortifieds also starred, with an extremely rare six bottle vertical set of Seppeltsfield 100ml Anthology Para Tawny Ports (1907-1912) going for AUD$4,554. The Rare & Distinguished Barossa Wine Auction is organised by the Barossa Grape & Wine Association (BGWA) and supported by donations from the local wine growing community as well as sponsors Penfolds, New Style Printing and Oddbins Wine Auctions. HOTEL NEWS: PLUSH NEW ROOMS FOR HISTORIC MERCURE, ADELAIDE - Historic Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide has completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment of its 181 rooms. The stylish room décor reflects splashes of uplifting colours and includes a new plush leather desk chair, LCD TV and iPod docking station. Adding to the ‘wow’ factor of the new look rooms is the striking black and white ‘mural style’ bedheads featuring renowned Adelaide landmarks. The refurbishment includes brand new bathrooms with sleek modern interiors complete with stylish chrome fixtures and soft lighting.  DIVE INTO THE BAROSSA’S NEWEST POOL - Visitors toJacob’s Creek Retreat can now plunge into their new infinity edge pool. And, when not soaking up the views, guests at the boutique hideaway can luxuriate in one of the spa areas and enjoy a relaxing pool side massage under the new pergola or in the privacy of their own suite.The ancestral homestead of the Nitschke Family, originally built in the 1840s, the historic buildings of the Retreat provide a selection of boutique suites, all individually designed and furnished. Set in extensive gardens and with an onsite cellar door as well as the new swimming pool, the Retreat affords the ideal base from which to explore the Barossa. ECO-MOTEL PLANNED FOR PORT AUGUSTA - A new 42 bedroom motel is to be built in Port Augusta providing travellers with a four-star eco-friendly place to base themselves in the Flinders Ranges. Construction on the environmentally sustainable, rammed earth motel begins this month. Stage one of the development, with 22 rooms, will be completed by October this year, with stage two delivering a further eight rooms by June 2014. The motel will be finished in 2018. Environmentally sustainable features of the eco-motel include grey water recycling, arid smart landscaping, solar panels, rammed earth walls and rainwater collection. TOUR NEWS: NEW ‘GOLF & SAIL’ FLEURIEU ADVENTURE - Combine indulgence and adventure with a new package created by Fleurieu Sailing and Links Lady Bay Resort. This perfect getaway on the Fleurieu Peninsula, an hour and a half from Adelaide, includes accommodation and lunch for two at the seaside resort, nine holes of golf and a two-hour twilight sail on board the luxury Lady Eugenie. JEEP ADDED TO BAROSSA UNIQUE TOURS - Whether by trike or by Jeep, Barossa Unique Tours transports visitors around the Barossa in style. Formerly known as ‘Barossa Trike Tours’, Barossa Unique Tours has added a brand new Jeep to its fleet offering visitors an alternative to the exhilarating trikes. Half, or full day personalised tours are available with the full day option including a personalised lunch at local restaurant 1918 Bistro and Grill. A ‘Barossa Uncut’ half day tour by jeep costs from AUD$160 per person. AND FINALLY………. CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER - Figures recently released by the South Australian Tourism Commission confirm that the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under was an overwhelming success, with increases in visitor numbers, economic impact and media coverage. The first stop on the world cycling calendar, the Santos Tour Down Under became the first event outside Europe to join the prestigious UCI ProTour. The 2013 event attracted more than 760,400 people to Adelaide and regional South Australia across eight days, including 40,000 interstate and international visitors, an increase of 9.7 per cent on 2012. The 2014 Santos Tour Down Under will be held from January 19th- 26th. For further information & images, input for fact boxes & round ups, to discuss media visits & feature ideas please contact Jovanka Ristich on +44 (0) 1628 630 965 or jovanka@ipr-online.co.uk |
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