The Barossa Valley is about to get another cellar door richer with the launch of Poonawatta winery’s new space.
The brand-new cellar door is set to launch in mid-September with seated wine tastings and cheese platters, and the progress on the build looks stunning so far.
Made of heritage galv and hardwood, the building will serve as a showroom for Poonawatta wines. Husband and wife team Michelle and Andrew Holt released their first wine in 2002 made from vines planted in 1880, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Eden Valley region. They now have close to a dozen wines, including cabernet, shiraz, riesling and grenache as of this year.
The venue, which will have bar seating, tables, and an outdoor deck, will also offer a fire pit experience come autumn, where guests can book ahead to arrange gourmet platters at the fire pit. The cellar door experience overlooks the natural surroundings of the region, breaking from the norm and showcasing a different crucial part of the vineyard instead of the vines.
“The cellar door overlooks the dam that waters the vineyard, our garden, our cattle and sheep––it’s our survival,” says Michelle.
“There’s no vineyard in sight, but instead there’s nature’s trees and shrubs that we’ve planted to increase wildlife in the area. You’re looking over our farm.”
In keeping with their goal to increase wildlife on their property, the Holts built a rooftop garden over the cellar, made with up of 25 tonnes of loam, to attract local birds and insects with the native plant species. Poonawatta hopes that their unique cellar door experience will not only help their ecosystem, but also boost their family business and the region.
“A lot of people go the Barossa Valley but then ask ‘where’s Eden Valley?’ even though we’re a part of the Barossa,” Michelle says.
“There are a lot of boutique small producers in the Eden Valley, and we’re hoping to give people a reason to come here and to make it a destination as well.”
Currently, the majority of Poonawatta’s business is from their website and through partnerships with interstate restaurants. If you purchase six bottles or more online, freight is free.
Michelle is excited for the cellar door to finish in the early spring not only to benefit her business and the area, but to provide guests the opportunity to feel a bit of her winery’s paradise.
“We want the cellar door to be a place to relax, sit back, and unwind, and people have already been telling us they feel relaxed when they overlook the view, so that has given us hope that it will work.”
Michelle also acknowledged the support of the South Australian Tourism Commission, having received grant funding via the Tourism Industry Development Fund. The fund is designed to support and stimulate private sector investment in new and improved quality tourism product and experiences.
“The grand funding was a key element in the viability of building the cellar door on the bank of a dam, and while most of the grant went into the engineering and structural costs associated with the buildings location, it is what has enabled us to create a venue with a truly unique outlook,” she says.
Find Poonawatta at 1227 Eden Valley Road, Flaxman Valley.
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