Cellar Treasures provides an opportunity to explore exceptional wines of years past from the picturesque Langhorne Creek.

It is a lesser known fact, or one perhaps now largely forgotten, that grapes from Langhorne Creek produced the very first winner of the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1962.

On a timeline of the region’s history, the winning Stonyfell Wines Metala Cabernet Shiraz 1961 sits about two-thirds of the way between the 1850s and today.

The first thirty acres of Shiraz and Verdelho vines were planted in the early 1850s by Frank Potts, who founded Bleasdale Winery. The winery is now worked by the fifth and sixth generations of the founding family, and this duration of familial connection is common in the region’s wineries.

Another lesser known fact is Langhorne Creek is a ‘cool climate’ wine region. Prevailing breezes from the Southern Ocean push across Lake Alexandrina in the late afternoon and into the vineyards, dropping the temperature and enabling a slow, steady ripening of the grapes.

Red and fortified wines are what Langhorne Creek is renowned for, and during Cellar Treasures, held every year throughout August, the wineries showcase their museum and rare drops.

One highlight of the program is the Rare and Museum Weekend, held on 13 and 14 August. Don’t expect this to be a staid or stuffy weekend; wine tasting at Langhorne Creek wineries is a relaxed, friendly and welcoming affair.

While each winery will put their own twist on the experience – a masterclass or lunch, live music or vinyl, chocolate pairing or art – they will all be opening up the cellar and offering tastings of wines, nicely matured and from vintages past, alongside those of which only a few precious bottles remain.

Good times at Bremerton Wines

Winemakers Rebecca Willson and Matt Schmidt of Bremerton Wines are hosting a masterclass with 10 different wines on the Saturday morning. The winery’s general manager, Lucy Willson, who is also Rebecca’s sister, says for wine-lovers it’s a must-do event that lets participants get inside the winemaker’s head.

“The way Bec and Matt conduct them is just so interesting because it’s educational, but you find out all sorts of things that you never really knew about winemaking,” Lucy explains.

“It really does let you see it from their eyes, as opposed to just tasting the finished product. You start to see the nuances of decisions that are made, and why everyone’s wines are what they are.”

Lucy says the wines available for tasting over this weekend will vary. While they plan to have only have two or three open at any one time, a total of seventeen museum wines will be shared over the two days.

Over at Lake Breeze Wines, winemaker Greg Follett will also host a masterclass, taking people through six museum wines. His wife, Robyn, who works alongside him and his brothers, Tim and Roger, says it will include their top wine, The Drake, as well as their popular Bernoota – both Shiraz Cabernet blends.

Robyn shares that Bernoota is the name of the winery’s homestead. “It’s a Ngarrindjeri word meaning camp among the gum trees,” she says.

The masterclass will be hosted in their barrel-lined function space, allowing around 40 people to participate. As Robyn calls it, “a nice, intimate group”.

The room will also be the venue for their Long Tuscan Lunch – hors d’oeuvres plus four courses – on Sunday, 7 August, and hosted by chef Adam Swanson.

This is not the only dining experience on offer during Cellar Treasures. Both Kimbolton Wines and Bremerton are holding degustation dinners (Bremerton’s is actually in Adelaide, Kimbolton’s in Strathalbyn), while Angas Plains Wines is hosting two four-course winemakers’ dinners – all of them, as would be expected, matching food with museum wines.

Kimbolton’s schmick cellar door

The list of events during Cellar Treasures is long enough to have you visiting two or three times over the month.

Every Wednesday to Sunday, Bleasdale has its Prestige Wine Flight, a guided ‘blank and blind’ tasting with a generous pour of five of their prestige and flagship wines, including a rare fortified. There are several sessions each day and booking is advised.

The winery is also going Beyond the Cellar Door every Saturday, with one member of the Potts family guiding visitors behind the scenes and into the depths of the historic winery before a tasting of rare wines.

Perhaps because of its small size, Langhorne Creek punches far above its weight for genuine friendliness and hospitality. It is home to just 12 wineries (and a boutique brewery) across nine cellar doors, and is only an hour away from Adelaide via the freeway.

If there was a time to grow your list of favourite weekend hangouts, Cellar Treasures is it.