It was yet another beautiful Adelaide morning, and we were out walking one of Adelaide's lesser known long distance walking trails, the Lavender Trail. Passing near the sleepy Adelaide Hills town of Springton, the hunger pains relayed a message of need. A quick google didn't find many options, except for an obscure reference to a unique brunch experience at the nearby Grand Cru Estate. We called in. Am glad we did.

Grand Cru Estate - Steve Hudson
Grand Cru Estate is owned and operated by Peter Seppelt, a 5th generation member of the famous
Seppelt wine family. Peter and his wife Roz purchased the property from other family members in 2006 and have undertaken a program of transforming desolate paddocks in to magnificent open gardens, parklands and vineyards.

Neighbouring Paddocks - Steve Hudson

The Landrover Fire Truck - Steve Hudson
A short trip along a dusty road leads to the entrance of the Estate and a larger than imagined car park sitting beneath a series of old gum trees and adjacent to a set of gardens and a lake which plays host to weddings and various functions. The cellar door, at the end of a few steps, is a large open area in a rustic old building that momentarily had my attention before my nose took over.

Garden Lake - Steve Hudson

Cellar Door - Steve Hudson
Quickly drawn through the cellar door, we entered the rear garden area and were greeted by the smell of a wood oven pizza coupled with the aroma of growing grass, willowing trees and blooming gardens. We chose our chairs and quickly settled in to a debate as to whether we should order one or two of the breakfast pizzas.

Magnificent Gardens - Steve Hudson

Extensive Gardens - Steve Hudson
It wasn't long before our egg and bacon pizza arrived, and we immediately knew that this would set a new standard in the quest to experience Australia's
best egg related breakfasts. The crusty wood oven cooked Napoli base coupled with a large spread of Barossa bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato, cracked pepper and rock salt satisfied all of the senses, and was more than enough for the two of us to share.

Simply the best - Steve Hudson

A plunged treat - Steve Hudson
Our breakfast was accompanied by a delicious blend of Mahalia plunger coffee, and several visits from the local and friendly working dogs, a few birds and yet more aromas from the garden. Being at a cellar door it was also mandatory to scrutinise the wine menu, and while everything looked and sounded desirable, our commitment to not indulging prior to noon held strong (although surely it was 12 noon somewhere in the world ?).

Beached boat - Steve Hudson
Grand Cru Estate is located on Laubes Road about 4km south west of Springton. The cellar door and restaurant are open from 10am-5pm on Friday to Sundays with dinners often available on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Estate is part way through a restoration with Peter and Roz adding accommodation and more function options to enable everyone to experience this beautiful, secluded and grand old estate that has been in the family for over 125 years. Further details are available on the
Peter Seppelt Wines website or on their
facebook page.

And of course, a vineyard - Steve Hudson