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Thursday, 04 June 2009 16:56 |
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Skillogalee - Fine Wines, Great Dining and Luxury Accommodation in South Australia’s Clare Valley
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| JUNE 2009: Situated on 60 hectares of South Australia’s (www.southaustralia.com) Clare Valley wine region, Skillogalee is a family-owned and operated winery specialising in the production of premium wines (www.skillogalee.com.au). Since moving to Australia in 1986 and taking over Skillogalee three years later, Scottish-born owners, Dave and Diana Palmer, now boast the Clare Valley’s original and longest running winery restaurant whilst also offering five-star accommodation. |
The Winery
 Located around 8kms from the town of Clare, alongside the Spring Gully Conservation Park, Skillogalee has been the site of handcrafted wine production for more than 30 years. Today, a relatively wide range of wines is made at the small winery, including Rieslings, Gewurztraminer, Shiraz and Cabernets, as well as Tawny Port and Liqueur Muscat, all of which may be sampled at the cellar door or in the restaurant.
Skillogalee operates on a ‘domain’ basis, which means that all the fruit for its wines is grown in the property’s own vineyards. A combination of the best of traditional techniques and modern technologies is used for fruit handling and wine production, which has contributed to Skillogalee receiving numerous awards for its wines at regional, national and international levels.
Daniel Palmer, now an experienced winemaker, has joined the family business to run the winery operations and to produce the wine with his father who also oversees the vineyards and manages sales and marketing. Nicola Palmer, a qualified jeweller, has also joined the business managing the restaurant and co-ordinating functions with her mother Diana.
The Restaurant
 Established in 1990 by the Palmers, the restaurant was the first full-time, professional winery restaurant in the Clare Valley and has been open seven days a week, 363 days a year ever since.
With seating for around 30 inside and a further 50 outside on the verandah under the shade of an old olive tree, overlooking the cottage garden and vineyards, the restaurant places emphasis on interesting dishes from around the world using the best ingredients, local if possible.
Well presented and professionally served in a relatively informal atmosphere, the changing menu includes the likes of warm salad of honey roasted root vegetables with lemon mustard dressing topped with grilled Kangaroo Island haloumi; spiced rubbed greenslade chicken breast on parsnip mash, steamed greens and sauce vierge, and vanilla bean pannacotta with late harvest poached cherries and shortbread fingers.
The Accommodation
 Skillogalee House, a spacious, stone farmhouse dating back to the early 1900’s, has been tastefully restored and furnished to provide five-star luxury. With three bedrooms, two with king-size and one with queen size beds, plus an en-suite and another bathroom with under-floor heating and a freestanding bath for two, it provides comfortable, indulgent accommodation for up to six.
In addition, two purpose-built cedar pine cottages, Wren and Owl, feature two and three bedrooms respectively, and offer comfortable self-contained accommodation in the wooded hills and vineyards within a short walk of Skillogalee cellar door and restaurant.
Breakfast provisions for a hearty country breakfast are included in each accommodation, with wines and cheeses added for stays for two or more nights.
Note to Editors - Skillogalee is named after a Celtic word meaning gruel or porridge commonly fed to prisoners in Ireland in the 1800s. Pioneer and explorer, John Horrocks, named the nearby creek Skillogalee after the dish helped him and his party to survive an expedition in the area during which they experienced delays through illness and injuries.
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