One of the first things you notice at the R.M.Williams workshop in Adelaide’s northern suburbs is the rich, earthy smell of leather. The second is the sheer number of people involved in shepherding that leather from the first cut through to the final clean and polish. More than 80 sets of hands touch each boot throughout the process, each pair building upon the work that comes before.
The care and craft that shape each boot can only be fully comprehended via this behind-the-scenes view. Andrew Walters, lead guide with The Tailor Touring Co., has taken guests on this tour countless times, but every time he’s impressed anew, pointing out how an employee stitches along the heel of the boot simply by eye.
Since 2019, The Tailor Touring Co. has been creating private and immersive experiences as the dedicated tour operation of luxury travel specialist The Tailor. Each tour designed by The Tailor Touring Co. allows guests exclusive opportunities to gain insight into the craft behind South Australia’s treasures – both the icons, such as R.M.Williams, and the hidden gems and personalities that distinguish the state.
A day that starts in Adelaide might continue north to the Barossa Valley. But it’s not just a case of settling into the comfort of the Mercedes Benz V-Class and travelling from cellar door to cellar door for a quick sniff and swirl; the objective is to immerse rather than simply observe.
Arriving at Torbreck Vintners, you’re invited into the barrel shed to taste wine directly from gleaming oak foudres. Each of the large-scale barrels holds some 4,500L of wine fermented from grapes from different vineyards – it’s a chance to truly taste the terroir of the Barossa’s sub-regions.
Andrew usually takes guests to a maximum of two wineries in a day, so you might make a second stop at Hentley Farm, first taking in the majestic red gums along Greenock Creek before heading inside the 1840s cottage cellar door. While the hospitality inside is warm and welcoming – and the sticky soy-roasted almonds delicious – the vineyard beckons. Here you can taste flagship wines while standing on the soil that formed them.
Hutton Vale Farm, owned by sixth-generation Barossan John Angas and his wife Jan, is a short drive away. The experience here is more akin to being welcomed into the family for the day and, if you’re lucky, includes the chance to try Jan’s roast lamb. “I bring people straight into the kitchen – it’s the human heart of every experience,” Jan says. “And it makes for wonderful conversation.”
The Tailor Touring Co. makes the most of Adelaide’s proximity to not only the Barossa but also the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Some of Adelaide’s cultural and culinary institutions, including the Adelaide Central Market, the Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia and the JamFactory gallery introduce guests to the city’s diversity. The company can also provide privileged, behind-the-scenes visits with access to the expertise of key staff of the South Australian Museum, which has one of the world’s largest collections of Aboriginal artefacts as well as extensive palaeontology and geology displays.
For guests who opt for the easy drive south to McLaren Vale and the state’s spectacular coastline, one highlight is boarding Ollie the golf buggy to trundle between the vines at Oliver’s Taranga, tasting the fruits of the vines on site.
The Oliver family has been growing vines on their Taranga property for six generations, and their wines are as exuberant and of the land as they are.
Lunch may be at the nearby McLaren Flat restaurant, The Currant Shed, which sits within the beautiful surrounds of Shottesbrooke Vineyards. It’s one of the best places in the region to experience the Fleurieu’s premium produce, from hand-harvested local mushrooms to Indigenous flavours including lemon myrtle and wattleseed. It’s refined luxury on a plate and, like all The Tailor Touring Co. experiences, made perfectly to measure.
