Sundays are a day to relax, with good food, good wine and good conversation.

And a great place to do this is in the Adelaide Hills, at Longview Vineyard, Macclesfield. It’s a family-owned Australian vineyard with brothers Mark and Peter Saturno in charge, producing cool climate wines inspired by their experiences overseas.

Chefs Stephanie Heaven and Louise Naughton have just launched their winter Sunday tapas menu and it’s just delicious!

It’s worth the drive from Adelaide, up the South Eastern Freeway/Princes Highway, or through the meandering country roads, if you prefer.

Before lunch, step into the cellar door to taste the range of wines. A new cellar door experience is also being built and will be open later in the year. The tapas menu is $50 per person and while not an extensive menu, there’s enough variety in the dishes to leave you satisfied.

Among the starters, the corn chowder with house-smoked shredded chicken and crème fraiche was smooth with chunky pieces of corn and chicken. I loved the creamy, tart crème fraiche and freshness of the chives on the top. The chowder could have benefited from a stronger flavour. The crunchy fried mushrooms with garlic aioli were meaty with a crunchy coating, juicy on the inside, and the aioli was suitably creamy.

As a main course, the pan-fried Adelaide haloumi with house-smoked sweet potato and harissa salad had plenty of textures and flavours, from the softness of the sweet potato and the salty soft haloumi, to the fresh crunchy salad with a hint of spice. The polenta crusted beef ragu pie with broccolini tossed in gremolata was my favourite dish. The ragu was tender with a beautiful, creamy layer of polenta on top. There was a hint of spice in this dish that added to its appeal as a warm, winter’s day comfort food.

The cauliflower gratin with pork schnitzel and caponata was very moreish. The tender schnitzel in its crispy coating was perfectly accompanied by the small-cut chunks of the caponata and its rich, flavoursome tomato-based sauce. The cauliflower was soft and still had a little bite to it.

And for dessert, a tasting plate of hazelnut meringue drops, crunchy with a strong hazelnut flavour. Yum! The chocolate raspberry cheesecake brownies were a great balance of chocolate, raspberry and cheesecake. And the coconut panna cotta with coconut wafers were my favourite. I love coconut – the only fault of this dish is that I wanted more! I was also delighted with the cheese plate on offer. A blue cheese called “Shadows of blue” and a King Island aged cheddar were presented with lavosh, a deep red “Yakka” shiraz spiced pear, quince paste and grapes. This balance of strong cheese flavours with the freshness of different fruit textures was a fabulous way to end the delightful array of tapas plates. Longview Vineyard is closed on Saturdays due to it being a very popular wedding destination. And I can certainly see why, with the rolling hills and vines as far as the eye can see. There’s also accommodation on site as well if you feel like a weekend getaway.

I loved the Sunday tapas lunch and have been trying to find another Sunday in my calendar to return for another relaxing afternoon!

** I was an invited guest.