A group of 8 members set off on a casual drive to Great Western, where we visited Seppelts Winery to take part in the underground tour. Our tour guide was Ricky, who provided a wealth of historical information regarding the Winery, how Joseph Best and his brother set it up in 1865 and why, when the 1st tunnels were dug, and by whom, who has owned the winery since those early days, and how much of it, including the underground cellars with a capacity of more than 3 million bottles (many with wine still in them), still resting there, has now become classified by the National Trust.
Walking down the ramp, instead of dropping down the main shaft, there was a feeling of travelling back in time. With Ricky’s guidance, and sense of humour, we were treated to a wonderful 90 minutes or so, walking along sections of the more than 3km of hand dug “Drives”, learning about who still had wine stored underground, who the “Drives” were named after etc., how they offer fine dining underground on a monthly basis in those “Drives”, and many other snippets of information.
After the tour, and of course the compulsory tasting 😉, we had lunch at the Great Western Hotel. Problems of the world solved, we packed up and headed for home in the afternoon sun after an enjoyable day out.
