Hahndorf German Cultural Village In South Australia

Located less than an hour from Adelaide, Hahndorf is Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement. It’s the Little Germany of Australia with a well-preserved culture within the unique one-of-a-kind village.

We only walked halfway through one side of the street when I gave in and suggested having lunch first. The weather was chilly that day, and I needed food and wine to keep me warm. We stopped at the packed The Haus and ordered pork wursts and sparkling red wine, staying true to the local culture. The food was meh, but the wine was delicious. We were contemplating whether to order the second glass when the server recommended Underberg.

Underberg

Underberg is a digestive bitter, with 44% alcohol, made from aromatic herbs from 43 countries and a secret family recipe to aid digestion after a heavy meal.

It reminded me of Omam water; my great-grandma used to force-feed my cousins and me when we were young. Sold! My friend, Liz, took the first sip and was disgusted by it. But, on the other hand, it didn’t hit me as bad, almost like sipping a weird-tasting cough syrup. I wonder whether my other friend, Fia, who introduced me to Gluhwein during a Christmas dinner years ago, has had it before?

Have you tried Underberg?

We continued roaming Hahndorf after lunch, stopping at a candle shop and a museum-cum-gallery. Once we cultured up, it was wine o’clock! We hopped from one boutique cafe to another, “researching” different kinds of wines.

We left the lovely Hahndorf, returned to the city in the evening, and rested in the serviced apartment for a while. We had dinner at the highly recommended COS 18 Leigh at night, where I had the best Kilpatrick oysters while Liz had the best tartare in her life. Also, we both had the best wines in our lifetimes.

Ps. If you send postcards from Hahndorf, they would have special postal stamps unique to the village.

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