Château Yaldara is the most theatrical of the Barossa's wineries, a mock-Schloss castle near Lyndoch that looks like it was transported from the Rhine Valley. It was built in the 1940s by Hermann Thumm, a German immigrant who had survived two world wars and the Depression, and its towers, stained glass and antique-filled rooms give it an atmosphere quite unlike any other winery in Australia.
The castle is now part of the Grant Burge portfolio, but the architecture and the ornate interior remain. Tastings are conducted in the castle rooms, which are decorated with antiques, silverware and tapestries accumulated by Thumm over his lifetime. The approach through the winery gates on a quiet morning, with the bluestone tower rising above the gardens, is one of the most memorable arrivals in the Barossa.