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Watervale Hotel

37 Main North Road, Watervale, SA, 5452
Phone
(08) 8843 0229
Website
watervalehotel.com.au
Instagram
@watervalehotel

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 28 Feb 2023

By
Nick Ryan

Not just a beautiful old pub, Watervale Hotel is a showcase for far-sighted winemaking – seen in a list with at least one wine from every producer in the Clare Valley – and hyperlocal, flavour-packed food.

Wine bottles
Why you goOn approach it looks very much like a beautiful old country pub, but walk through the door and you soon discover it’s so much more. This is a philosophy in physical form, a way to think about what we eat and drink solidified in bricks and mortar. It’s a farm gate and front bar all in one. Witness the walk-in wine cellar, for instance, dedicated to pioneering local winemaker Carl Sobels, that ensures white wines aren’t too chilled and the reds aren’t too warm – a level of care matched in the meticulously produce-driven kitchen.
Why you stay

Nicola Palmer and Warrick Duthy were very clear about what they wanted to do with the neglected Watervale Hotel from the moment they collected the keys in early 2018. They wanted it to be a showcase for great farming, sustainable fishing and far-sighted winemaking. The closer the better. And they’ve succeeded.

Whole beasts are delivered by local farmers and broken down in-house, seafood sourced from suppliers committed to carving deep grooves on the road from the coast to Clare. And, most significantly, virtually everything pulled from the earth, picked from a tree or plucked from a bush has come from the permaculture farm they’ve established at their home, Penobscot Farm, less than a mile down the road.

This is a kitchen that walks the walk as well as talks the talk. Every detail is carefully considered and authentic. And it pours a great pint, too. Every regional area needs a pub like this.

Food and cocktail served at Watervale hotel
Cocktails
What drink to order

Warrick Duthy was a wine-industry professional of long-standing before he was a publican, and his extensive and expertly compiled wine list is a major beneficiary of that experience. He claims to have at least one wine from every single winemaker in the Clare Valley available at any time, and we’re yet to see anyone disprove that claim. He also enjoys flying the flag for small producers so you’ll find riesling and more from the likes of Watervale’s Shut the Gate Wines and family-run Pikes Wines of Polish Hill.

He also knows that a successful list in a wine-region pub is one that both showcases and contextualises the vineyards surrounding it, so there’s always an intriguing collection of wines from further afield to inform and illuminate those from Clare.

The indefatigable Warrick is a gleeful sharer of all his knowledge and even offers mini masterclasses each day at 11:00am for those who want to justify their indulgence as a getting of wisdom.

What to pair it withThe Fires of Hell is the grandiose, but not entirely inaccurate, name given to the Watervale’s wood-fired grill. With a name like that, it’s only appropriate that all sorts of temptations emerge from its embers, but if you succumb to only one, make it the roasted chicken. Farmed locally, these ethically raised birds are plump and packed with flavour, their natural attributes further enhanced by the curling caress of charcoal smoke from the grill. Juicy, smoky, substantially delicious.
Food and drinks at bar
Regular's tipA garden salad and cultured butter are at opposite ends of the virtue spectrum, but both are must-order items for those who know the way things are done in Watervale. Radiant coals from the Fires of Hell are dropped into cultured cream that is then cleaned up, churned and delivered to the table as a butter that will spoil you for all others. Make yourself feel better by ordering the garden salad and you’ll be rewarded with a selection of spankingly fresh garden goodness that had been growing that very morning at Penobscot Farm.
Who to takeRound up 20 of your most nefarious friends and head for the Hell Hole. Trust us – it’s a lot more fun than it sounds. Back in the days when local law enforcement was several horseback hours away, publican Esther Greenslade found a pragmatic way to deal with unruly patrons. She built her own gaol and it quickly became known by those who “enjoyed” its spartan accommodations as the Hell Hole. These days, after a more hospitable renovation, it’s a perfect private dining room with its own private terrace. So order yourself another week and don’t worry about making bail.
Make it fancyThe proximity of the pub to the farm that produces so much of what ends up on its plates provides opportunities for diners to really make connections to the process that feeds them. By prearrangement, the Watervale Hotel offers a true paddock-to-plate experience, beginning with a guided tour of Penobscot Farm where guests can gather ingredients that will form part of a six-course degustation enjoyed in the heart of the action at the Chef’s Table. Having found yourself dining in one of the world’s great wine regions, it would seem sensible to add the option of a tutored tasting of local wines before dinner and carefully matched selections throughout the meal.
Authour image
Nick RyanNick Ryan turned a natural thirst into something resembling a career, writing about drinks for publications such as The Australian, The World of Fine Wine and The Robb Report.
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Drinks DirectoryRegional SAVego Food OptionsTop notch wine listGood for groupsMeal and a bevDate nightCasual catch-upPet friendlyNon-alc OptionsFamily affairOutdoor areaFancy occasionWheelchair accessible
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