We went with Trevor Wehr (sole proprietor of Auburn Tours http://www.auburntours.com.au/auburntours.htm) and he was absolutely fantastic. He is retired and does this more for the sheer pleasure of sharing the best of Barossa with people from around the world than for the money (so his rates were extremely reasonable). He is an absolute gentleman, is down to earth, personable, knows everyone in town and really went out of his way to make our stay in Barossa one of the highlights of our trip to Australia. We have only the highest praise for him, and apparently others agree (in his B&B, there's a framed award where he won the 2008 South Australia Tourism award for Service Excellence, but it's not something he ever talks or brags about). He is also great with email - we exchanged several emails with him before booking with him, and he was always very responsive and helpful. He definitely knows his wines and was able to match the visits to our tastes (which lean toward big reds, fruit forward).

We loved that he was able to get us into wineries that aren't normally open to the public and, for the wineries that are open to the public, got us tastings for premium wines that aren't given to any except those in the know or with connections. That was important to us. (It also helps that we are big wine people and really appreciate fine wines.) I won't name names, but at several wineries, $200-$300 bottles of wines were opened for us. (Trevor did say that was highly unusual. At one of the wineries, he was shocked - he said those bottles were never opened for anyone. Apparently the winemaker really liked us and found kindred spirits in us.) As another example, I've seen various posts here in FT that say Yalumba's premium wines are great but generally not available for tasting. Well, Trevor took us there and of course they all knew him. We got to taste all the premium wines, thanks to him, including The Signature 05 Cab and Shiraz blend (delicious), Menzies Coonawarra 06 (delicious), Octavius Shiraz 05 (good). Since it was almost closing time, the staff insisted on pouring us the rest of the bottle of The Signature.

We didn't want to ride in his classic car and opted instead for modern comfort (the 4WD). The 4WD SUV was extremely comfortable and spacious. Trevor put a small portable electric refrigerator in the back for drinks and anything else we wanted to stock it with (make sure to tell him if you want it because it's not always there, particularly if he thinks you need the space for luggage).

In addition, Trevor runs what everyone there calls a B&B, but really it's house for rent. It's also on his website - called Angaston Views. The house is a 5 min walk away (4 blocks) from the grocery store and the main street of town where the restaurants and quaint shops are. The house is better in person than it looks in the photos. You have a whole house to yourself - 3 bedrooms, 1 bath that has a shower on one side and a hydrotherapy spa tub, laundry (washer and dryer), deck with great views, fireplace. It's extremely clean, well maintained and fully stocked. It's like staying at a friend's house (or better) and having it all to yourself. "Homey" is what Trevor and his wife strive for and their thoughtfulness is apparent. In the living room, flat screen TV, DVD player, tons of DVDs, magazines, books, logs for the fireplace. The kitchen is fully stocked with all the cooking and dining utensils you can possibly imagine, several coffee presses, various coffees, teas, hot and cold breakfast / snack provisions (cereals, oatmeal, milk, OJ, ham, bacon, pate, eggs, veggies, fruit, biscotti, chocolates, port), all kinds of condiments / seasonings / spices. Eucalyptus and aloe infused Kleenex branded tissues, lavendar scented toilet paper, bubble bath for the hydrotherapy tub, hairdryer, plenty of extra towels, heated bathroom, fully stocked laundry room. We didn't need or want for anything during our stay. The house is also dog-friendly for those who have dogs (we don't).