tl;dr – A new seasonal service from San Francisco to Adelaide will make living out your Barossa Valley dreams easier.
I don’t fly United Airlines. I actively seek to avoid the carrier, as it seemed for a while (particularly during the pandemic) there was semi-regular news of crewmembers or gate agents squaring up with passengers. On top of my own onboard experiences, this has led me to other options. However, a new United direct route from San Francisco to Adelaide, Australia, has me rethinking my moratorium. The reason? Wine, of course.
Flying United Airlines be like:
According to Skynews Australia, United Airlines will commence seasonal service between San Francisco (SFO) and Adelaide (ADL) this December, offering three times weekly service between the two cities. Passengers will enjoy a 15-hour journey onboard a Boeing 787-9, departing out of SFO at 2:55 p.m. each day of service. The inaugural flight kicks off on December 11th.
Adelaide, the capital of Southern Australia, is notably the jumping-off point for Australia’s most iconic wine region – the Barossa Valley. Home to famed producers like Penfolds, Torbeck, Two Hands, Standish, and Yalumba, the Barossa Valley boasts its representation of the classic GSM varietals (Shiraz (Syrah), Grenache, and Mataro (Mourvèdre)), in addition to world-renowned Cabernet Sauvignon and top-notch Viogner for any white wine enthusiasts.
I love exploring wine regions all over the world, and I’m particularly excited when transit to these destinations is as frictionless as possible. A direct link to Adelaide means that you’re less than an hour from the vines once your plane touches down.
I’m in the middle of a report covering my 2024 trip to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, including a visit to AU’s Yarra Valley (review forthcoming), another iconic wine region near Melbourne. Tasting in Yarra was a stellar experience, and I’ve been itching to return to Australia to revisit more wine farms in Yarra and the other wine-producing regions in the Barossa Valley and Margaret River. In addition to marking my return to the WWE carrier, this new United route is the impetus to get me back to some Aussie vineyards. Would love to hear your thoughts on this new route in the comments!
