McLaren Vale Wine Region
McLaren Vale – Click to Enlarge
Just a 45-minute drive south of Adelaide in the heart of one of Australia’s oldest and most acclaimed wine regions, Mclaren Vale is a wine lover and foodie’s paradise.
The region forms part of the Fleurieu wine zone in South Australia, alongside Southern Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek, Kangaroo Island and Currency Creek.
McLaren Vale’s extensive natural and cultural heritage spans thousands of years of traditional ownership by the Kaurna people and recently, has been shaped by European colonisation. The colony of South Australia was founded in 1836 and McLaren Vale was established two years after following a survey conducted by John McLaren. John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838, and the Seaview and Hardy wineries were in operation as early as 1850.
At that time, McLaren Vale wineries made heavy, dry table wines in the style required by the bulk wine merchants and exporters of the 19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, there was a shift towards making fortified wines.
Exports trebled between 1920 and 1930; after World War II, local sales increased. In the 1950s, several McLaren Vale wineries began bottling small parcels of selected wines and established cellar-door tastings and sales. It was not until the 1970s that table wine grew in popularity. Within the same decade, over 25 new wineries were established in the region, specialising in the production of distinctive Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.
Today, McLaren Vale is renowned for its premium wine production, most notably big bold reds.
d’Arenberg is an iconic winery known for its bold architecture and avant-garde winemaking. The cellar door is a must-see, so make sure you allow plenty of time if you’re dropping in. Chapel Hill is situated on historic grounds and is one of our all-time favourites for quality wines that won’t break the bank.
If big, bold reds are your thing, you can’t go past Mollydooker Wines. Known for their bold, fruit-forward wines, Mollydooker has gained a cult following for its distinctive style utilizing innovative techniques like the Marquis Vineyard Watering Program to enhance grape quality.
Today, McLaren Vale is host to more than 190 producers, including 80 cellar doors.
