12 of 43

Write now Article Tools

McLaren Vale region wineries, South Australia

A visit to Australia should always include a winery tour. This is easily done from the state capitals Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Winery tours are also a favorite pastime of the Aussies, who enjoy excursions into the countryside to sample the local produce, often taking overseas visitors with them.

I live in Adelaide, South Australia, which is a great place to live because we have a wonderful Mediterranean climate. It is always warm and usually we have cloudless days. We enjoy going to the beach or having barbecues with our friends quaffing lots of wine of good quality. South Australia produces more wine than any other state, from about seven distinctive regions.

Recently I went on a day tour from Adelaide to visit four wineries in the McLaren Vale region with a lunch stop at the Victor Hotel in Victor Harbor located on the southern ocean coast. What I like about such organized tours is that it is pot luck who you travel with. Always I find one or two, or more, fellow travelers with whom I might have some rapport and perhaps develop a new friendship, or even a relationship. Also, you don't have to drive your car which is a bonus and less of a worry.

Our first stop was the Olive Groves Winery in McLaren Vale. Let me explain that you could go on ten winery tours in McLaren Vale and never go to the same winery twice and always have an enjoyable time.

I was very impressed with the Olive Groves Winery which is part of Lloyd Brothers Wine and Olive Company.. It probably has more acreage growing olives than grapes. It has a prosperous business selling a wide range of olive products plus specialty wines. The owners welcomed all 25 of us to taste their produce. Free wine tasting is the custom in South Australia (you get a small portion to taste), or if you need more then you can buy a glass at A$4.50 for whites or A$5.00 reds, of good quality, or pay more for specialty wines if desired. It is a good system.

At first I tried tasting the half dozen varieties of olive oil into which one dibbles bread portions, Wow, I thought, and absorbed their advertising info about it all, .....next I moved onto the various olive based sauces... Wow again... why don't I make some of these delicacies myself, I thought?

After that I went to the wine tasting bar and started with their chardonnay, then the rose, and finally the reds, as one is supposed to do. Excellent! I could have stayed there all day in air-conditioned comfort.

The Lloyd Brothers' whites include a well oaked Chardonnay (10 months in the barrel), a late picked Verdelho and a Rose. The reds are both full bodied Shiraz with plum and liquorice bouquets, of 4+ star quality, with the labels "White Chalk Shiraz" and "hand-picked Shiraz".

We had a 45 minute stop at this winery which time wise was just right. The ladies on the trip (ca 75%) were bristling with produce bought. As a guestimate I think there was more olive produce bought than wine. They bought bottles of Kalamata olives, jams, sauces, olive oil, olive based soaps, even special olive soaps for washing your dog! A happy time was had by all.

An added attraction for children at Olive Groves winery are the animals for here they can make friends with kangaroos, alpacas and deer. That's diversity for you!

The next winery we visited located on the Main Road of McLaren Vale was the Penny's Hill winery which is the source of "Red Dot" house wines served in many pubs and clubs of Adelaide. The vineyards date back to 1850's and the historic landmark two story residence "Ingleburne" is the base for the Penny Hill label. Recent developments are new cellars, gallery and function facilities.

Wine maker Ben Riggs produces three styles of Shiraz wines and a Grenache, Merlot and a Shiraz Cabernet Merlot blend from vineyards having shallow soils along the valley floor. Some Semilion, Chardonnay and Chardonnay Viognier is produced, as well as Tawny Port and Almond Liqueur. Our little group was fairly wined out when left for Victor Harbor.

After a fine lunch at the seaside Victor Hotel we climbed aboard our minibus and headed for home via the village of Yankalilla (famous for a vision of an angel) and onto Normanville, a township by the sea on the Gulf of St. Vincent. A few people were dropped off here to explore the shops and the rest of us headed up into the hills to visit a couple of small "boutique wineries".

The Trafford Hill Vineyard and nearby Carrickalinga Creek Winery must both be about 250 meters above sea level so a fine view of the coastline and sea is had from both. At Trafford Hill the narrow terraced vineyard of a few hectares stretches along the hill below the house and cellar door, with tasting rooms. Owners Irene and John Sanderson, originally from England, welcomed us all. John is a great character and salesman in his shorts and T-shirt. His two dogs are named Camilla and Charles and took a bored look at the proceedings. His prize red is a Shiraz Grenache Cabernet blend but I liked his sparkling Shiraz best, and the coastal view.

The Carrickalinga Creek Winery seemed a misnomer because it is on top of a nearby hill overlooking the valley. There were a couple of outdoor tables where you could sit in the shade and sample their wines which were Shiraz and various blends. The surrounding hills were burnt brown from the summer heat and devoid of live stock. It seemed a miracle that grapes would grow under such conditions. Where do they get the water from I wondered?

South Australian grape varieties, where not irrigated, have to be resilient to near drought conditions and be tolerant to periodic heat waves. At the present time Adelaide and the South Australian region is experiencing such a heat wave with five days of temperatures over 40 C (104 F) , with a maximum recorded of 46 C (115 F), and minimum night temperatures of 30 C (86 F). Not many grape varieties can survive such a scorching but the locally developed Shiraz can, but only just, whereas the classic European varieties are not happy about these climatic extremes.

The greatest acreage in the McLaren Vale region is of Shiraz grape, with lessor Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet, Merlot, and Grenache which are mostly used for blending purposes. Many wineries produce a sparkling Shiraz which is a wine type rarely encountered overseas.

So a great day was had by all. McLaren Vale is but one of many important wine regions in South Australia that can be explored and enjoyed by the tourist and locals alike.

Ends

Learn more about this author, Allan Taylor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Places to visit in Australia?
We want to hear your view. Write now!