It was December 5th when my family & I journeyed 35 kilometres by car to the south of Adelaide to explore the many wines of the McLaren Vale region. The Europeans who had settled the area back in 1838 immediately discovered that it had the perfect climate and space to grow grape wines. One hundred and seventy-three years later, McLaren Vale boasts around 90 wine producing operations and boutique wineries. If you enjoy drinking: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Verdelho, Viognier, and/or Zinfandel, then McLaren Vale is the place to sample them all and of course buy a few bottles to sample later. The town of McLaren Vale has a population of around 2,000.
We decided to get our bearings by visiting the McLaren Vale Visitor Centre, located on Main Road just before you enter the town. The Visitor Centre can help you book a wine tour and/or accommodation in the area. There’s also a café, art gallery, gift shop, and small bar to sample several wines. My father & I tried a red wine which he found tasty and I did not; red wine has never tasted well for me.
From the Visitor Centre, we drove through the small town as a sudden downpour passed overhead. We continued through the endless fields of planted grape vines before stopping at the Coriole Vineyards. The place had been recommended by the Lonely Planet tourist book my parents had bought earlier. Coriole has been in operation since the end of the First World War and specializes in Shiraz. However the vineyard also produces Sangiovese, Chenin, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other varieties.
Unfortunately, at the time of our arrival, most of the vineyard was being occupied by a busload of tourists. Since most of them were in the sampling room, my parents and I had to snake our way to the front to sample several wines. I stuck to the white wines whereas my parents switched from red to white. Overall, the white wines I sampled were quite good and I would have bought a bottle or two if I had the space. Since the dining area was completely booked for the tourist group, we decided to have lunch at another vineyard. Just before we jumped into our rental car, I snapped a photo of Coriole’s resident cat.
We drove around for a few minutes before choosing the Maxwell Winery. Maxwell is family owned and has been operating since 1979, producing red, white, & rose wines, as well as mead. Even though it was lunchtime the winery was empty of visitors. We were greeted by a female employee who wanted to know where we were from and offering us several different wines to sample. She explained that she was from New Zealand but now living in Australia because the economic situation was much better.
For lunch, I ordered Glazed Duck Ravioli and my brother ordered the Marinated Chicken Breast. My parents decided to be adventurous and try the Quartet meal. As explained on the website, the Quartet is “A mini degustation of four dishes accompanied by four perfectly matched wines [from Maxwell].” We all gave our meals & accompanying wines top marks and recommendations. Even though we had just visited two vineyards, we had consumed quite an amount of wine (by our standards) and decided we had enough for the day.
In the late afternoon we headed to downtown Adelaide to walk around the University of Adelaide. My brother had considered attending the university’s law school but instead chose to study law in Canberra. It was about this time I noticed the distinct design of Australia’s telephone/streetlight poles. In the past, there was a shortage of logs so as an alternative solution two pieces of railway track were held upright with concrete in between for support.
We walked along North Terrace Road photographing the National War Memorial, fountains, and the Art Gallery of South Australia. We also noticed newlyweds getting their photographs taken with the groomsmen & bridesmaids. We heard a lot of commotion coming from Rundle Park upon reaching Eastern Terrace Road. From what I saw & heard, it appeared to be a Middle Eastern fair of some kind.
Near Rundle Park is Rundle Street where all ‘the action’ is located. Restaurants, bars, café’s, clubs, and clothing stores line both sides of this 500 metre stretch of road. It was here we had dinner at the Lemongrass Thai Bistro. We ordered several dishes and shared them as a family. I can finally say that I’ve tasted kangaroo meat . . . and it tasted like pork. Overall, the food & service was good and I would eat there again if given the opportunity.
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