McLaren Vale is a located about just south of Adelaide in South Australia. The climate makes the region particularly well-suited for wine grapes: it is characterized by low humidity, heavy winter rainfall, a long growing season, and hot dry summer days balanced by cool evening breezes. The combination of warm days and cool evenings/morning helps to ensure consistent ripening plus crisp acidity. Because the region rarely experiences frost or other deviations, most vintages are consistent. (However, the 2003 vintage was limited in yield because of a cool spring in 2001 and a drought in 2003. Although much of the wine quality was very high, volume was down.)
When I was living in Adelaide, the short drive to McLaren Vale was one of my favorites. The area is gorgeous: if you’ve never seen vineyards stretching out over rolling hills, it’s hard to imagine the sheer lushness of the image. The beautiful undulating hills provide a range of terroirs (types of soil).
I visited many wineries and found that, not only was the wine of consistent high quality, but the staff of the various establishments were extraordinarily friendly and accommodating. (Of course, my entire year in Australia was enriched by friendly overtures.) A few of the wineries (like d’Arenberg) have fine restaurants on-site; others (such as Coriole) offer amazing, inexpensive selections of cheese and olives. Most have picnic areas and guests are welcome to bring lunches to enjoy with a newly-discovered wine.
McLaren Vale is best-known for its Shiraz production; Cabernet Savignon, Grenache, Merlot, Semillon, Verdhelo, and Viognier are also widely grown.
Wine Basics 