McLaren Vale: The Mediterranean Wine Country at Adelaide's Doorstep

McLaren Vale, the wine region in the southern Vales south of Adelaide whose Mediterranean climate, the deep red soil over limestone and clay, and the 45 kilometres of cellar doors that make it one of the most densely planted and most accessible wine regions in Australia for the day trip from the city that the 45-minute drive from Adelaide's CBD creates, produces the Shiraz, the Grenache, the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Mediterranean varieties that the warm climate and the maritime influence of the Gulf of St Vincent sustain in a full-bodied and fruit-forward style that the Vale has made its own in the Australian wine market. The McLaren Vale wine identity, built on the rich Shiraz and the old vine Grenache that the generational winegrowers who have farmed the same vineyards through multiple generations of the families that settled the Vale in the 1800s provide, creates the wine character that the Vale's producers market as the expression of the place that the cool nights from the Gulf and the warm days of the Mediterranean summer create in the grape flavours.

The d'Arenberg Cube, the architectural landmark that the McLaren Vale winery d'Arenberg has created as the cellar door and the cultural destination that the Rubik's Cube-inspired building houses on the crest of the d'Arenberg vineyard, provides the wine tourism destination that combines the wine experience with the architectural statement and the artistic program that the winery's founder Chester Osborn's eccentric vision has realised in the most distinctive winery building in Australia. The Cube's restaurant, the immersive virtual reality 'Alternate Realities Museum', and the cellar door that overlooks the vineyard from the five-storey glass building create the complete wine tourism experience that has made d'Arenberg one of the most visited wineries in South Australia.

The McLaren Vale Olive Festival and the Bushing Festival, the annual events that celebrate the olive harvest and the new season wine that the Vale's Mediterranean produce provides, sustain the community character and the visitor engagement that the wine region requires beyond the cellar door visit to sustain the regional tourism economy across the calendar year. The Bushing King and Queen competition, the annual competition for the best McLaren Vale wine of the vintage that has been the centrepiece of the Bushing Festival since 1975, provides the quality benchmark and the competitive spirit that sustains the winemaker's investment in the wine quality that the competition recognises.

The Willunga Farmers' Market, the Saturday morning market in the town of Willunga at the southern edge of the McLaren Vale wine region that brings together the local produce farmers, the artisan food producers, and the wine region's farm gate sellers in the community market that the region's agricultural diversity supports, provides the farm-to-table experience that complements the cellar door visits in the complete McLaren Vale food and wine day. The market's combination of the McLaren Vale wine, the locally grown almonds, the olive oil, and the artisan food products that the region's Mediterranean agricultural character produces creates the food market that reflects the wine region's agricultural identity as well as its winemaking reputation.

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