COASTAL VINES

A taste of the Mediterranean with a distinctly Aussie twist awaits at McLaren Vale. SUSAN GOUGH HENLY discovers the best places to dine, drink and play in South Australia’s greenest wine region.

- SUSAN GOUGH HENLY

On the Fleurieu Peninsula, just 40 kilometres south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is an undulating, vineyard-latticed valley meandering down through a horseshoe of hills to a pristine coastline rimmed by aquamarine waters.

Moderated by sea breezes and enlivened by immoderate winemakers and assorted other characters, it embodies a sweet spot of nurtured nature, what might even be called a Mediterranean state of mind, done in a distinctly Aussie way.

“Gulf St Vincent sure resembles the Mediterranean, only we have better sand,” says Mark Lloyd of Coriole Vineyards. His son, Peter, adds, “We’ve certainly taken some cues from the Old World but, with our ease and openness, we’ve developed our own home-grown style.”

A magnet for Italian immigrants after World War II, McLaren Vale became one of Australia’s first areas to grow olives and almonds. Today, it’s Australia’s “greenest” wine region, with the country’s highest number of certified biodynamic and organic vineyards. There are more than 80, mainly family-owned, cellar doors while the Saturday Willunga Farmers Market champions hyper-local gourmet goodies from the land and sea. “It’s our community larder,” says Salopian Inn restaurateur and chef Karena Armstrong.

“We’re hugely blessed where we live,” says winemaker Stephen Pannell, “I try to create wines that suit our soils, climate and way of life – wines that I want to drink with the food we grow and eat here. We live in a country we wish was cooler but is only getting hotter. I’ve been experimenting with Italian, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese varieties to make wines that reflect our sense of place.”