ADELAIDE ON MY PLATE

Sustainable wineries, innovative gin distilleries, and mouth-watering modern Australian fare lead the way in and around this South Australian city.

- Pooja Naik

NOTHING SPELLS BLASPHEMY like leaving South Australia without visiting its wine countries. Although Barossa Valley remains a top contender among connoisseurs, McLaren Vale in Fleurieu Peninsula, located only 40 minutes from Adelaide, is unrivalled for its local produce of wines, of which Shiraz remains the most popular variety. The drive itself is scenic; open roads hug vineyards for most part of the stretch. I arrive at d'Arenberg Cube (darenberg.com.au), the region's stellar sustainable wine producer, on a cool afternoon and marvel at the genius of Chester Osborne that is designed to resemble a giant, five-level Rubik's Cube to capture the "complexities and puzzles of winemaking". Each room a wine sensory room, a virtual fermenter, a 360° video room, among others is a treat to the senses. The tasting room and the dining areas introduce me to world favourites such as The Dry Dam, a sweet and acidic Riesling; Stephanie the Gnome with Rose Coloured Glasses, a delicate rose gold pink Rosè; and The Athazagoraphobic Cat, a Sagrantino Cinsault named after actress Audrey Hepburn that is prized for its use of animation technique on a bottle.

A KITCHEN STORY