Regions explained McLaren Vale

About 15 miles due south of Adelaide in South Australia, McLaren Vale was one of South Australia’s first regions to be planted (in 1839); Tintara was the first commercial vineyard, planted in 1862. The red wine boom of the 1960s poured life into a multitude of small-to-medium sized wineries, mostly producing wines from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. In terms of terroir, the region is characterised by a predominantly warm, dry, temperate climate, despite the cooling presence of the Gulf of St Vincent. Good Shiraz and Cabernets tend to be a deep purple in colour, richly extracted with velvety, luxuriant dark berry, black pepper and chocolate flavours. Elsewhere in McLaren Vale, a raft of Italian varietals, both red and white, have been planted with some fantastic results.