We’ve spent some many years now running all over Australia hunting for that “perfect wine”. Our quest has led us high and low, through every nook and cranny trying to find that one special drop. Over all that time, our confidence in being able to opine on certain difficult questions has grown. For example, if you asked us “which region in VIC has the greatest potential for Shiraz?”, we would now confidently answer “Heathcote”.
We are often asked “What’s Australia’s greatest wine region…?” We believe that question should always end with “… for [X] variety?”. But if we had to answer the broader question, if we had to pick just one region in which to explore AUS wine for the rest of our lives, it would have to be McLaren Vale.
From our experience, no other region in Australia can produce such a wide range of wines at such an extreme level of quality – from Arneis and Barbera to Shiraz and Chardonnay – as McLaren Vale. It’s staggering how many varieties there are to try and deeply enjoy here. While most wine regions can excel at only one or two varietals (often Pinot and Chardy in cooler climes vs, say, Shiraz and Viognier in warmer regions), McLaren Vale can somehow do it all. It’s like Australia’s blessed wine region, kissed by God. And it’s not just wine, McLaren Vale also offers such a rich diversity of wine characters and cellar door experiences.
To enjoy the breadth of this diversity and depth of this magic for yourself, we recommend five great wineries (and a few wines!) below. This itinerary makes for a spectacular day out!
* Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards is one of our longstanding McLaren Vale favourites. While the cellar door has expanded into something a bit more polished, their top-notch service remains as excellent as ever and the wines still hit the spot. Oliver’s has always been an experimentalist – here you’ll find varieties like Touriga, Mencia, and Fiano sprinkled throughout the tasting list with classics like Shiraz and Cabernet. But on our recent visit, it was the lights-out 2021 RW Grenache we simply could not get enough of. A surprisingly broad & assertive Grenache with both bright and dark notes. It’s like a New Year’s Eve fireworks display in the mouth. Something special indeed.
* Primo Estate is rightfully a McLaren Vale icon – a name that shows up on most people’s McLaren top 10 lists. Despite its fame, inside its stunning architectural marvel of a cellar door (where you can’t help feeling a little bit fabulous), you’ll enjoy fantastic service – friendly and attentive – as if you were part of the family. Primo earned its fame by putting Italian varietals like Sangiovese and Nero d’Avola firmly on the McLaren map over the last few decades. That love affair with Italian wine defines Primo to this day. On our last visit, we absolutely loved the 2021 Zamberlan Cabernet Sangiovese – a complex and richly layered, medium-heavy blackberry cornucopia – aniseed, black pepper, bramble, dark fruits and so much more – all well integrated for a very balanced wine. YUM!!!
* Zerella Wines offers our absolute favourite kind of cellar door experience. The place is small, rustic, and comforting to be in. Wine host, Darius, an absolute fount of wine knowledge, is eager to share his knowledge, passion, and experience. And the wines, oh my goodness the wines. Zeralla somehow draws out all the nuances in its wines, leading to a range that is unusually and exquisitely complex. And Zerella boasts one of the most unique tasting lists in McLaren! From its brioche and marzipan Arneis to a booming 2014 Sangiovese that puts Shiraz on notice to the smoky mocha Cab Sav – such a diversity of wine profiles, and somehow all delicious. Above all, we absolutely loved the wickedly complex 2021 Barbera. A charcuterie board sprinkled with blackberries on the palate. If you are truly passionate about wine, do yourself a favour and check out Zerella.
* Bondar Wines offers a unique experience in every way. Situated in a little hub of cellar doors (we think we even spotted some gin around!), Bondar immediately strikes one as a young and ambitious enterprise, determined to try new things and create new wonders. Bondar sources its fruit from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills, so the flavours on show are quite diverse. In generally, Bondar focuses on the softer side of wine, letting the fragrances, complexities, and intricacies of wine really shine. From a perfectly balanced Rosé, to its vanilla & musk Chardonnay to a GSM (2021 junto) that glows in the mouth – so many flavours to enjoy here. Bondar is definitely something different, and something very good in McLaren Vale.
* Refreshingly, DogRidge offers a wonderfully old-fashioned, ‘”guaranteed good times” cellar door experience – the kind of place and feeling you can hardly find anymore. No pretense about it. You’ll just enjoy a fun tasting experience on the veranda adjacent to the cellar door, with views of vines, old wine barrels, and a really cool old truck! The service is warm and friendly, and the wines are delicious. The 2019 Merlot Cabernet Malbec is a brambly wonder, powerful and complex. By contrast, the 2019 GSM could not be any smoother – absolute velvet on the palate – too easy to drink. Best of all, these wines are also very reasonably priced. The two mentioned above will set you back only $20 each – imagine that … An absolute steal for the quality on offer! Kudos to DogsRidge for keeping it real, serving great wines, and offering something so refreshing to the regions.
For more great wine and winery reviews, be sure to check us out at facebook.com/winehuntersaus
Magical places, magical experiences, magical flavours … magical McLaren Vale is #WhyWeLoveWine
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