McLaren Vale Meet Your Maker Experience

Recently, our Wine Relations Executive Alana Kaye had the incredible opportunity to spend time in the McLaren Vale wine region, hosted by the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism Association .

It was an intense and exciting few days, and Alana shares her thoughts and insights below.

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The McLaren Vale wine region is an ancient area with an incredible 550-million-year-old geological landscape that contributes to its varied and delicious wines. Being one of Australia’s oldest regions, McLaren Vale has deep roots in history.

But instead of letting this dictate its vinous ways, the region is amazingly progressive, filled with innovative movers & shakers who are at the forefront of our country’s wine industry.

I was thrilled to be able to meet a few of these makers and spend some dedicated time in their region.

Below I take you through our itinerary, and share some of the key insights I learned from this epic Meet Your Maker experience. For a quick snapshot, this image says it all, really!

Day 1:

We were picked up in the city, given our goodie bags, and whisked straight to Lloyd Brothers for a trade-style tasting. Each of the producers brought a few bottles and were set up around the room on barrels. It was the perfect way to meet & greet the people we’d be spending time with over the next few days.

After that, it was over to our accommodation, the McLaren Vale Motel, to freshen up. Then, a sumptuous dinner at Maxwell Wines, with more mingling with the makers.

Day 2:

An early start meant rugging up for a vineyard walk & talk at the Ox Hardy Upper Tintara vineyard. Here, we had a fabulous chat all about the geology & districts of the region.

Key insight:

• McLaren Vale is one of the world’s most geologically diverse regions. And until I was given a visual from this incredible map, I would have had no idea just how diverse the landscape is. With over 55 unique geologies that vary in age from 15,000 years to more than 550 million years old, you can expect great variation in terrain from the coast to the foothills. You can also expect great (and delicious!) variations in the wine. It was incredible to taste some regionally specific drops side by side in the masterclasses I attended.

Then, at a sprightly 10:30am, we sat down to an ‘Evolution of Shiraz’ masterclass in the beautiful Mitolo cellar door. This was probably the most surprising event for me. I’ve been guilty of putting Shiraz in a box (that generally stays unopened in the corner gathering dust) because “I don’t like it”. But this masterclass showed me the beauty & diversity of McLaren Vale Shiraz…

Key insight:

• If Grenache is the Queen of McLaren Vale, then Shiraz is her Knight. It’s dependable, reliable, strong and steady in a storm. Words like exuberant, wild, ferrous, generous, lifted, expressive, crowd-pleasing, structured, enticing, seamless and harmonious flowed freely alongside these beautiful drops. It became evident that a tasting like this, with such variation in a singular regional variety, wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago. Shiraz was the mid palate of Australia, and now there are so many small producers doing really interesting things. Shiraz is not just Shiraz.

Lunch was held at the lovely, airy and bright Angove cellar door, then we hopped over the hill for a speed dating-style tasting in the d’Arenberg cube. Dinner this time was a more laidback affair, with bites, beats, sips & chats at the delightful Big Easy Radio.

Day 3:

We started our final day with a sparkling breakfast at Wirra Wirra, then moved straight into another masterclass – ‘One of the Great Grenache Regions of the World’.

Key insight:

• It’s no secret I’m all agog for Grenache. The McLaren Vale Grenache story has really come into its own, with developing winery & vineyard philosophies playing a big role in recent years. In the past, Grenache was handled like Shiraz – all tannin, not much else. “In the 60s, we didn’t like Grenache… it didn’t taste like Shiraz, so we thought it couldn’t be good,” one veteran winemaker told us. Now, the shift is towards more gentle handling, where finesse and care hero luscious fruit and fine tannin structure. “Now, we’re not trying to make another variety, just expressive Grenache.” It’s this shift in philosophy that has put McLaren Vale Grenache front and centre on the world stage.

We then got to experience the Dandelion Vineyards Wonder Room for a museum tasting and a delicious lunch. From here, we took turns getting an incredible bird’s eye view of McLaren Vale in a 15-minute scenic helicopter ride. It really put into perspective just how close the vines are to the sea, and solidified everything we’d heard about the diverse geographical make-up of the McLaren Vale wine region.

Then, it was back to the city, and back to reality, with bellies full of excellent wine & food, and hearts & minds full of stories.

As I said, it was a super intense few days, jampacked with wines, conversations, inspiration, knowledge and more. It was a fantastic opportunity to go deep into one of Australia’s wine regions, and I look forward to many more experiences like this to come.

?? Check out my Instagram reel & highlights for a full look at the whole trip.

?? Professional images by Ben Macmahon, Macmahon Images