Adelaide's wine regions
21 Nov 2012
Head to Adelaide for some good food, good wine and some well-deserved relaxation.
Adelaide Hills and the Barossa region is home to more than 200 wineries and is a mecca for culinary enthusiasts. Different to most of Australia’s capitals, locals and visitors cruise along at a gentler pace, stopping to smell the wine.
The Barossa
The Barossa, Australia’s uncontested wine capital, should be your first port of call, where the drizzly, overcast climate is ideal for red wine vineyards.
With over 150 wineries split across two regions, there are benefits of a guided tour – most of them will collect you from your hotel and ferry you about in a luxury minivan. There is also the option of making your own way from cellar to cellar.
The more adventurous tourist can opt to travel on foot, as most wineries are clustered together within walking distance. While not all cellars are open to the public, avid wine connoisseurs can call in advance to request a private viewing or to meet their favourite winemaker.
The Barossa is home to many well-loved labels, including Jacob’s Creek, Yalumba, Penfolds, Peter Lehmann and Henschke. With plenty of winding heritage trails and a full calendar of arts festivals year-round, this wine region is a beautiful marriage of European style and the Aussie outback spirit.
McLaren Vale
For travellers who prefer to stay away from tourist hotspots, McLaren Vale is a lesser-known alternative to the Barossa.
Located within minutes of the coastline, the Vale enjoys a warmer, almost Mediterranean climate, ideal for producing shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.
Take a stroll through the charming Coriole Vineyards, where the horizon is peppered with ironstone barns and thatched cottages.
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