Recently we spent some time back in our hometown of Adelaide. Whilst we had been back for a weekend here and there over the last few years, we actually hadn’t spent a decent amount of time to be able to explore Adelaide again in a long time. So this visit, we made sure we had plenty of time to delve back in to everything Adelaide has to offer.

Of course we had to visit at least one wine region. We actually ended up visiting 2, but more on that one in another post. McLaren Vale was a no brainer for us to visit. We have been lucky to have visited the region a few times in the past and we know that the wine produced there suits our palettes.

Due to past events, we have found it is better for George to be the designated driver whilst I act as chief wine taster, it really is a very taxing job. Of course, if something is exceptional I need to let him have a small sip.

It is not a far drive from Adelaide city at all, around 45 minutes, well that was how long it took us to reach the first winery!

I won’t go through the nitty gritty of every winery and every wine we bought (so much wine!), but I will list out where we visited and what I would recommend and why in case you ever find yourself needing to plan a trip through McLaren Vale and trust my judgement when it comes to wine (honestly though, you really should trust my judgement when it comes to wine unless it is of the sweet and sticky variety, then you are on your own!).

Paxton Wines – One of our favourite wineries. The rose and light reds are amazing. We bought a dozen here if that is anything to go by. Every time we have gone we are always treated really well too. They make you feel very welcomed. The cellar door is also really lovely.

Shingleback – This cellar door was actually the first one George and I ever visited so it is a little nostalgic. They are more known for their reds which we weren’t really buying this trip so we only picked up one.

Maxwell Wines – This is a beautiful location and a very interesting winery. We didn’t stay here super long as it was quite busy, but managed a small tasting of what we wanted. If you enjoy or are intrigued by mead, then this is a must stop for you! We didn’t purchase any mead this time as we still have some in our stocks. I highly recommend this cellar door.

Lloyd Brothers – Now, I must state that we actually came here for olives! The olive groves at Lloyd’s are very well known in Adelaide and the chilli kalamata olives are just superb! However, we also left with 2 dozen very cheap and drinkable wines! Go for the olives, stay for the wine!

Angove  – Definitely worth a visit! The view from the cellar door is lovely. The wines are nice too.

Beach Road – A great little winery. Again, I recommend. They do a few different varieties such as Fiano and Greco which we bought because they were delicious! Also, as this was one of the last wineries we stopped at on our trip they actually gave us some of the bottles that were opened during the day but weren’t finished. Of course we reluctantly accepted this gift.

Hugh Hamilton – Again, one of our favourite places! the cellar door is actual circular so you have a panoramic view of the surrounds. Like a few of the wineries in McLaren Vale now, they do charge $5 for tasting, but that is taken off anything you buy and trust me, you will buy! When we sat down for the tasting, we were first presented with a glass of their Shiraz Cordial that had soda water, orange and rosemary with it. A very nice start! Unfortunately, the 2 wines we were there to buy were sold out, but we still came away buying quite a few!

Oliver’s Taranga – Worth a visit for sure. We picked up some of their Fiano, Rose and Shiraz, I know I said earlier we weren’t focusing on red, but this was particularly good, so we made an exception :p

Primo Estate – Another one of our favourites! A very modern and beautiful cellar door and they also specialise in olive oil. Because of this, they offer a tasting of their oil with some bread along with the wine tasting, which after you have visited a few wineries as the designated taster is very appreciated! There are some delicious wines here and interesting blends. Highly recommended.

Penny’s Hill – This is where we actually stopped for lunch on the recommendation of a friend. I will pass on this recommendation to you. You should go eat there if you find yourself in McLaren Vale. We did the small lunch menu with matching wines and it was perfect and delicious. See pics of the food below.

Kingfish Ceviche. Ugggh this was soooo good.

A wonderful eggplant hummus with flat bread. Looks so unassuming but was very good.Coq au vin with a side salad and hand cut chips (with a sneaky hand going to sneak some before I took the photo!). Wow. This was just perfect. We couldn’t eat it all but I wish I had some right now…

Doc Adams – We picked up a few bottles here as it was recommended to us by the lady serving us our tastings at Paxton. Not my favourite, but certainly worth a visit.

Chapel Hill – A beautiful cellar door but we didn’t buy anything. It was quite busy and nothing really took our fancy. They are really known more for their reds which we didn’t need. You should still go though.

Samuel’s Gorge – We love this winery. Go and be amazed at the delicious tasting wines!

So there you have it, my summary of our day trip to McLaren Vale. It is a beautiful part of the country to view as well. Definitely one of my happy places.