Bellevue Bed and Breakfast McLaren Vale

Drawn to the landscape of the Vale

2011-11-06T17:34:00.000+10:30

THE Fleurieu remains an inspiration for artists competing for the world's richest landscape art prize.

ARTIST Dee Jones lives at Port Willunga, drawn there by the beach, the sea, and the stunning McLaren Vale vistas. For the past half century she has painted the orderly landscapes of the farms, the almond and olive groves, and vineyards framed by the hills on one side, the sea on the other. Her paintings, naive in style, always include the farmers.

"The best landscapers are farmers," she says. "They somehow, unconsciously perhaps, arrange the landscape in those lovely patches and squares and oblongs, to produce really beautiful patterns. And McLaren Vale, because it is in a vale, has the background of the hills, and it's just got everything so far as I am concerned. It's visually very, very beautiful."

Dee Jones grew up on a vineyard and almond grove when you could still find such farms in today's suburban Oaklands. She moved to McLaren Vale after her marriage to the local chemist. But much of her childhood was spent at Port Willunga. Her uncle, hotelier Ralph Parsons, owned the big house overlooking the beach, and she would go fishing there with her father and grandfather.

As children, she and her cousins knew the famous artists who lived and painted there, like Ivor Hele, Horace Trennerry and Kathleen Sauerbier, but through their eyes they were just eccentric old people. "We as little kids used to think Horace Trennerry was an old drunk," she says. "We didn't know he was sick (with Huntington's Chorea)." She remembers him living still in "old Mrs Polkinghorne's house", the stand-alone house on the southern side of the beach that is today preserved as a ruin. It features in some of Trennerry's most evocative paintings.

Kathleen Sauerbier lived on the Old Port Road, and the kids were amazed to see her one day pruning the ivy wearing nothing but a towel around her waist. Dee's cousin Ralph breathlessly reported being witness to a huge argument between Sauerbier and Trennerry when his mother Lorna asked him to drop something off from their kitchen. Young Ralph confided he had learned some new swear words.

Fisherman Bill Howe would sit on the cliff watching for fish and call down to his sons Geoff and Kevin when he saw a school. Dee remembers the sea turning pink with blood as the Howes gutted a net full of salmon trout, with two sharks lolling in the water nearby. That was the same Geoff Howe, she says, who posed nude riding his horse bare-back along the beach for Ivor Hele.

Landscape artists have been deeply attracted to the Fleurieu since Colonel William Light first painted it, but the McLaren Vale region has had a particular attraction, and within that region, Port Willunga has been like a lure, a muse, if you like, of the artist's focus. Instantly recognisable landscapes of South Australia are the misty gums of the Adelaide Hills, the rugged purples of the Flinders Ranges, and the McLaren Vale: undulating straight dirt roads through farm country and the beaches and parapets of Port Willunga.

The early modernists like Sauerbier and Trennerry used it to define their painting styles in the 1920s, Ivor Hele used it for its muscular textures, and a new generation took over when they left off. Dee Jones was deliberately naive, Geoff Wilson and the late David Dallwitz took to it with their flat formalistic palette, while David Dridan, Brian Seidel, Hugo Shaw and many others were constantly drawn there.

Artist, caricaturist and art teacher Hugo Shaw remembers the primitive Port Willunga of the 1940s, when his father Richard, the SA manager of Johnson and Johnson, first started renting a local cottage. "We had an ice chest, drip safe, no electricity, and a chip heater shower," he recalls. He has spent much of his life there since the age of six. "I knew Ivor Hele very well. John Dowie painted there, and Anton Riebe. I don't know what it is but when you are there and you look at the colours and dirt and the clay and the rocks and the sand and the sea and it's always changing and moving, with this huge sky, and it's part of you as a person growing up. But it has more than that. It looks easy to paint and draw but it's blindingly difficult I find. I must have painted the jetty 200 times but every time I go back it is more difficult than the time before." He would meet Hele once a month, after drawing studies of himself in the mirror, and Hele would correct and advise him in the academic manner. "He actually just taught me to see, in simple terms."

Port Willunga was a kind of epicentre for a landscape art movement that extended across McLaren Vale and down the Fleurieu Peninsula. Heysen painted along the Bluff at Victor Harbor, and Dorrit Black painted along the western side of the peninsula. Robert Hannaford paints there still. Artists Geoff Wilson and Dave Dallwitz became familiar figures in the McLaren Vale landscape in the 1970s. They could be found painting en plein air in the time-honoured fashion, where artists stand at their easel and paint the landscape before them. Wilson, now in his '80s, paints on.

"In 1949 ... I caught the Briscoe's bus down to Aldinga. I had rented a room at the Aldinga Hotel and then (fellow artist) Brian Seidel came down and joined me and we used to walk down Old Port Road to Port Willunga." No one had a car at that stage, although by the early '50s, Seidel had the ice truck from his Glenelg ice round; perfect for carrying artist's gear. "I think once you got to the top of Tapleys Hill after that, it all seemed to be rolling farm country with hamlets like Reynella and Morphett Vale. There was no suburban development at all. Someone said it was the only landscape they had ever seen where golden wheatfields hit the shore against the blue sea."

Those pristine landscapes that Wilson remembers from the 1940s are long gone, but he hopes the area will interest rising new generations of artists.

The Fleurieu Art Prize, which opened last night, is the world's richest landscape art prize, and a celebration of a long history of landscape art in the region. Its $50,000 main prize, and $10,000 associated prizes are supported by wineries and other businesses in the region. Wineries like Wirra Wirra, Hardy's, d'Arenberg, Fox Creek and Chapel Hill are hosting exhibitions until December 5.

The main prize is to be announced on November 12 at Hardy's Tintara Winery. Details at artprize.com.au

by: Tim Lloyd
From: The Advertiser
November 05, 2011 12:05AM

An eco-friendly drop

2011-09-28T17:12:00.000+09:30

MORE than 40 McLaren Vale vineyards are now a step closer to receiving certification for their sustainability.

The McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association last week released the first round of results from its Generational Farming program, which measured the sustainability of 41 member vineyards.

The program aims to encourage grape growers to use more eco-friendly practices to improve McLaren Vale’s longevity for food and wine production.

Vineyards were given scores for areas such as pest and disease control, soil and weed management, and water usage.

Individual results were released only to the vineyard owner, while overall results were made public (see fact file).

Association CEO Elizabeth Tasker said growers would need to produce high-level results over three years and be audited by a third party before they could receive sustainability accreditation.

“The results help to put McLaren Vale on the map for sustainability,” she said.

“Global research shows consumers are more likely to chose the wine made from a more sustainable vineyard. It’s not unlike fair trade for coffee.”

Chalk Hill viticulturalist Jock Harvey said the program was a first for a wine region in Australia.

“We didn’t want a situation where people just stuck a label on their bottles with words like `sustainable’ or `eco-friendly’ to increase sales,” Mr Harvey said.

“Generational Farming is a credible program which will allow only the most sustainable vineyards to gain certification.

“And the aim is not really about marketing - it’s about maintaining this area as a wine and food region for years to come.”

(Messenger newspaper; 28 Sep 11 by Katelin Nelligah)

Sade playing at Day on The Green

2011-09-21T15:00:00.001+09:30

Sade
Leconfield Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
Saturday, December 3, 2011

The hottest tour of the US summer is heading for Australia. Timeless and enduring,

Sade will perform their first Australian shows in more than 20 years when they make a long overdue and much-awaited return this December.

The more than two-hour long spell-binding set list takes fans on a journey through a collection of timeless hits; from the iconic ‘Smooth Operator’, ‘The Sweetest Taboo’, ‘Your Love Is King’ and ‘Is it a Crime?’ to ‘Soldier of Love’. Dubbed by US audiences as a ‘must see - the concert tour of the year’, the critics have been left similarly awestruck by the sultry and flawless performances.

Showtimes

5.00pm Gates Open
6.00pm Opener
7.00pm Main Support
8.30pm Sade

Ticket Type Price
General Admission $ 121.00 AUD
Silver Reserved Seat $ 149.00 AUD
Gold Reserved Seat $ 199.00 AUD
Platinum Reserved Seat $ 299.00 AUD
Concert & Dining Package $ 398.00 AUD

Accommodaiton is avaialble at Bellevue: Click Here to Book

Protecting McLaren Vale - Nick Stock

2011-08-06T18:01:00.000+09:30

Here is a fabulous over view of McLaren Vale. The only thing not mentioned is staying in the region.

So there is only one real place to consider: Bellevue B&B on Chalk Hill Road.

We have live availability and secure booking facility: Click here to book.

This way you get to enjoy this wonderful region from a wonderful location.

South Australian Business Awards announced on 22 July

2011-07-20T14:12:00.000+09:30

Fourteen of South Australia’s outstanding small and medium businesses are in contention to win the 2011 Telstra South Australian Business Awards this Friday 19 July.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Hilton, Adelaide from 6.30pm.

The Awards are in their 19th year of celebrating the State’s best entrepreneurs and innovators in the small and medium sector. They include the prestigious title of South Australian Business of the Year.

There are seven Awards with two new categories in 2011. The new Awards are:

The Telstra Regional Business Award which will recognise the best business located outside the metropolitan area of Adelaide;

The Blackberry® People’s Choice Award which is open to all entrants in the Awards and is decided by a public vote.

South Australian winners receive a share of the $500,000 in cash and prizes, become part of an exclusive national business alumni, and proceed to the national Awards in Melbourne on 26 August 2011.

The finalists for the 2011 Telstra South Australian Business Awards are:

Business Owner Micro-Business Award

Bellevue Bed & Breakfast: McLaren Vale
Brazcom Imports: Glenelg North
DVE Business Solutions Pty Ltd: Mount Barker
Lights at 133: Mount Gambier
Tour Barossa: Tanunda

MYOB Small Business Award

Health and Life: Adelaide
Hern Financial Services: Eastwood
LBW Environment Pty Ltd: Norwood
North Adelaide Fitness Centre: Ovingham

Panasonic Australia Medium Business Award

Beerenberg Farm: Hahndorf
Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
KeyInvest: Adelaide
SCF Group: Mile End

AMP Innovation Award

Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
North Adelaide Fitness Centre: Ovingham
SCF Group: Mile End

Yellow Pages Social Responsibility Award

Caramel: Adelaide
Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
Health and Life: Adelaide
KeyInvest: Adelaide
Lights at 133" Mount Gambier
SCF Group Mile End

Congrats to green builder in NT

2011-07-17T09:32:00.000+09:30

Finally a builder designing homes to suit the Top End’s unique climate! Since 2007 Justin and Karinda Gill have been building environmentally sustainable homes. Abode New Homes includes solar hot water, solar power, 5 star energy efficiency and inverter air-conditioning in every home it builds.

Bellevue B&B is a Telstra Business Awards Finalist.

2011-07-05T13:49:00.001+09:30

Hi everyone
We are stoked to let you know that we have been named as a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards – Micro Business Category, (that’s for business with 5 full time employees or less).

The gala night and announcement of the winners will be on the 22nd July at the Hilton.

There are 14 SA finalists for this year’s Awards.

Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Deena Shiff, says analysis of the finalists’ business performance shows:

More than 50% of the finalists’ new business in the past year came from either existing customers or referrals from those customers.

All but two of the finalists specifically trained staff in the past year to improve customer service.

Twelve say almost 90% of customers are satisfied with their services;
All finalists say the majority of their staff are aware of who the company’s best customers are.

“The best South Australian finalists clearly have a commitment to providing top customer service that underpins their business growth,” Deena says.
Face-to-face feedback, surveys, newsletters, packages for new customers and rewards were among the most common methods South Australian finalists used to develop and nurture customer relationships.

The Telstra Regional Business Award will recognise the best business located outside the metropolitan area of Adelaide.

The BlackBerry People’s Choice Award is open to all entrants in the Telstra Business Awards. The Award is decided by a public vote.

Winners of the Telstra South Australian Business Awards will be announced at the Hilton Adelaide on 22 July. The national Awards are in Melbourne on 26 August.

SA wine region development to go ahead

2011-05-25T15:53:00.000+09:30

A controversial housing development at the gateway to South Australia's McLaren Vale wine region will go ahead despite opposition from winemakers.

Winemakers opposed the plans because the Seaford Heights site is the strategic entry point to the wine and food tourism region.

Urban Development Minister John Rau says that after consulting the community he has approved a revised plan that increases a buffer zone around the development and will improve its visual appeal.

"The government has understood the concerns raised and delivered a solution that ensures that the character of the region is retained," Mr Rau said in a statement on Wednesday.

The government would provide funds to create a green gateway to one of the state's most significant wine districts, ensuring a rural vista is retained along the northern entrance to McLaren Vale, he said.

The $500 million development will comprise more than 1100 houses.

nineMSN

New Cellar door to open .... 1.1km from Bellevue B&B....

2011-05-05T18:24:00.000+09:30

THE Angove winery is commonly associated with its long-standing vineyards and winery at Renmark in the Riverland, and with its now-closed historic cellar door and winery at Tea Tree Gully, Angove Wines has laid the slab for a new cellar-door centre in McLaren Vale.

The Angove family is retaining its cellar door and winery in Renmark, but the new Chalk Hill Road centre marks a step up in its relationship with the McLaren Vale region, a source of its fruit for the past decade.

The new building will contain a modern cellar door, casual lounge and dining areas with outdoor kitchen and courtyard, and will offer cheese platters when it opens this year.

Another cellar door in a region with already more than 70 showed McLaren Vale was still growing as a food and wine destination.

Coriole Poetry Competition

2011-04-27T11:20:00.000+09:30

Enter the $4,000 Coriole poetry competition and you could have your poetry read at tables across Australia.

Bringing poetry to the table on wine bottles, the $4,000 Coriole poetry competition will select the 2012 Australian Wine Poet. The winning poet will also receive the honour of a Coriole red wine named after them, along with six of their poems included on the back of the named wine bottles.

To be released in 2012, the six bottles will be packaged together with a brochure on the poet, the project and the wine. The wine is a blend of Cabernet and Barbera, a high quality wine that sells for around $35 per bottle.

Director of Coriole Vineyards, Mark Lloyd said, “What better way to enjoy good wine than with a poem at the table? What better way to enjoy poetry than with a glass of good wine in your hand?"
A celebration of the written word, previous Coriole poetry competitions featured the work of highly regarded poets, Jude Aquilina and Peter Goldsworthy, on wine bottles. The successful poetry series was well received by wine drinkers and poetry lovers alike!

For entry into the Coriole Poetry Competition, poets should submit six poems, which are no longer than 100 words each. The style of the poetry should be suitable for reading at the table and can include any subject matter, be humorous or serious. Previously published poems may be submitted.
Two Australian award-winning poets will judge the poems anonymously.

The poetry competition is open to Australian residents over the age of 18. Entry is free.

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.coriole.com/wine-poet and submitted via email helen@coriole.com or posted to Helen Tothill, PO Box 9 McLaren Vale, South Australia 5171.
Entries must be received by 5pm Monday 30 May 2011.

Competition Enquiries: Helen Tothill (08) 8323 8305 or helen@coriole.com

For accommodation please visit www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Fleurieu Arts prize

2011-04-24T16:40:00.000+09:30

Categories & Venues

The Fleurieu Art Prize $50,000 for landscape painting. This celebrates the enduring importance and the contemporary significance of landscape painting.

The Fleurieu Vistas Prize $10,000 for landscape painting of the Fleurieu Peninsula Region. This celebrates the continuing tradition since the time of European settlement of artists representing the Fleurieu in their work.

The Art of Food and Wine Prize $10,000 for paintings of a food and /or wine industry theme. This celebrates the iconic food and wine industries of the region.

The Fleurieu Water Prize $10,000 for paintings of an environmental water theme. Water surrounds the region and it sustains its industries. As the resource of water is under threat worldwide, this prize is a timely reflection of our world's most important asset.

Youth Scholarship $10,000 awarded to a young artist residing in Australia in 2011 aged between 16 and 27 years towards the cost of a program of professional development in any medium with a landscape theme. This scholarship aims to nurture young talent by providing an opportunity for an individual to significantly advance their arts practice.

Entrants must submit two completed works in any medium with a landscape theme plus a portfolio and written submission (max 1000 words) outlining the proposed professional development opportunity. The scholarship must be commenced within 12 months of the award.

Judging

All works submitted will be subject to a pre-selection process by the judging panel based upon the digital images submitted. The pre-selected list will be published on the Fleurieu Biennale website from Monday, 19th September 2011.

The same panel will select the prize winning works of art from those works pre-selected for exhibition.

All selected entries will be displayed at selected venues and judged at the venue.

The panel decision is final and may not be appealed.

Applications postmarked COB 5th August 2011 will be accepted. Entries must consist of completed entry form, entry fee paid in full (cheque or direct debit details), image(s), clearly labeled with image list and artist name, of artwork submitted for judging. Please note CDs will not be returned.

Entries can be submitted via email or post.

Late applications will not be accepted.

The prizes in each category are not acquisitive.

The Worlds Richest Landscape Arts Prize

2011-04-24T16:38:00.000+09:30

The Fleurieu Biennale began in 1998 and has since grown into an event that has won recognition both nationally and internationally. The Fleurieu Art Prize 2011 will be the seventh prize awarded since its inception offering a total prize pool of $90,000.

Encouraging the arts in McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Peninsula

The Fleurieu Art Prize, the World's richest Landscape Art Prize, exists for the purpose of promoting and encouraging the arts in McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Peninsula and aligning the arts with the wine, food and tourism industries of the region in an international setting.

It is appropriate that the most significant prize for landscape art in Australia is centered in McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Peninsula, which is a region famous for its striking vistas and extraordinary geological formations. The area has long been the home and a source of inspiration for some of Australia's most important landscape artists.

The event has a strong focus in McLaren Vale renowned for its beauty, fine food, appreciation of art and as a producer of high quality wine. The community has demonstrated strong support for the event and many of the foundation sponsors are McLaren Vale Wineries.

The Fleurieu Art Prize attracts entries from artists of a national reputation and is supported by internationally significant judges.

NOMINATIONS FOR PRIZE POOL OF $90,000 NOW OPEN

Registrations for the Main Prize ($50,000) and all other prizes are now open until
5 August 2011

Fleurieu Arts Prize Entry Form

The Fleurieu Art Prize Biennale
4 November - 4 December 2011

Bellevue B&B currently has availability.

Click here to check our availability or click book live and securely online.

www.bellevuebnb.com.au

McLaren Vale Sea & Vines Festival: 12th & 13th June 2011

2011-04-23T13:32:00.011+09:30

Over the June long weekend visitors are spoilt for choice.

Choose from:

Experience ...online bookings $20 per person click here to book
Experience all day...click here to book
Experience Monday...bookings not required click here for details
Relish...book direct with venues click here for details
Delight...book direct with venues click here for details

Be sure to check out the information on all of the events available before you book. We wouldn’t want you to miss out on anything!!

The Sea & Vines Festival in McLaren Vale once again devotes a weekend to savouring seafood delights, soaking up the atmosphere, music and scenery of McLaren Vale.

As McLaren Vale is less than an hour from Adelaide it’s the perfect opportunity to discover new wineries or return to an old favourite and enjoy the long weekend festivities with friends and family

Helicopter joy rides, appearances by celebrity chefs and a handful of extra food-based events are on offer at McLaren Vale’s Sea and Vines Festival this year.

This year’s format will include 14 food events, 10 party events and two all-day events.

Among the highlights include cooking demonstrations by former MasterChef contestant Marion Grasby and former The Grange head chef Cheong Liew, $50 chopper rides over McLaren Vale and a Shiraz master class by Hardys Tintara winemaker Charlie Seppelt.

As with last year’s event visitors are required to pre-book their tickets for specific venues.

Click Here to download the 2011 S&V Brochure

Click here to download the map

Bellevue B&B currently has availability.

Click here to check our availability or click book live and securely online.

www.bellevuebnb.com.au

82 Delicious Facts About . . . Wine

2011-02-17T08:22:00.002+10:30

The smell of young wine is called an “aroma” while a more mature wine offers a more subtle "bouquet"

In ancient Greece, a dinner host would take the first sip of wine to assure guests the wine was not poisoned, hence the phrase "drinking to one's health. "Toasting" started in ancient Rome when the
Romans continued the Greek tradition but started dropping a piece of toasted bread into each wine glass to temper undesirable tastes or excessive acidity.

A "cork-tease" is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open but never does.

Since wine tasting is essentially wine smelling, women tend to be better
wine testers because women, particularly of reproductive ages, have a better
sense of smell than men.

An Italian study argues that women who drink two glasses of wine a day
have better sex than those who don’t drink at all.^f

Red wines are red because fermentation extracts color from the grape skins.
White wines are not fermented with the skins present.

In the whole of the Biblical Old Testament, only the Book of Jonah has
no reference to the vine or wine.

Early Roman women were forbidden to drink wine, and a husband who found
his wife drinking was at liberty to kill her. Divorce on the same grounds
was last recorded in Rome in 194 B.C.

The world’s oldest bottle of wine dates back to A.D. 325 and was
found near the town of Speyer, Germany, inside one of two Roman sarcophaguses.
It is on display at the town's Historisches Museum der Pfalz.

There is increasing scientific evidence that moderate, regular wine drinking
can reduce the risk of heart
disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke,and gum disease.

While wine offers certain medical benefits, it may slightly increase the
risk of contracting certain kinds of cancer of the digestive tract, particularly
the esophagus. There is also a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

Red wine, typically more than white wine, has antioxidant properties and
contains resveratrol, which seems to be important in the cardio-protective
effects of wine.

California, New York, and Florida lead the United States in wine consumption.

California is the fourth-largest wine producer in the world, after France,
Italy, and Spain.

Wine testers swirl their glass to encourage the wine to release all of
its powerful aromas. Most don’t fill the glass more than a third full
in order to allow aromas to collect and to not spill it during a swirl.

Most wine is served in a glass that has a gently curved rim at the top
to help contain the aromas in the glass. The thinner the glass and the finer
the rim, the better. A flaring, trumpet-shaped class dissipates the aromas.

When tasting wine, hold the wine in the mouth for a moment or two and then
either swallow it or, preferably, spit it out, usually into a spittoon. A
really good wine will have a long aftertaste, while an inferior wine will have a short aftertaste.

Wine grapes rank number one among the world’s fruit crops in terms
of acres planted.

The Code of Hammurabi (1800 B.C.) includes a law that punishes fraudulent
wine sellers: They were to be drowned in a river.

Romans discovered that mixing lead with wine not only helped preserve wine,
but also gave it a sweet taste and succulent texture. Chronic lead poisoning
has often been cited as one of the causes of the decline of Rome.

The Vikings called America Vinland (“wine-land” or “pasture-land”)
for the profusion of native grape vines they found there around A.D. 1000.

A wine that tastes watery is said to taste “dilute.” It may
have been made from grapes picked during a rainstorm.

The worst place to store wine is usually in the kitchen because it is typically
too warm to store wine safely. Refrigerators are not satisfactory for storing
wine either. Even at their warmest setting, they’re too cold.

When wine and food are paired together, they have “synergy” or
a third flavor beyond what either the food or drink offers alone.

Richer, heavier foods usually go well with richer, heavier wines; lighter
foods demand light wines. Additionally, red wine typically is served with
red meat, white wine with white meat and fish, and sweet wine with desserts.

It is traditional to first serve lighter wines and then move to heavier
wines throughout a meal. Additionally, white wine should be served before
red, younger wine before older, and dry wine before sweet.

Serving temperatures should be lower for white (45-50 degrees Fahrenheit)
than for red wines (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit).

The prohibitionists, or the “drys,” in the early twentieth
century fought to remove any mention of wine from school and college texts,
including Greek and Roman literature. They also sought to remove medicinal
wines from the United States Pharmacopoeia and to prove that Biblical praises
of wine were for unfermented grape juice.

The vintage year isn’t necessarily the year wine is bottled, because
some wines may not be bottled the same year the grapes are picked. Typically,
a vintage wine is a product of a single year’s harvest. A non-vintage
wine is a blend of wines from two or more years.

There is a right and wrong way to hold a wine glass. Wine glasses should
always be held by the stem and not the bowl because the heat of the hand
will raise the temperature of the wine.

Champagne, one of the world’s greatest sparkling wines, is popularly
but erroneously thought to have been invented by the Benedictine monk Dom
Pierre Perignon (1638-1715). Although he did not invent or discover champagne,
he founded many principles and processes in its production that are still
in use today. And he purportedly declared upon drinking the bubbly beverage, “I
am drinking stars.”

Noble rot, or pourriture noble, is a benign type of grape fungus
that can actually sweeten some types of wine.

Not all wines improve with time. In fact, a vast majority of wines produced
are ready to drink and do not have much potential for aging. Only a rare
few will last longer than a decade.

A “dumb” wine refers to the lack of odor in a wine, though
it may develop a pleasing odor in the future. Many Cabernet-Sauvignons, for
example, are considered “dumb.” A “numb” wine, on
the other hand, has no odor and no potential of developing a pleasing odor
in the future.

European wines are named after their geographic locations (e.g., Chassagne-Montrachet
Morgeot and Bordeaux) while non-European wines (e.g., Pinot Noir and Merlot)
are named after different grape varieties.

A feminine wine is a wine that is more delicate than most. A masculine
wine refers to a “big” or “full” wine.

Contrary to traditional belief, smelling the cork reveals little about
the wine. Instead, if a server or sommelier hands you a cork, you should
look for the date and other identifying information (inexpensive wine won’t
have these features). Additionally, look for mold, drying, cracking, or breaks
in the cork.

A wine that has a musty smell, similar to wet cardboard or mold, may mean
that the bottle is “corked” (the bottle has a contaminated cork).

In 1988, Italian women started one of the first female organizations devoted
to wine, the Le Donne del Vino. Its goal is to encourage and promote
women’s role in the Italian wine industry.

Women are more susceptible to the effects of wine than men partly because
they have less of an enzyme in the lining of the stomach that is needed to
metabolize alcohol efficiently.

Besides churches and monasteries, two other great medieval institutions
derived much of their income from wine: hospitals and universities. The most
famous medieval wine-endowed hospital (now a museum) is the beautiful Hôtel-Dieu
in Beaune, France.

At the center of Greek social and intellectual life was the symposium,
which literally means, “drinking together.” Indeed, the symposium
reflects Greek fondness for mixing wine and intellectual discussion.

When Tutankhamen’s tomb was opened in 1922, the wine jars buried
with him were labeled with the year, the name of the winemaker, and comments
such as “very good wine.” The labels were so specific that
they could actually meet modern wine label laws of several countries.

One ton of grapes makes about 60 cases of wine, or 720 bottles. One bottle
of wine contains about 2.8 pounds of grapes.

Greece is the only country in the world that has perpetuated up to the
present the ancient tradition of adding a tree resin to wine to give it a
unique sappy taste. Most non-Greeks assert this type of Greek wine or retsina
wine is an acquired taste and should be served very cold.

Wine for Orthodox Jews must be kosher, meaning it must not be touched at
any point in its process (from picking of the grapes to bottling it) by either
a “Gentile” or non-observant Jew and it must contain only
kosher ingredients.

The combination of soil type, climate, degree of slope, and exposure to
the sun constitutes the terroir of a vineyard and what makes each
vineyard and each wine unique.

In the Middle Ages, the greatest and most innovative winemakers of the
day were monastic orders. The Cistercians and Benedictines were particularly
apt winemakers, and they are said to have actually tasted the earth to discover
how the soil changed from place to place. Their findings are still important
today.

Wineskins were a common way to transport wine in the ancient world. Animal
skins (usually pig) were cleaned and tanned and turned inside out so that
the hairy side was in contact with the wine.

Traditionally, wine was never stored standing up. Keeping the wine on its
side kept the wine in contact with the cork, thereby preventing the cork
from drying, shrinking, and letting in air. However, wine can be stored vertically
if the bottle has an artificial cork.

A few vine cuttings from the New World brought to Europe spread a tiny
insect called Phylloxera vastatrix, which feeds on the roots of
vines. The only way to save European grape vines was to graft native American
vines to European rootstocks. Consequently, Pre-Phylloxera wine, strictly
speaking, is one made in the years before Phylloxera reached the vineyards
in the 1860s, though the phrase is also used to mean wine from ungrafted
vines.

A standard glass of dry red or white wine contains around 110 calories.
Sweeter wine has more calories.

The substance in wine that tingles the gums is tannin (related to the word “tan”),
which is derived from the skins, pips, and stalks of grapes. It is usually
found only in red wine and is an excellent antioxidant. Visually, it is the
sediment found at the bottom of the bottle.

Darker shades of wine (the deepest, blackest reds and the most golden whites)
usually come from warm climates and are rich and ripe. Lighter colors, especially
in white wines, come from cooler climates and are lighter and less lush.

With age, red wines tend to lose color and will eventually end up a sort
of brick red. On the other hand, white wines gain color, becoming golden
and eventually brown-yellow.

All wines taste like fruit. Only rarely does a wine taste like grapes—for
example, Muscat or Concord wines.

Red Burgundy is made from the Pinot Noir grape and is so difficult to make
that winemakers all over the world see it as some kind of Holy Grail.

The Germans invented Eiswein, or wine that is made from frozen
grapes.

Enologists are wine chemists who analyze samples of wine and advise winemakers.

The word “champagne” is named after a province in France,
meaning “open country. Due to the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
law in Europe, sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region of France
can no longer be called “champagne.”

The Bergerac wine region in southwest France has produced wine since Roman
times.

The English word “wine” may be rooted in the Semitic yayin (lamentation
and wailing). In Arabic, the word is wain, in Greek it is oinos,
and in the Romance languages it is vin, vino, vina, vinho.

Grapes are the only fruit that are capable of producing the proper nutrition
for the yeast on its skin and sugar in its juice to ferment naturally.

Because grapes in the Southern Hemisphere are picked during what is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, a 1999 Australian wine could be six months older than a 1999.

Wine facilitated contacts between ancient cultures, providing the motive
and means of trade. For example, the Greeks traded wine for precious metals,
and the Romans traded wine for slaves.

In ancient Egypt, the ability to store wine until maturity was considered
alchemy and was the privilege of only the pharaohs.

Archaeologists found grape pips (seeds), usually considered evidence of
winemaking, dating from 8000 B.C. in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The oldest pips of cultivated vines were found in (then Soviet) Georgia from
7000-5000 B.C.

Winemaking is a significant theme in one of the oldest literary works known,
the Epic of Gilgamesh. The divinity in charge of the wine was the
goddess Siduri, whose depiction suggests a symbolic association between wine
and fertility.

One of the most quoted legends about the discovery of wine is the story
of Jamsheed a semi-mythical Persian king (who may have been Noah). A woman
of his harem tried to take her life with fermented grapes, which were thought
to be poisonous. Wine was discovered when she found herself rejuvenated and
lively.

The first known illustration of wine drinking is found on a 5,000-year-old
Sumerian panel known as the Standard of Ur.

Thucydides wrote that the people of the Mediterranean began to “emerge
from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the oil and the vine.”

The standard wine container of the ancient world was the amphora (something
which can be carried by two), a clay vase with two handles. It was invented
by the Canaanites, who introduced it into Egypt before the fifteenth century
B.C. Their forebears, the Phoenicians, spread its use throughout the Mediterranean.

Plato argued that the minimum drinking age should be 18, and then wine
in moderation may be tasted until 31. When a man reaches 40, he may drink
as much as he wants to cure the “crabbedness of old age.”

Hippocrates, widely considered the father of medicine, includes wine in
almost every one of his recorded remedies. He used it for cooling fevers,
as a diuretic, as a general antiseptic, and to help convalescence.

Ancient Romans thought seasoning was more important than the primary flavor
of wine and often added fermented fish sauce, garlic, asafetida (onion root),
lead, and absinthe.

The man who most profoundly affected the history of wine was the prophet
Mohammed. Within ten years of his death in A.D. 632, wine was largely banned
from Arabia and from every country that heeded him.

A crop of newly planted grape vines takes four to five years to grow before
it can be harvested.

Red wine represents 55% of restaurant wine sales.

Bubbles in wine have been observed since ancient Greece and were attributed
to the phases of the moon or to evil spirits.

Global
warming may redefine wine growing in the future. Even tiny temperature
changes can dramatically change the quality of wine.

Many consumers and winemakers argue that genetically engineered wine would
not only lead to uniformity but would also compromise the traditional romance
and mystique associated with wine.

Oenophobia is an intense fear or hatred of wine.

McLaren Vale Beer Company beging work on the third largest brewery in South Australia.

2011-02-06T15:08:00.002+10:30

McLaren Vale Beer Company has appointed a brewing team as work begins on its new Willunga Brewery, expected to be the third largest brewery in South Australia when completed.

The craft beer company will invest over $1 million in the project and has appointed renowned brewer Bruce Peachey to oversea construction.

Peachy will fill the role of chief brewer with responsibility for commissioning Willunga Brewery, while McLaren Vale identity Jeff Wright has been appointed head brewer.

McLaren Vale Beer Company managing director Adam Trippe-Smith said the two appointments came at an exciting time for the company.

“Bruce is regarded as one of the best brewers in the Asia Pacific and Jeff is a passionate brewer with a growing track record, so we’re looking forward to what they’ll bring to the team,” Adam said.

“We’ve begun work on our new Willunga Brewery, which will employ up to 10 people and will initially be brewing in excess of 1 million litres of beer.

“In the past 12 months, McLaren Vale Beer has already grown from a team of one to 15.”

Peachy spent 21 years with Tooheys in various roles including brewery manager and technical manager.

He was also founding general manager and head brewer of Bluetongue in the Hunter Valley.

Wright has been part of the South Australian viticulture scene for the past 15 years, nine of those in management roles for private vineyards throughout McLaren Vale.

Willunga Brewery will be commissioned with a 4-vessel 35HL brew house, 105HL fermentation vessels, a kegging line and an automated bottling and packaging line.

McLaren Vale Beer has awarded the contract to supply brewing equipment for its brewery to DME Brewing Services in Canada.

DME is one of the leading global suppliers of brewing equipment to the craft beer industry and was the successful tenderer from over 10 global suppliers.

www.bellevuebnb.com.au

McLaren Vale expecting a vintage to remember

2011-02-03T16:07:00.000+10:30

McLAREN Vale grape growers and winemakers are preparing for a bumper vintage, with recent rains and cool conditions expected to produce top-quality grapes.

McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association chairwoman Pip Forrester said early predictions indicated a “superb” grape quality.

“The rain and the weather we had during winter and autumn have provided really good growing conditions,” Ms Forrester said.

Some vignerons predicted vintage would start about three weeks later than usual, with the first grapes - usually chardonnay - to be picked towards the end of February.

“We haven’t had the really hot November and December that we’ve had in previous years, which has allowed the grapes to ripen more slowly,” Ms Forrester said.

Optimism is growing in the region after a few “average” seasons, including 2009, when some vineyards recorded crop losses of up to 75 per cent during the 40C-plus heatwave. Kay Brothers chief winemaker Colin Kay tipped chardonnay would be ready for picking in late February, followed by shiraz in the first week of March.

“Vintage will be a little bit later than normal but nothing too outside the boundaries,” said Mr Kay, who is entering his 42nd vintage.

“It’s a highly inexact science - the earliest vintage we’ve had in our 120 years was on January 28 and the latest was March 23.”

He said McLaren Vale was lucky to largely avoid fungus downy mildew which plagued eastern states.

“It’s been a year where there have been some fungal disease pressures but we’ve been pretty well off compared with our eastern counterparts,” Mr Kay said.

Chapel Hill winemaker Michael Fragos expected good-quality fruit and an average yield this vintage.

“We haven’t really had any extended hot periods this season, so in a way we’re sort of closer to being back where we used to be,” said Mr Fragos, the 2010 Bushing King.

“The cooler conditions allow more development of flavour and more mature tannins. During hot weather, the grapes ripen really quickly and you get the sugar but not the colour or the flavour.”

He tipped chardonnay would be ready to pick in the third week of February, compared with the first week in February in previous years.

VINTAGE NOTES

A wine’s vintage tells you the year in which the grapes were picked

Most still wines come from a single vintage; fortified and sparklings are usually made from a blend of different vintages.

Vintage quality is dependent on weather conditions and grape management

Shiraz ripens well in dry, sunny conditions while sauvignon blanc grows better in cool, damp conditions

www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Thanks to Southern Times Messenger for the article.

Stimulate your taste buds in McLaren Vale

2010-12-27T13:44:00.001+10:30

McLaren Vale is a country area located 40 km from the capital of South Australia, Adelaide. It is one of the continent's most well-known wine regions and, from the 76 cellars, come several of the world's finest wines. Visitors will be impressed by the passion and energy of the local community.

This area has a Mediterranean climate which means you will find four definite seasons. Winter is cool and rainy, summer is warm and dry, autumn is glorious and calm, and spring is beautiful and fresh. Frost and droughts are very rare, as a result farming ventures are prosperous. A lot of the rain comes in winter when ominous black storms roll in from the sea and cover the hills with clouds.

The Vale serves as a portal to Fleurieu Peninsula that's a tourist haven. Here, you're offered many attractions, pleasant beaches, natural flora, unique wildlife, and fresh produce like you have never tasted. For those who enjoy diving or snorkeling, the peninsula can be a paradise with fantastic marine life, the famous Leafy Seadragon (a seahorse species) and old shipwrecks. You can even taste a number of Australia's most renowned wines. Three worth mentioning are a black Shiraz, a rich Cabernet Sauvignon, and a smooth Grenache.

Getting to McLaren Vale and the peninsula is easy. Using the freeway from Adelaide, a car trip takes about 40 minutes. Those who prefer a scenic drive can go via Clarendon and still get there in less than an hour. This makes it an easy day trip, a Sunday lunch on the coast, or a perfect weekend of relaxation.

The locals are fanatical about the food, wine, and culture in the region. However, what they are most proud of is their hospitality. Stay here and wake in the morning to a hearty breakfast while looking over the vineyards or watch the waves rolling in. Learn about art and history and see where some of the world's finest produce is grown. The locals will suggest the best attractions like museums, galleries, outdoor trails, and even where you can be served the perfect coffee.

When you visit McLaren Vale, there are a few definite musts. For instance, take an early morning walk in the Onkaparinga Gorge and see wildlife in an untouched environment while strolling through native bushland. Eat out at one of the various restaurants and enjoy one or two glasses of the best local wine. All chefs use local produce to ensure a excellent dining experience.

http://www.bellevuebnb.com.au

THE battle for two of South Australia's iconic wine regions is heating up.

2010-11-04T09:17:00.000+10:30

There was a tractor protest against a housing development at McLaren Vale yesterday and full-page advertisements against a proposed highway bypass in the Coonawarra appeared in weekend newspapers.

Winemakers are up in arms over the proposed developments, saying they will swallow valuable land for growing vines and could damage tourism in the area.

Yesterday a convoy of about 150 tractors and cars travelled through McLaren Vale, about 40km south of the centre of Adelaide, protesting against plans to build 1170 homes on 77ha of land on the edge of the world-renowned wine region.

Chalk Hill winemaker Jock Harvey said a recent geological survey found the land was on "some of the most spectacular geology for viticulture in the world".

He also said the development site at Seaford Heights was a gateway to an area with economic and tourism value estimated at $940 million a year.

"And that's put in jeopardy by taking what is the last green buffer between suburbia and the McLaren Vale wine region and covering it with housing," he said.

Protest organiser Laura Jackson, who works in the wine industry and lives in McLaren Vale, said there was no need for more housing in the area. "We've got investment properties lying empty and people won't rent them," she said.

Mr Harvey said Planning Minister Paul Holloway could rezone the land to rural "if he wants", and called for a moratorium on the development until a development plan for the region was finalised.

But Mr Holloway said the fate of Seaford Heights was sealed 20 years ago when it was earmarked for development.

"Even if the decision had not been made 20 years ago to zone this land residential, it would still be very difficult to justify agricultural activities on that particular 77ha, given that it is adjacent to existing housing," he said.

"The long-held expectation that this land would be developed for housing also informed the decision to invest $291m on extending the Noarlunga rail line to Seaford."

Meanwhile Treasury Wine Estates, part of the Foster's Group, has published advertisements about a proposed highway bypass through the Coonawarra wine district, in the state's southeast, famed for its cabernet sauvignons.

Published in The Australian
November 01, 2010

Famed SA wine region fights new suburb

2010-11-04T09:14:00.000+10:30

There was not a sour grape in sight - but there were plenty of bitter and angry winemakers and grape growers gathered on the McLaren Vale sporting oval on Sunday.

Several hundred local residents of the internationally renowned wine region converged on the oval with their farming equipment - predominantly tractors - to protest a planned new suburb at the entrance to the tourism drawcard.

Dudley Brown, chairman of the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association, said the community-organised event was aimed at letting the government know residents were "completely fed up with inappropriate and unsympathetic development".
Advertisement: Story continues below

The state government says the Seaford Heights development - which will inevitably proceed, is a distance from the wine region and would include appropriate buffers and screens, while locals say it will damage the ambience of the area and impact on farming activities, with several vineyards sharing boundaries with the development.

A spokesman for Minister for Urban Development and Planning Paul Holloway said the parcel of land had been zoned residential for the past 20 years and Mr Holloway was currently only considering updating that zoning to include supporting infrastructure for a new suburb.

"The land in question might be the most valuable undeveloped vineyard land in the world and we don't want to se it developed into gutter-to-gutter housing," Mr Brown told AAP.

"We think it will have an enormous impact on the industry because the industry is increasingly reliant on tourism and this land is the gateway to the second biggest tourism region in the state."

Paxton Wines owner David Paxton, who drove his 30-year-old tractor in the convoy, said the government was showing a "complete lack of sensibility" about the land, which borders his own property.

He said ultimately such a development would negatively impact the wine industry, as suburbia moved closer and closer to once rural land.

"It's just bracket creep if you like," Mr Paxton said.

"They're getting closer and closer and ultimately the developers will wear down councils and governments - God knows how they do it."

He said building housing estates next to farming areas always presented problems, with everything from bird scarers to people spraying and picking grapes at night.

John Harvey, whose family owns the Chalk Hill winery, also participated in the protest and said residential developments and farming practices did not mix.

"There are a lot of people that don't understand farming," he said.

"They are fearful of what we're doing - without justification - but there's some hysteria so that can cause problems for your general operation."

Peter Dawson, former chief wine maker with Hardys and current chairman of the Australian Wine Research Institute, said other famed wine regions of the world wouldn't even allow construction of a tin shed because they placed such a high value on the regional contributions.

"McLaren Vale has established itself as a world-class wine region and it has demonstrated it's ability to produce world-class wines and I think the integrity of the region should be preserved," he said.

Several hundred McLaren Vale locals and dozens of tractors made the slow journey of some 5km from the oval to Paxton Wines, where they spent the afternoon enjoying some of the famed local beverages and free entertainment.

Published in the Sydney Morning Herald
Nhada Larkin
October 31, 2010

McLaren Vales says c'mon down, Oprah!

2010-10-01T09:24:00.003+09:30

MCLAREN Vale winemakers and tourism operators are hoping their world-class red wines, great coastline and delicious local produce will be enough to lure Oprah Winfrey to the region.

The US talk show queen last week announced she would come on an eight-day Ultimate Australian Adventure, with 300 audience members, in December.

During the trip, Oprah will visit some of the country’s tourism hotspots to film two episodes for the Oprah Winfrey Show,, which will air in the US early next year. They will then be screened across the globe in 145 countries.

McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association marketing manager Elizabeth Tasker said attracting a visitor of Oprah’s status would encourage more people to experience the region’s “beautiful scenery, friendly people and great food and wine”.

She said Oprah had a reputation for recognising “something of value that will be the next big thing”.

“She will find this in McLaren Vale,” Ms Tasker said. “McLaren Vale has all that we love and want to share about Australia.”

The SA Tourism Commission (SATC) is working with Tourism Australia to have SA - including McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula - included in the program.

Chapel Hill winemaker Michael Fragos said Oprah’s talk show was “very influential” and would give McLaren Vale invaluable exposure on the world stage: “I hope that the wine, the food and the beaches in our region are alluring enough for Oprah,” he said.

McLaren Vale Studio Apartments owner Roz Vertigan said attracting Oprah to the region would give McLaren Vale the international exposure “we’re really looking for”.

SATC executive general marketing and sales manager Steven Kernaghan said the show’s itinerary was still in the planning stage.

“The final decision regarding which regions of Australia Oprah visits or features during her trip will be made by her production company,” Mr Kernaghan said.

Oprah announced the trip to her Chicago audience during the first show of her farewell season on Tuesday, September 14.

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Win tickets to see "Simply Red"

2010-08-04T20:04:00.003+09:30

Win one of 10 double passes and a merchandise pack to see Simply Red play a farewell concert at A Day On The Green at Leconfield Wines, McLaren Vale on Sunday, October 10.

Roundhouse Entertainment and Michael Coppel Presents is pleased to announce Simply Reds legions of Australian fans will have the opportunity to say a final goodbye when the bands Farewell World Tour reaches Australia this October.

Simply Red will play their very last concerts here as a series of indoor shows and a day on the green winery events nationally. Very special guest on the tour will be Australia’s favourite Queen of Soul and disco diva Marcia Hines.

Simply Red’s classic pop and elegant ballads have provided an uplifting and emotional soundtrack to our turbulent times. The band is saying their farewells all over the world this year after what has been a remarkable 25 years.

Question
What winery is Simply Red playing at for A Day On The Green?

Click here to enter your answer:

To book accommodation visit us: www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Dining Excellence Acknowledged by Industry

2010-07-27T09:38:00.002+09:30

The Annual Awards for Excellence for Restaurant and Catering SA was held last night at the Adelaide Convention Center.

1100 guests ate, drank and danced the night away and celebrated the high quality restaurants and hospitality professionals in South Australia.

Congratulations to all especially The Kitchen Door @ Penny Hill Winery who took home the award for “Best restaurant in a Winery”.

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Qantas next generation check-in

2010-07-25T13:21:00.004+09:30

QANTAS has unveiled its next generation check-in system which promises to provide passengers with a five-second check-in and electronic bags tags to keep track of their luggage.

This should make it much easier for our interstate and international guests!

Bellevue Bed & Breakfast

Delicious Produce Awards 2010

2010-07-22T08:21:00.000+09:30

The winners of the prestigious Delicious Produce Awards 2010 were announced in Melbourne Monday night.

The regional award for Australia was awarded to McLaren Vale because of regions mix of outstanding wineries and restaurants, great produce and a stunning coastline.

South Australia's McLaren Vale was a natural choice as this year’s winner.

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Tour Down Under

2010-07-02T15:35:00.003+09:30

Round one of the UCI ProTour, the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under, was presented today in Adelaide, with a slightly shortened route and a management team confident its biggest draw card in recent years, Lance Armstrong, may be back to compete.

Boasting the slogan, "See the real superheroes" the 2011 edition, to be held January 18-23, covers 758km which represents a slight decrease in overall distance compared to this year's edition (795.5km) but it retains the much-loved Old Willunga Hill on the race's penultimate day.

Stage 5 - January 22: McLaren Vale - Willunga, 131km.

I am sure you will all be delighted to hear that McLaren Vale has secured the Start of Stage 5. Additionally, we again have the tour coming through McLaren Vale and McLaren Flat during Stage 3.

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The Fleurieu Biennale

2010-06-22T14:38:00.003+09:30

A POPULAR landscape art competition will be used as a new marketing tool to promote the McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Peninsula region.

The Fleurieu Biennale, which awards $50,000 to the major prize winner, has changed its name to the Fleurieu Art Prize and will be held every two years from 2011.

Fleurieu Art Prize board member Marc Allgrove said the event “arguably the world’s richest landscape art prize” promoted the arts, as well as food, wine and tourism.

“We want it to be the most sought after art prize in the world,” said Mr Allgrove, who is chief executive at Chapel Hill winery. “It has the potential to be South Australia’s Archibald Prize an event that national and international artists seek to enter and seek to win.”

The event, started in 1998 by local identities David Dridan, Tony Parkinson and the late Greg Trott, also has four minor categories including Vistas, Water, Food and Wine, and Youth Scholarship, which carry $10,000 in prize money for each winner.

Mr Allgrove said the board, chaired by Libby Raupach, hoped to use the art event as leverage to increase visitors to the region. A Symposium with renowned landscape artists will be held on October 23, with one day painting competitions held on November 13 and 20, as a prelude to the main event in November 2011

Details at http://www.artprize.com.au

A couple of images from our S&V

2010-06-16T14:54:00.003+09:30

Monday at the Sea & Vines

2010-06-16T14:20:00.005+09:30

Our guests had left early on the Monday morning of the Sea & Vines so we had plenty of time to clean up and head out for the day.

Well, we booked our tickets online and joined the guys from MVBeer in the marquee next to the Salopian Inn. We enjoyed a MVBeer and a Hills Cider while they served up a seafood extravaganza. DJ Tyson Tightpants was playing some retro disco grooves.

This was only to kill time before our main event of the day, a full on gourmet experience, inside the Inn. It consisted of a 6 course degustation long lunch with Gemtree Wines coming on board to round off the experience with their biodynamically produced McLaren Vale wines.

A six course degustation lunch menu hosted by Mike Brown, Head Winemaker of Gemtree Wines.

On arrival enjoy Vale Ale with
- Freshly shucked oysters
- Pastry wrapped anchovies
- Octopus, green olive tapenade, crisp pancetta

This will be followed by:

- Gulf of St. Vincent baby squid stuffed,
- Gemtree grape sample verjuice butter
- 2009/2010 Moonstone Savagnin

- K.I. crayfish tail, asparagus, poached egg, truffle cream sauce
- 2008 Luna Roja Tempranillo

- Roast Berkshire suckling pig, wild fennel seed,apple, abalone salad
- 2001 Uncut Shiraz & 2008 Uncut Shiraz

- Gemtree lamb cooked 3 ways, zucchini flowers, ratatouillie
- 2007 White lees Shiraz

- Australian, imported Cheeses
- 2007 Obsidian Shiraz

McLaren Vale - Sea & Vines

2010-05-25T15:46:00.000+09:30

THOUSANDS of local and interstate visitors are expected at McLaren Vale next month, to indulge in the region’s best food and wine at the Sea and Vines Festival.

For the first time in the event’s 18 year-history, visitors need to book their tickets in advance for the two-day festival on Sunday, June 13, and Monday, June 14.

McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association marketing manager Elizabeth Tasker said the new format would “improve the experience” for all festival-goers.

“The growing popularity of the event has spurred the changes because in the past venues have been limited in their capacity,” she said.

The 2008 event was marred by the arrest of 18 people for alcohol-related offences, including assault and abusive language, at wineries and the Hotel McLaren.

Six people were arrested at last year’s event, with four reported for drink driving.

Ms Tasker said the 27 wineries and restaurants involved up from 22 the previous year would be better prepared with catering and security because they would know exactly how many people to expect on both days. Visitors without a ticket will be refused entry. Chalk Hill manager Tom Harvey said the new format would give attendees the chance to have a “premium” festival experience.

Settlement Wines general manager Ellen Smith said it would be the first time the event had been held at the winery’s new home on Seaview Rd.

“It’s going to be a really relaxed vibe,” she said. “We’ll have some good wines on offer and we make our own wood oven pizzas.”

Attendees pay a $20 booking fee, which allows them to secure their spot at different venues across four time slots 9am to 11am, 11am to 1pm, 1pm to 3pm and 3pm to 5pm.

Tickets for Tapestry, Wirra Wirra, Woodstock, Coriole, Maxwell, d’Arenberg, Chalk Hill and Paxton are close to selling out on Sunday; bookings are still open for all wineries on the Monday.

The booking fee includes a Riedel wine glass, the first pour of wine and a tree, which will be planted in McLaren Vale by Greening Australia volunteers.

www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Fleurieu Way Drives Tourism via iphone Technology

2010-05-21T15:58:00.001+09:30

South Australia continues to use clever technology to reach an ever growing number of tech-savvy visitors to the State with the release of a third tourism iPhone „app‟ this year, the free Fleurieu Way Guided GPS Tour 'app'.

The Fleurieu Way Guided GPS Tour „app‟ follows the traditional Fleurieu Way Touring Route – a popular 235 kilometre regional driving route that takes in the highlights of the region.

South Australian Tourism Commission Executive General Manager Sales and Marketing, Steve Kernaghan, said the „app‟, which is now live and available from the iTunes Store, has been supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) as part of its ongoing support to develop new consumer initiatives.

“This is the third tourism „app‟ we‟ve developed in the past four months which makes use of increasingly popular smart phone technology to help enhance visitors experiences while in South Australia via the connectivity of iPhone devices,” Mr Kernaghan said.

“This newest „app‟ makes use of the inbuilt GPS system in the visitor‟s iPhone to guide them through the Fleurieu Peninsula with audio narrative at points at points of interest, and further details including written descriptions, images and contact information.

“The tour gives a local‟s perspective on the Fleurieu Peninsula and the 99 points of interest including townships, wineries, national parks, visitor information centres and accommodation properties, by „Annabelle‟, who will provide informative commentary.

“The „app‟ also plugs perfectly into social media, allowing users to post recommendations directly from their iPhones to Twitter and Facebook, further spreading the South Australian tourism message.”

The release of the Fleurieu Way Guided GPS Tour „app‟ builds on the popularity of the free iPhone „app‟ developed for this year‟s Santos Tour Down Under event, plus the Adelaide City GPS and Audio Tour iPhone „app‟, launched in February this year.

During the event, the Santos Tour Down Under „app‟ was downloaded by more than 11,000 users and was ranked second in the free sports category in the Apple iTunes Store during that month.

The Adelaide City GPS and Audio Tour iPhone „app‟ has been downloaded by more than 7,300 users (more 5,000 downloads occurring within the first month of release), and reached a top five ranking in the free travel category of the Apple iTunes Store in February.

http://www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Wine and Spirits / Fine wines with amusing names

2010-05-21T15:39:00.000+09:30

Few wineries bring a smile to the face like Australia's d'Arenberg, for a couple of reasons. First, many d'Arenberg wines are very good and have surprisingly low prices for their often very high quality.

Second, there are the names of the wines themselves - Footbolt, Peppermint Paddock, Stump Jump, Dead Arm, The Custodian, The Laughing Magpie, Ironstone Pressings.

Those who live near the township of McLaren Vale may nothing odd about these names since each one is a real name of a place, a road, or some historic event that happened in or near the town.

There's nothing laughable about this serious winery either. D'Arenberg was established in 1927 and its wines were well accepted in Australia from the start. By the 1960s they had attained cult status and were getting rave reviews from European and North American critics.

By Daniel Rogov

Australia’s Greatest Gourmet Experiences

2010-04-14T16:14:00.000+09:30

Primo Estate

McLaren Vale’s own Primo Estate cellar door on McMurtrie Road has won a place alongside internationally renowned restaurants Tetsuya, Guillame at Benelong and Rockpool in Australian Traveller’s 100 Gourmet Experiences. The only cellar door to win a place on the definitive listing of foodie icons Primo was ranked 26th in the country (ahead of some very famous restaurants, producers and stores).

Judged by an expert panel including Matt Moran of Sydney’s world renowned Aria restaurant and SA’s own Maggie Beer the list says ‘When award-winning winery Primo Estate opens its doors to the public for wine and cheese tastings, you know the experience is going to be good. The McLaren Vale Cellar Door and Tasting Room is set up purely for culinary enjoyment.’

Primo Estate’s ultra modern Italian style cellar door opened to rave reviews in 2006 and offers tastings of the Primo Estate range alongside the more luxurious JOSEPH Experience where guests can enjoy a flight of limited release JOSEPH wines served with bread, cheese and JOSEPH olive oil.

Visit www.primoestate.com.au to plan your visit to one of Australia’s Greatest Gourmet Experiences.

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McLaren Vale VINTAGE & CLASSIC DAY

2010-04-14T16:13:00.000+09:30

The 5th Vintage & Classic Day, showcasing MG, Triumph, Mustangs and many more classic cars, will commence with a spectacular parade down the Main Road of McLaren Vale this Sunday at 11.30am. Team Adelaide Biplanes will be flying directly over the Main Street parade.

The cars will then disperse to participating wineries for display from 12.30pm until 3.00pm.

Fox Creek, Paxton Wines, Rosemount, Oxenberry, Penny’s Hill, McLarens on the Lake, Shingleback, Lazy Ballerina, Foggo Wines, Parri Estate and Leconfield are all participating, as is the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre.

For all the information on where the cars will be displayed, or if you are interested in participating, please go to www.vintageandclassic.com.au

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Success brewing in McLaren Vale

2010-04-14T15:21:00.002+09:30

HE McLaren Vale Beer Company is proving there’s a lot more to the Vale than just good wine.

The company, which produces Vale Ale, is set to export to Asia in the coming months, move into its own McLaren Vale brewery and release a new cider-based product.

Chief executive Adam Trippe-Smith said Vale Ale now was poured on tap at 25 venues across Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, having started out at just two in 2008.

“It’s really taking off,” Mr Trippe-Smith said.

“McLaren Vale is such a great region, with the vines and the beaches, it was surprising that it never had any beer.”

He said he had signed a lease for a brewery in Willunga to be named in the coming weeks which he hoped would be up and running in about six months.

“We started out using a contract brewery to make our products because we couldn’t afford to invest in our own.

“When the new brewery is ready we’ll be able to launch our next product.” In December last year, Mr Trippe-Smith bought and renovated the Salopian Inn, on McMurtrie Rd, which he hopes will be the “centrepiece” of the company.

“It’s an icon it just needed a bit of love.

“We’ve got a great beer and a great restaurant coming together as a whole package.”

He said Vale Ale’s two silver medals at the recent Sydney Royal Beer Competition, was a “huge achievement given we’re only 20 months old”.

(thanks to Southern Times Messenger)

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Sea & Vines

2010-03-26T16:12:00.001+10:30

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 11th March 2010 – My Booking Manager, a leading online event registration management system, announced today that it has been selected by the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism Association for the provision of online bookings for the annual BankSA Sea & Vines Festivals to be held in June.

The BankSA Sea & Vines Festival devotes a weekend to indulging in seafood delights and soaking up the music and beautiful scenery of McLaren Vale.

Less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to discover new wineries or return to an old favourite and enjoy the long weekend festivities with friends and family. For more information about the BankSA Sea & Vines Festival, please visit www.mclarenvale.info

My Booking Manager will be used to manage online bookings for 3 categories of participation, Experience, Relish and Delight. In a significant shift from past years, visitors to the festival will need to book in advance to attend the festival.

This will overcome problems experienced in recent years where visitors have not been able to attend their preferred winery. A $20 booking fee per person will include a complimentary Riedel wine glass, a free pour of wine and a contribution to sustainability plantings in McLaren Vale.

“We are excited to be using the My Booking Manager system and look forward to start taking bookings early April,” said Elizabeth Tasker, Marketing and Business Development Manager of McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism Association.

“We believe the My Booking Manager online booking system will mean visitor’s time will be better spent enjoying the delightful experiences and hospitality of the McLaren Vale wineries rather than wasting time driving around looking for a venue that’s not booked out.

The booking system will link from the BankSA Sea & Vines Festival web site to offer booking and payments for the exclusive Relish and Delight programs which will offer specialised breakfast of lunch experiences at select venues.

The Experience program will allow visitors to choose their favourite cuisine, entertainment and winery venue by paying a nominal entry day fee. Selections can be made from any, or all of the morning, lunch and afternoon sessions, at either the same venue or different venues.
About My Booking Manager
My Booking Manager, a product of InfoTec Communications Pty Ltd, is an easy to use, do it yourself online event registration RSVP management system providing a professional and cost effective system to manage registration replies and payments.

My Booking Manager is used by a range of national and international clients including large corporates, small business and non profit organisations for conferences, trade shows, seminars, product launches, public events, and a range of functions requiring professional online registrations and payment management.

For more information about My Booking Manager, please visit www.mybookingmanager.com

For accommodation during the Sea & Vines Festival visit: http://www.bellevuebnb.com.au

Wirra Wirra wine brand builds giant bottle made of corks

2010-03-26T16:09:00.000+10:30

South Australia’s McLaren Wirra Wirra wine brand builds giant bottle made of corks Wirra Wirra Day1 100x150Vale winery, Wirra Wirra, has launched an ambient campaign centred around building a 10-metre high wine bottle made out of corks.

Developed by Adelaide-based agency Fnuky, the campaign is part of the 35 year celebration of its flagship blend, Church Block.

The giant installation is being built in Melbourne’s Southbank Promenade and is aiming to attract people visiting the state for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and L’Oreal Fashion Week.

There is also a competition to guess how many corks have been used to build the structure.

Prior to its construction, Wirra Wirra enlisted the help of the Girl Guides to launch a national call for Australians to donate their old corks to help create 10-metre high bottle.

Travelling in four separate parts, overnight from Adelaide to Melbourne, the construction of the bottle began on Sunday night.

The unveiling of the completed structure will occur tomorrow night, in an event hosted by comedian Peter Rowsthorn, who has starred in shows including Kath & Kim and The Comedy Company.

Thanks to mUmBRELLA for this article.

Sea and Vines fee to deter ‘riff raff’

2010-02-05T14:34:00.000+10:30

FOOD and wine lovers will have to book for the next McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival, under plans to rid the event of drunken troublemakers.

Rather than being able to wander around different venues, for the first time visitors will have to book tickets in advance for the two-day festival on June 12 and 13.

McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association marketing manager Elizabeth Tasker said attendees would pay a $20 booking fee to lock themselves into a winery or restaurant at a particular time.

“Wineries will be better informed,” Ms Tasker said.

“They will know who has booked for their venue and at what times, which will assist with their planning.

“Those who book will get sent a lanyard - without one you won’t be able to get in.”

So far, more than 27 wineries and restaurants, including Maxwell, d’Arenberg, and Chalk Hill, had registered for the event, up from 22 last year.

The 2008 event was marred by the arrest of 18 people for alcohol-related offences at wineries and at the Hotel McLaren.

Chalk Hill Wines marketing manager Tom Harvey said he supported the changes because they would alleviate both traffic congestion and behavioural issues.

“It’s going to make the festival a better food and wine experience,” he said.

“The increased number of wineries participating shows they’re more willing to support this type of event.”

Regular festival goer Michael Dow, of Willunga, said the new format would keep some of the “riff raff” out and ensure the focus of the festival was on good food and wine.

Mr Dow, 25, was left battered and bruised after being attacked by a group of drunks at Tapestry Wines in 2008.

The $20 booking fee will include a wine glass, the first pour of wine and a tree, which will be planted in McLaren Vale by Greening Australia volunteers.

Festival tickets will be available at http://www.mclarenvale.info from April.

(Thanks to the Southern Times Messenger for his article).

Cellar Door Pass

2009-12-21T16:42:00.001+10:30

Discover the ultimate cellar door experience at over 50 boutique and iconic wineries in South Australia’s famous wine regions, including Adelaide and Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Currency Creek, Langhorne Creek, Coonawarra and the Mount Benson wine regions.

Inclusions:

* Cellar Door Pass
* Wine Discovery CD
* A South Australia Cellar Door directory
* GST (Goods and Services Tax)
* Conducted in English

With the Cellar Door Pass you will receive:

* Premium wine tastings, winery tours and other special offers for up to two people
* A Cellar Door Pass wine carton to hold up to 12 standard bottles of wine
* Home delivery of your 12 bottle wine carton to any address in Australia
* Transit insurance up to AUD $240.00
* AUD $20 reward voucher for each additional 6 bottles of wine you purchase
* Wine Discovery CD featuring tips, facts and winemaker interviews
* A South Australia Cellar Door directory to guide you through your journey
* A smart card to help you access all your benefits

The Cellar Door Pass is valid for 12 months. Note: The Winery Tours and Wine Tastings included are for up to two people. Only required to purchase one pass to take advantage of these offers that are valid for 2 people.

Itinerary:

Once you have purchased your Cellar Door Pass, you can experience the special offers and collect your 6 Bottles of wine from 6 different Cellar Doors listed below.

Fleurieu Peninsula

* Rosemont Estate
* Foggo Wines – plus 2 ‘hands on’ winery tour
* Shingleback Wines
* Parri Estate
* Hugo Wines
* D’Arenberg Wines
* Wira Wira Vineyard
* Chapel Hill
* Currency Creek Estate Wines
* Ballast Stone Estate
* Bleasdale Vineyards
* Bremerton Wines
* Angas Plains Wines/Clegget Wines/Oddfellows Wines/Rayden Estate Wines
* Currency Creek Estate Restaurant – redeem AUD $20.00 voucher for credit towards bill
* Blessed Cheese – redeem AUD $20.00 voucher for credit towards bill

Please Note: Inclusions may change without notice

Stars to visit South Australia in 2010

2009-12-21T16:23:00.001+10:30

The South Australia Tourism Commission has revealed that 'a host of stars' will be visiting the state in 2010, giving travellers more reasons to visit the 'diverse, surprising and beautiful' region.

There will be plenty to interest music fans, with Ronan Keating set to be one of the headline acts at the McLaren Vale Festival.

Leconfield Winery on the Fleurieu peninsula will provide the venue for this event, which will take place on 30 January.

Putting South Australia back in focus

2009-12-10T08:42:00.000+10:30

DIRECTOR Scott Hicks's new movie The Boys are Back will prove especially evocative for expat South Aussies as the screen fills with summer, hot and dry; with long beaches where sand merges with a glistening horizon and with quiet coves cuffed by flaxen hills.

But this is no Australia epic, rather an intimate and very charming ensemble piece that just happens to make a star of South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula.

Stretching from the rolling vineyards of the McLaren Vale south to Cape Jervis, taking in a sweep of beautiful beaches and at times a dramatic and inaccessible coastline, the Fleurieu also reaches east across verdant farming country to the historic river port of Goolwa.

It is South Australia's summer playground, crammed with McShacks in parts, but in many ways calling to mind a more old-fashioned style of holiday when white-bread sandwiches, slapping on the zero factor tanning oil and cooling off under the sprinkler were all OK. At Aldinga you can still drive on to the beach (an issue of some contention at the moment) and, on searing hot summer afternoons, bathers await the late dusk to deliver a sea breeze, erecting striped tents, dinner tables and cricket wickets around their cars, like some sort of zinc-daubed nomadic tribe.

Across the peninsula at Goolwa, hub of a small wooden-boat industry, a 19th-century paddle steamer is docked at the river wharf where the Steam Exchange microbrewery, located in the old railway goods shed, crafts a canny selection of brews, including the rather good India Pale Ale. From this dock, suitably fortified, visitors can explore the Coorong and Lower Lakes.

This is a part of the world Hicks knows well. He began his career here as a runner on Storm Boy, which was filmed in the Coorong, and he and his wife, producer Kerry Heysen, have a beach house overlooking the Southern Ocean and a vineyard not too far away in the Adelaide Hills.

"The Boys are Back was an opportunity for me to set a story I love into a landscape I love and understand and feel a part of," Hicks says.

"I've always been fascinated by the hills near Willunga. My first feature film, Freedom, had its climax set in those hills ... it is something to do with their rounded shape, the way that the light falls on them late in the day; they are sculptural and seductive."

Cinematographer Greig Fraser's camera certainly loves them, lingering on the golden, wind-whipped grass and the voluptuous fall of the dry land to the movie's quaint homestead set or tiny Myponga Beach.

A summer holiday on the Fleurieu can be many things, from the fashionable enclaves of Port Elliot and Middleton (where fish and chips, served in paper cones, washed down with a chilled McLaren Vale ros aac on the beach in front of The Flying Fish Cafe are mandatory), to mucking about in boats on the river near Goolwa, surfing the sometimes big swells near Victor Harbor, or dropping out in the quieter towns of Normanville and Myponga.

Add to this a lively food and wine culture - the Willunga Farmers Market is one of the best in the country - and it's easy to understand the allure of a region where vine meets sea.

Accommodation ranges the gamut but the new digs of choice are at the Australasian, a circa 1858 pub in downtown Goolwa where proprietors Juliet Michell and Deborah Smalley have effected a stunning makeover to provide a boutique hotel that operates more like a private club.

The Australasian boasts an outstanding DVD library (Smalley is a self-confessed movie addict) specialising in Australian, New Zealand, Asian and cult classics. (Hicks would be pleased to see Shine heading the large catalogue.) With just five guestrooms and a private dining room (open to the public Saturday nights), The Australasian makes the perfect Fleurieu bolthole, providing buckets of style but with an emphasis on comfort.

During an exhaustive six-year renovation the hotel was all but rebuilt within its historic shell. The tiny, 19th-century cell-like bedrooms were knocked together to offer individually decorated suites, all with a contemporary Asian sensibility: deep tubs set on raised platforms, Chinese armoires concealing high-definition televisions, mirrored mini-bars stocked with South Aussie wines and, in some rooms, open fires fitted with eco-smart burners.

Throughout the light and airy hotel (two decks give town and river views), the walls are hung with beautiful Japanese kimono and obi, part of Michell's private collection, and her passion for Japanese culture is reflected throughout, from the neatly folded yukata on the bed and Japanese beer in the minibar to the copper rain chains decorating the building's honey-stoned exterior. There's even a small Japanese-themed garden planted with the spiny sedge that's used by the region's Ngarrindjeri women for weaving.

While the hotel was being renovated, Michell used what little spare time she had to train as a chef and her food is very good, served in a groovy, ground-floor dining room and bar that would not look out of place on Shanghai's Bund.

Not surprisingly the Mod Oz table d'hote menus are Asian themed. On the evening that I visit, Japanese soup with steamed prawn balls is followed by a tender orange and miso-marinated duck (served with edamame, black beans and garlic stems) and green tea pannacotta.

The South Australian wine list is well considered; Rockfords Frugal Farmer, somewhere between a ros aac and a red, served chilled, is an excellent addition.

Breakfast is delivered on an old-fashioned trolley (the poached eggs snug under proper silver domes) and popped in the room without intrusion. The Australasian is located downtown with a bottle shop next door, the quaint cottages of Little Scotland across the road and the pretty Goolwa wharf a five-minute walk away. It's a good base from which to explore nearby Port Elliot and Victor Harbor (where one of the world's last horse-drawn trams operates across to Granite Island) or forage among the Fleurieu's many excellent restaurants. Vine-side try Fino in Willunga, The Kitchen Door at Pennys Hill winery and d'Arrys Verandah, perched hilltop in the d'Arenberg cellar door. Waterfront, look no further than a fish pasty or bowl of cockles at the bustling Aquacaf, spilling out of an old kiosk on Goolwa's Barrage Road.

Port Elliot's Flying Fish has a smart beachfront dining room as well as a take-out cafe while the jaunty Star of Greece, perched above the cliff-cuffed sands of beautiful Port Willunga, doles out wiggling fresh squid caught on the beach below.

Restaurants and tourists thin out as you head south to Myponga Beach, on to Carrickalinga (offering great views of the South Coast) and the very charming Normanville. Top to bottom, the Peninsula is crisscrossed by narrow country roads; old farmhouses are set among rambling roses, deep gullies are planted with elm and poplar and hillsides dotted with dairy herds. And then there are the vines sweeping to the sea.

Two of the characters in The Boys are Back own a vineyard, a deliberate Hicks conceit. "To give them [the characters Barbara and Tom] an occupation I understood, running a vineyard, was great," Hicks says.

The vineyard concerned, DogRidge, has a seven-day cellar door operation on Bagshaws Road, McLaren Flat. Together with his beachhouse, Hicks's vineyard, Yacca Paddock, serves as a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the international film business.

"Coming back here is very important to the creative process," he says. "Travelling so much can be disintegrating; you have to feel centred somewhere."

Raised in Africa and England, arriving in South Australia when he was 14, Hicks has found that centre on the Fleurieu.

Christine McCabe was a guest of the South Australian Tourism Commission

'Kami no Shizuku' hails Aussie winery

2009-12-10T08:41:00.001+10:30

MCLAREN VALE, Australia — The hugely popular comic book series "Kami no Shizuku" ("Drops of God") that follows the international adventures of two brothers in pursuit of the perfect wine was largely unknown in Australia.

That was until one of the country's oldest wineries got a mention.

The "manga," approaching its fifth year of publication, is penned by the brother and sister team Shin and Yuko Kibayashi, who write under the pseudonym Tadashi Agi.

It appears weekly in Morning magazine, and the story line reads like a wine enthusiasts' ultimate fantasy. Acclaimed wine critic Yutaka Kanzaki dies, leaving a ¥2 billion collection that will be inherited by the son who fulfills his cryptic quest to find the world's best wines.

The plot sees our hero, Shizuku Kanzaki, pitted against his adopted brother, Issei Toomine, as they battle it out to locate 13 of the finest wines ever produced.

In his will, Kanzaki states that the brothers must first find 12 wines known as the "12 Apostles" and finally uncover the greatest wine on Earth, dubbed the "Drops of God."

As the adventure unfolds, the pair travel to the world's esteemed wine regions, particularly in France. But recently they paid a visit to the lush hills of McLaren Vale, in South Australia, an area renowned for its reds.

Here Kanzaki tries a wine called Laughing Magpie, 2006 Shiraz Viognier, which is produced by d'Arenberg Wines, located 40 km south of Adelaide.

Established in 1912, d'Arenberg is a 450-hectare family-owned winery that combines time-honored European traditions with Aussie ingenuity.

Kanzaki describes the Laughing Magpie 2006 as "very good. I didn't expect much from a wine under a screw cap . . . it's spicy and overflowing with energetic life . . . it's both exotic and made for normal people at the same time."

Chester Osborn, chief winemaker and great-grandson of founder Joseph Osborn, agrees wholeheartedly with Kanzaki's description.

While Japan still prefers old world, European wines sealed with cork, the vast majority of wines in Australia are now sealed with screw caps.

Osborn's father, D'Arry, managing director of d'Arenberg Wines, strongly advocates their use.

"Screw caps are a much better closure for our types of wine because they keep the freshness and the wines mature beautifully," the gentle elder Osborn said.

Chester Osborn said he knew the 2006 vintage of Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier was going to be special because of ideal conditions that year.

The experienced winemaker said a wet winter, spring and further rain in summer encouraged the grass to flourish between the vines.

This grass acts as competition for the vines and leads to a better balance of nutrients and more refined color and flavor.

With an average yield of 3.8 tons per hectare, Osburn said d'Arenberg Wines rivals the finest Grand Cru of Burgundy and Bordeaux in terms of low-yield, high-quality vines.

Chester, 47, and his father, 82, admit they'd never heard of manga before "Kami no Shizuku" but were proud to be featured in it.

Chester believes the comic book style enables more "personality" to be injected into a wine.

"It adds more fun, of course it's not just a technical review, it's not just a wine columnist's opinion, instead it's someone from the real world wanting to do it in a very humorous way," Osburn said at his McLaren Vale winery.

A good review in this manga series sends its 360,000 weekly readers into a frenzy and sparks a mad rush to snap up bottles of the featured wine.

Also published in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and France, a mere mention in "Kami no Shizuku" can provide a substantial boost to a company's wine sales.

Even before the "Kami no Shizuku" installment hit the stands, all bottles of the Laughing Magpie 2006 Shiraz Viognier were sold out in Japan.

Kyobashi Wine Liquor Shop, an online wine seller, snapped up the last 120 bottles after it learned the wine was included in "Kami no Shizuku."

The online shop has a page dedicated to wines featured in the manga.

Wataru Takeno, who manages the Australian wine category for the online store, said the manga has definitely raised interest in Laughing Magpie 2006, which falls into the higher end price category.

"The 120 bottles sold in a month is a very good result for wine (in the) ¥3,000 price (range) and for Australian wine," Takeno said.

Richard Cohen, 59, d'Arenberg's Japanese importer, believes the manga is so popular in Japan because of the lack of Japanese-language wine reviews.

"There's so much wine from all over the world in Japan and there's not much press in Japanese, most of it is in English," Cohen said.

He said "Kami no Shizuku" has a unique way of informing people which wines are worth trying.

Now published in four languages, the manga continues to educate and entertain wine drinkers across the globe.

Its publisher, Kodansha, said it has been inundated with inquiries about an English-language version.

The company said it hopes to put one out in the near future.

By KEDE LAWSON
Kyodo News

McLaren Vale winery named as the producer of Australia's top export wine for 2009.

2009-12-10T08:37:00.001+10:30

Sabella Vineyard, a small McLaren Vale winery, has been named as the producer of Australia's top export wine for 2009.

Sabella's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon beat 16,716 other wines to win the George Mackey Memorial Trophy and be judged the best of all wines submitted in 2009 for quality assessment and export approval by AWBC expert assessors.

Winemaker Michael Petrucci has given credit for the win to advice from the late Greg Trott, Wirra Wirra founder and one of McLaren Vale's and Australia's most notable winemakers.

'[He] once told me that any fool can make wine but it's the amount of passion and heart and soul you pour into your winemaking and what you do when you're making the wine and how you do it is what gives the results,' Petrucci said today when accepting the George Mackey Trophy at the annual general meeting of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.
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Sabella Vineyards was founded in 1975 by Joe and Rosa Petrucci on 40 acres next to Wirra Wirra. Joe and Greg Trott became best friends.

The Petrucci's now own 110 adjoining acres and their son, Michael, has been making wine since 1999, producing up to 4,000 cases a year, 40% of which is exported to Asia.

Wirra Wirra won the George Mackey Trophy in 2003 with its 2001 RSW MacLaren Vale Shiraz.

McLaren Vale in review - by The Sun-Herald

2009-10-20T10:30:00.004+10:30

Less than an hour from Adelaide lies a smorgasbord of wine, food, art and nature, writes Caroline Gladstone.

Location

Situated 39 kilometres or a 45-minute drive south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is one of the most accessible wine regions in the country. The best way to get there is by car, taking the Main South Road from Adelaide. There's also a daily bus service to McLaren Vale town with Premier Stateliner Coaches.

What to expect
McLaren Vale is both a town (population 5070) and a wine region, located on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The locals call it a boutique village and while the town is small, it is jam-packed with restaurants, cafes, boutiques and galleries. Its long main street, which runs for eight kilometres to the village of Willunga, is dotted with 19th-century ironstone buildings, while many rustic wineries are heritage listed.

As one of Australia's oldest wine regions, the rolling hills of McLaren Vale are covered in vineyards, many of which have sweeping views over St Vincent's Gulf and the magnificent Mount Lofty Ranges. Named after David McLaren, the colonial manager of the South Australian Company, the region's first vines were planted in 1838 by Englishman John Reynell. Farming and viticulture have dominated McLaren Vale since the 1840s and today's growers produce almonds, olives, quinces, pears and a bounty of fruit and vegetables. The Seaview winery was established in 1850, then in 1873, Thomas Hardy, patriarch of the renowned winemaking dynasty, bought Tintara winery, which his descendants still run.

The region's fantastic coastal location is celebrated each June at the two-day Sea and Vines Festival, where great seafood and wines are on the menu at 20 wineries.

Where to eat

McLaren Vale is a smorgasbord for foodies, with 40 cafes and restaurants, many set among the vines. Restaurateurs shop at farmers' markets and buy fish straight from the trawlers.

Salopian Inn is housed in an 1851 stone and slate cottage. This landmark restaurant serves Mediterranean fare in a relaxed country setting. A Salopian, by the way, is a resident of Shropshire. See salopianinn.com.au.

At Russell's Pizza restaurant, you'll eat fantastic pizzas and be warmed in winter by two huge wood-fired ovens (indoors and in the outside courtyard) in this ramshackle 19th-century blacksmith's cottage. Open weekends only. 13 High Street, Willunga. Phone (08) 8556 2571.

The Star of Greece sits pretty on a cliff above Port Willunga beach. The former 1950s kiosk has a stunning view – and seafood to match. Snaffle the fried whitebait and Kangaroo Island haloumi if it's on. 1 The Esplanade, Port Willunga. Phone (08) 8557 7420.

D'Arry's on the Verandah combines views across the vines to the sea and is blissful in summer. This award-winning restaurant is part of d'Arenberg winery. The coq au vin with breaded dumplings is the specialty. See darrysverandah.com.au.

For gourmet goods, shop on Main Road at Blessed Cheese, The Chocolate Box, The Almond Train and the Tin Shed.

Wineries

Where do you start when there are 110 wineries and 70 cellar doors to explore? Take your pick from small family wineries, big names like Hardys Tintara and Rosemount Estate and some emerging legends. These are our picks ...

Chapel Hill Winery This is one of the quaintest cellar doors in the region, housed in an 1865 ironstone chapel. Chapel Hill's early claim to fame was its reds, especially the award-winning The Vicar Shiraz. Nowadays, the unwooded chardonnay and the pinot grigio and bush vine grenache are big sellers.

Samuel's Gorge The secret is out on this one-man winery operated by Justin McNamee, formerly of Tatachilla. Taste some wonderful shiraz, grenache and tempranillo at the cellar door, which was a 19th-century blacksmith's shop, near the stunning Onkaparinga Gorge.

Coriole Vineyards It's hard to beat the hilltop setting of Coriole, with its sweeping views of vines and ocean. The flagship is the shiraz, featured in James Halliday's Classic Wines of Australia, but lately, the Italian varietals, including sangiovese, have been making a name. Stop by for olive tastings and a casual lunch under the vine-covered pergola.

Mollydooker Winery A mollydooker is slang for a left-hander and the husband and wife winemaking team of Sparky and Sarah Marquis are just that. Their four-hour winery tour, complete with tastings and lunch, is a must.

Markets

The Willunga Farmers' Market, held on Saturdays from 8am-12.30pm, is a great morning out. Winemakers sell their bottles from the car boot, 70 produce stalls offer everything from cheese to bread and herbs, while chefs demonstrate their skills. See willungafarmersmarket.com.

Other markets include Willunga Quarry Market (second Saturday of the month); Meadows Country Market (second Sunday) and Strathalbyn Country Markets (first Sunday).

Galleries

Red Poles combines art exhibitions with a dash of cabaret and a glass of cabernet. It's a gallery cum cafe/wine bar that stages wonderful performances from jazz to flamenco.

The Singing Gallery is a folk and blues music venue that also runs a Sunday market featuring local arts and crafts. See singinggallery.com.au.

Off the Slate Gallery is a co-operative in Willunga where 22 artists exhibit their works, ranging from pastels to sculpture, pottery and jewellery. See offtheslategallery.com.

Natural attractions

Bushwalkers and climbers have several parks to explore; swimmers and surfers have six beaches to choose from. Onkaparinga River National Park, north of McLaren Vale town, has 50-metre cliffs, gorges dotted with rock pools and a river perfect for kayaking and canoeing. Aldinga Scrub, 12 kilometres south of McLaren Vale near Aldinga Beach, is 300 hectares of amazing sand dunes, red-gum forests and heathland, while Aldinga Beach is well loved by locals, who are permitted to drive their cars along the long, sandy strip.

Secrets

Bella Cosa This newcomer is a microcosm of McLaren Vale under one roof – a winery, cafe, gallery and sculpture garden. An artist-in-residence assists budding sculptors, while painting classes are also on offer. See bellacosa.com.au.

Alternatively, take a walk or ride a bike along the eight-kilometre Shiraz Trail – the old railway line from McLaren Vale to Willunga – visiting wineries along the way. Onya Bike Tours has four-hour picnic and biking packages ($38) and bike rentals.

Maslin Beach wears the proud moniker of Australia's first nudist beach, courtesy of a proclamation from former South Australian premier Don Dunstan in 1975. The three-kilometre beach has spectacular cliffs, with "clad" and "unclad" sections.

Just down the road

Strathalbyn, a 30-minute drive south-east of McLaren Vale, is a 19th-century town brimming with 30 historic buildings and antique and curio shops to delight everyone from the casual browser to the avid collector. Goolwa, less than an hour down the road, is also worth a visit as it was the first town in Australia to be classified as a "Cittaslow" town – or slow food town.

Goolwa boasts a range of galleries, wineries and the Steam Exchange Brewery. It is also the gateway to Coorong National Park, one of the state's best eco-experience locations.

More information

Source: The Sun-Herald

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Tour Down Under

2009-09-05T16:33:00.002+09:30

Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong has revealed that he will launch his new Radio Shack team at the Tour Down Under next January.

Armstrong made his comeback to professional cycling at this year's Tour in South Australia before going on to ride the European road season, where he finished third in the Tour de France.

News that the seven-time Tour de France winner was returning to South Australia was welcomed by South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

"Getting Lance Armstrong to Adelaide makes economic sense," he said.

"It also means all around the world, people are getting fantastic vision of some tourism icons like the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, the city itself, and of course for the first time next year, the Clare Valley."

The SA Government has confirmed it will pay Armstrong for appearing.

This year's race visit attracted huge crowds and media exposure for the race.

Mr Rann says paying the Tour de France winner is worth it, but he will not divulge the sum involved.

"We don't discuss that because every single cyclist that comes gets fees and things and you don't want to get into some kind of a bidding war," he said.

"It's a huge bang-for-buck and I guess, as I'm saying, hundreds of millions of people watching fantastic scenes of South Australia."

Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur says the new team Radio Shack will be one to beat in next year's event.

Turtur says it will include a number of Armstrong's current Astana team-mates and other high-profile riders.

"I think he'll take the greater majority from Astana," he said.

"It's already been reported that several riders are going with him. George Hincapie is leaving Columbia and we suspect that he's going to Radio Shack, so he's going to have a very strong team built around being ready for the Tour de France."

Oil and gas producer Santos has signed to be naming rights sponsor until 2013, but says its support had not hinged on confirmation that Armstrong would return to Adelaide.

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Pink

2009-09-05T16:31:00.000+09:30

SHE played in Adelaide for the last time this week as part of her months-long Aussie tour, but Pink managed a bit of a fling with a special local before she left.

The rocker wrote of her new love on online networking site Twitter this week, warning husband Carey Hart that he had some serious competition.

"I am in love. then he grabbed me and climbed me and ate my hat," she wrote.

"I miss him and I am afraid I always will. Must call Carey and confess."

But things are not quite as pervy as they sound.

"Met a kangaroo named Dusty today at Woodstock Vineyards in McLaren Vale," she added.

"We made out. I swear he licked my face after I fed him a bottle."

Pink made her visit to the winery in style, travelling in a brand new Jaguar from Solitaire Motors, after having lunch earlier in the day at Maxwell Wines.

Woodstock owner Scott Collett said the singer, who visited the winery with her mum, was "really bubbly and down-to-earth".

Pink isn't the first A-lister to visit the winery. ZZ Top, the Hilltop Hoods, Neil Young, and Rod Stewart's entourage have also dropped by.

A walk through McLaren Vale

2009-06-12T12:58:00.002+09:30

McLaren Vale might not be known for delicate varieties like albarino or viognier but it's certainly giving them its best shot, and more besides.

Australian winemaker Mike Brown, from Gemtree in McLaren Vale, staged a press tasting in Dublin recently, to show the diversity of wines now being produced by himself and his neighbours in this famous region.

McLaren Vale can be a warm dry place, where water shortage is a real problem, but there are hill sites where cooler wine styles can be produced. Also, the region is not far from the sea and many vineyards benefit from moderating ocean breezes. To prove this point, Brown offered a crisp white made from albarino, an aromatic Spanish grape not noted for prospering in very hot situations.

“A bit experimental,” he explained, the grapes having been head grafted onto some poorly performing cabernet vines, but not bad. Not perhaps as robustly aromatic as a Spanish version but tasty, with a firm citrus kick. According to Brown, the wine is one of a range of new styles that we can expect from McLaren Vale over the next few years.

“We are known for shiraz and that won’t really change,” he said, “but we have a variety of microclimates and we can do a lot of different things, which is why we have started growing things like sangiovese and tempranillo and experimenting more with southern French varieties, including whites.”

Viognier is the most prized white variety of the French Rhone Valley but McLaren Vale’s D’Arenberg estate (Taserra) can give those pricey Condrieu wines a run for their money. Its Hermit Crab Viognier 2007 is a €15 bottling which has lush aromas of yellow flowers and fruit which carry onto the palate, where the ripe tropical fruit is nicely balanced by a fresh acidity. Another surprise was Mitolo Jester Sangiovese Rose 2008 (Liberty); zesty raspberry and strawberry fruit gave it some Italian style but at just over €17 it may just find the market for this category a little competitive. Well made stuff, though.

Despite the experiments, when it comes to McLaren, it’s hard to turn away from the rich, classic reds which are a byword for the region. However, tasting through the line of bottles, we quickly became aware that cooler, more elegant styles sit happily beside the brawnier shiraz bottlings. One of these was Wirra Wirra Church Block 2006 (Straffan), which had a noticeable green streak beneath its nicely integrated plum and blackcurrant fruits. A blend of cabernet with shiraz and merlot, this is very good value at €20.

A special treat is Geoff Merrill Reserve Shiraz 2002 (Comans) which is drinking beautifully now, with vanilla coated plummy aromas and a spicy, berry flavoured palate. Despite the spice, there’s good balancing acidity and though the wine is at peak now, it will hold for several years. Also with a bit of hold-ability is Gemtree Obsidian Shiraz 2005, with its lovely leathery elements appearing on nose and palate.

Both the Merrill and Gemtree shiraz are over €30 but if you want a simpler, good value bottling for a weekend dinner, you could do a lot worse than Hardys Oomoo Shiraz 2006; this clean, juicy wine, with its plum and berry flavours, would be perfect with Sunday roast or meat pies.

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Wine: The Vale of plenty

2009-06-12T12:52:00.001+09:30

The warm spicy wines of Austrailia's McLaren Vale are ideal with Mediterranean-style food

The important thing to fix in your mind about the wines from Australia’s McLaren Vale is their reputation for delivering the middle palate.

That’s not as wine geeky as it may sound; mid-palate is, as the terms suggests, that highly anticipated moment, after the initial taste sensation, when the wine hits the spot, or not. It comes after about 10 seconds, when a decent wine should be starting to show its wares.

If your lips spell satisfaction, the mid-palate is happy. That’s the way wine should be, you say. But remember the ones that are, as they say, “hollow,” when you are left wandering for a hit that doesn’t really land, or is thin, and you swallow in disappointment.

You may not always remember whether a wine had a long finish — although that is the sweetest thing of all — but you rarely forget that it made an impression at mid-palate. So, there is a certain reliability about McLaren Vale wines. Lying in South Australia, it is similar to the Mediterranean, a coast-hugging amphitheatre, producing warm and spicy wines, in the mode of the south of France, Italy and Spain.

Since the early days of winemaking in Oz, McLaren Vale wines have been used to beef up more dilute offerings, so the juice may feature in bottles with more generic labels such as South Australia.

When wine-making started down here in the 19th century, theMcLaren Vale wines had a reputation for being ferruginous or iron-rich, and it is said that doctors in England presecribed them as a tonic.

McLaren is a land of other rich flavours; it groans with almonds, and olive trees and is the sort of place where you can buy a cheese hamper and picnic your wayaround the local wineries, tasting as you go. It’s also the home of dukkah, a nut-and-spice mix into which you dunk olive-oil-dipped crusty bread and sit back and smack your lips. Its food sits perfectly with its wines, which are predominantly red.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are tops here, the sunny clime assuring a lush, ripe style of dark berry fruit. You may detect some luscious dark chocolate on the palate, although the nearby Barossa Valley is better known for that while McLaren Vale majors heavily on dark berry fruit flavours.

Other red grapes, such as Grenache and Mourvedre, also feature, and Grenache is doing some wonderful things here.The GSM you see on some Australian labels translates as Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the mainstay of the red wines of southern France such as Côtes du Rhone.

There are whites, including Viognier and Chardonnay. Many of its wines, like D'Arenbeg, have been household fixtures for years. It is the origin of Rosemount and Hardys, which may also appear as the more generic South East Australia brand.

These are wines to savour with a barbecued steak in the evening — and perhaps best avoided outdoors in the midday sun because of their high alcohol content.

Pick up the Aussie wines’ mintiness with new season lamb or simply say G’day to a glass of McLaren Vale with any Medstyle cooking.

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South Australia's Oldest Vineyard May Be Bulldozed for Housing

2009-06-03T12:12:00.000+09:30

Constellation sells McLaren Vale's Stony Hill, first planted in 1838; says it's too expensive to maintain.

South Australia's oldest commercial vineyard site has been sold to developers to be subdivided into a housing development. The Stony Hill vineyard at Old Reynella in McLaren Vale was first planted to Cabernet Sauvignon in 1838 by the district's first settler, John Reynell. The announcement of the plan to develop the historic site has angered locals and wine lovers across the country.

"We'd like to see it preserved as vineyards, as a tribute to our early history," said Kris Hanna, the local parliament member and chairman of the Reynell Business and Tourism Association. McLaren Vale is under increasing pressure from the sprawling southern suburbs of Adelaide, despite assurances from politicians that vineyard sites will not be rezoned to residential land.

Nonetheless, the vineyard was sold by Constellation Wines to Pioneer Homes, which has lodged a council application for 41 high-density homes to be built on the site.

Constellation Wines Australia public relations manager Sheralee Davies said that the vineyard, just 0.8 acres in size, was identified a number of years ago as unviable. "Water access is a challenge and the small vineyard has become increasingly expensive to maintain," she said. The site is currently planted to 19- and 25-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines, which would be removed under Pioneer Homes' development plan.

Davies explained that the company is focusing its resources on its Hardy's Old Reynella headquarters and its public areas, located directly opposite the Stony Hill vineyard. "We have had to make some tough calls across the board and this is one of them," she said.

While acknowledging that the site has historical significance as the original location of John Reynell's vineyard, she said, "We're trying to run a business here and we need to be responsible in the way that we maintain it."

Some in the industry have suggested that the vineyard was the original source of the Reynella clone of Cabernet Sauvignon, which has since been planted across Australia. It's more likely that the clone originated from the nearby Reynella vineyard, planted by Reynell shortly after Stony Hill. Constellation has declared that it plans to continue to maintain the Reynella vineyard

Tyson Stelzer

Cheers to Sea and Vines festival at McLaren Vale

2009-06-03T12:08:00.001+09:30

AS the economic recession reaches our home soil, the BankSA Sea and Vines festival will help to buck the trend by celebrating local wine and produce from McLaren Vale.
Now an Adelaide institution, the annual event promotes wine, seafood and other local produce and encourages people to spend in their own backyard.

This long-weekend, June 7-8, the festival will celebrate 17 years by hosting cellar door tastings, lunches, live music and entertainment.

More than 25,000 people are expected to flood McLaren Vale armed with glasses and ready to drink up one of Australia's most renowned wine regions.

This year 23 wineries will offer special lunches from their restaurants or team up with local caterers and set up marquees on their properties to welcome visitors to match their wines to delicious seafood delights.

Sea and Vines committee member Luke Tyler says the event is a good excuse for people to check out South Australia's fine produce.

"For a lot of people it is hard to find the time to come out to the wineries and the BankSA Sea and Vines festival is a good opportunity to get round to few different places and enjoy a really fun and laid-back atmosphere," Mr Tyler said.

"There is such a huge array of really good food and a massive variety from wood fired pizzas to lobster medallions."

Originally starting as an oyster festival, the event has evolved to promote wines, world class restaurants and olive oil.

Mr Tyler said BankSA's support was the glue that held the event together.

"BankSA makes a significant financial contribution and it is the reason the event goes ahead.

"It's not a money making exercise – and they have been great in allowing the region to showcase its finest produce."

This year BankSA customers can pick up a complimentary tasting glass during the festival from Chalk Hill Wines, d'Arenberg, Maxwell Wines, Rosemount, Scarpantoni Estate, Wirra Wirra Vineyards and the Bocce Club.

All customers need to do is flash their ATM card at the cellar door for their free souvenir.

Those who have landed the role of designated driver can stop by the McLaren Vale Visitor Information Centre, to receive a wristband, which will allow them to receive free discounts and offers such as coffees and entrees at selected wineries.
There are a number of ticketed events such as cooking classes at Chapel Hill Winery with The Retreat executive chef Peter Hogg, who will demonstrate dishes made with sensationally fresh seafood matched with wines from the award winning winemaker, Michael Fragos.

D'Arenberg winery will feature food from d'Arry's Verandah Restaurant and spoil visitors with the talents of Adam Page and The Mood Brewers on the Monday.

The degustation menu is set to tantalise the tastebuds of every wine connoisseur, featuring freshly shucked Streaky Bay Oysters accompanied by a finger lime dressing crab tartlet with grapefruit and pomelo salad.

Visitors who head to The Bocce Club will have the chance to taste the wines of six boutique wineries who have joined forces for the weekend to share their produce with food by Deep Blue Café.

Red Poles will host Leconfield Wines and they are inviting visitors to book for a "long brekky," on a warm verandah with vines and bubbles.

Afternoon treats include seared scallop skewers on a sesame and lime noodle salad or locally made gourmet sausage in an organic crusty roll with Spanish onion jam and local rocket.

* Extract from a full BankSA page in Stock Journal, May 21 issue.

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McLaren Vale: The bold and the beautiful

2009-06-03T12:07:00.000+09:30

Humble beginnings birth beautiful things. Obama. The Simpsons. Angelina Jolie. And McLaren Vale, a tiny town in South Australia with soft yet powerful wines.

Tireless pioneer Thomas Hardy planted grapes in McLaren Vale around 1840 and winemaking in the region thrived, until the turn of the century when exports dried up and the demand for bulk port swelled. Around the 1960s, wine tourism revived the area, stimulating renewed interest in table wines, especially the full-bodied, rich reds made from the Vale's 100-year-old shiraz, grenache and cabernet sauvignon vines. Now, its comeback complete, McClaren's wines have burrowed into my spirit.

McLaren Vale's graceful, feminine wines are known for soft tannins, intense berry ripeness, and fruity, perfumey aromatics. According to Nick James Martin, assistant winemaker from d'Arenberg Winery in the heart of McClaren Vale, they achieve this finesse with good draining, sandy soils, cool nights and a consistent climate. In addition, most wineries farm the land sustainably, shunning fertilizers and tilling under, although they don't promote these practices on the label. "It just makes sense for the soil ... helping us make the best wines we can," says Martin. Yangarra Estate, in northern McLaren Vale, takes their land responsibility one step further by using biodynamic techniques, bringing a holistic viewpoint to the vineyards.

Maybe the tender treatment of the soil and old-vine fruit is why McLaren Vale wines rock. Their shiraz and cabernet sauvignon are drinkable upon release, but are also capable of napping for 10 years. The grenache -- which D'Arenberg's Martin calls "the most interesting varietal to work with" -- drinks pretty tasty too. He and several other wineries participate in the "Cadenzia" project -- similar to the Meritage program in California, except using predominantly grenache and 100 percent McLaren Vale fruit. Each vintage, winemakers' efforts are blind-tasted by a professional panel, kinda like Italy and France do for their government wine certifications. A winery can label a bottle Cadenzia if the sample reflects the "typicity" of McLaren Vale grenache. D'Arenberg and Yangarra both make one, and gush vehemently about its potential. So far, I agree.

Perhaps another reason why McLaren Vale wines remain on my radar is their dogged use of screwcaps instead of cork. Some wineries, like D'Arenberg, were reluctant to import screwcapped wine into the United States due to our misinformed prejudice, but as of the 2007 vintage they are cork-free. And Kevin O'Brien, from family-owned Kangarilla Road Winery, uses screwcaps exclusively, no matter what the price point or grape variety. After numerous taste tests, he's convinced they help wines retain freshness and avoid the 10 percent failure rate of corks -- which results in that musty, wet dog taste. Eww.

With passionate stewards and forward-thinking practices like these, I doubt McClaren Vale will ever again descend into the horror of bulk-wine production.

By Taylor Eason

Discover the Fleurieu Way

2009-04-09T15:22:00.000+09:30

A brand new GPS system has been introduced to help travellers explore South Australia’s Fleurieu Way.

The first of its kind in Australia, it’s providing self-drive travellers with ‘virtual tour guides’ to help them discover the stunning 235 kms route. It is expected that this system will transform Australian self-drive holidays, providing travellers with an interactive experience that is both entertaining and fun.

Accompanied by a brochure, the GPS package plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter and can be hired from selected visitor information centres. The GPS system offers 20 great reasons to travel the Fleurieu Way, points out places of interest and provides insider tips from locals like Ian Johnson the Cockle Train driver (a steam train that runs along the beach front on the oldest steel-railed railway in Australia); Rebecca Wilson from Bremerton Wines (an award winning winery awarded the accolade of having “Australia’s Best Red”); and Adrian Cox from the horse-drawn tram to Granite Island which has been running for over 100 years.

Highlighted activities include antique-hunting in Strathalbyn, cruising to the mouth of the Murray River or the bird rich wilderness of Coorong National Park, riding the coastal Cockle Train and whale watching along the Encounter Bay coastline.

Discover the Fleurieu Way by Leaonne Hall

SA vines wither as water rushes out to sea

2009-04-09T15:19:00.000+09:30

Derek Cameron does everything he can to protect his 30 acres of grapes in McLaren Vale.

Reliant on mains water, he has invested in a highly efficient irrigation system, but when the heat hits the vines begin to wither. Yet while his and other irrigators’ crops go thirsty, the water that could save them flows out to sea.

The State and Federal Governments have funded a 700 Ml dam for treated waste water storage as a part of the “Waterproofing the South” project.

The dam will be able to supply water to more than 50 per cent of the irrigators in McLaren Vale, helping people like Mr Cameron. This will reduce demand for mains water from the Murray River and help to reduce damage such as the estimated $30 million of crops and subsequent $120 million in wine sales, lost in the February heatwave.

The State Government said the dam should be completed by September this year. However, McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association acting chairman Jock Harvey is demanding the September deadline in writing from the Government.

He said the State Government had previously suggested the dam would be completed by February this year and was gravely concerned that the process was taking too long and jeopardising crops. He said the 700 Ml reclaimed water storage project would protect crops, growers and farmers, reduce polluted outflow to the ocean and increase drinking water to the SA Water network.

“We have water that can save growers and vineyards that is being pumped out to sea,” Mr Harvey said. “There are plenty of people who will seriously struggle without the access to this water.”

The dam will be filled with reclaimed water from the Christies Beach waste water treatment plant.

Mr Harvey said that without confirmation, irrigators still reliant on Murray water and likely to face further water restrictions would be forced to make tough business decisions before next season.

“This year will be even more critical because these growers are quite desperate to find out whether they’ll be able to move across to the treated water,” Mr Harvey said.

“The region is the biggest employer south of Adelaide and the investment in this dam would have significant savings for its whole economy.”

SA Water chief operating officer John Ringham said a contract was awarded last week with preliminary site works starting three days later

MELISSA MACK
Independent Weekly

Wineries slam SA water authority

2009-04-09T15:16:00.000+09:30

SA WATER has been slammed by the drought-gripped McLaren Vale wine industry over a 12-month delay in building the region a promised dam.

The South Australian water authority has been accused of mishandling the project to build a 700-megalitre storage site, which was promised to McLaren Vale in the 2007 federal election and funded by state and federal governments, the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

Former chairman of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association Jock Harvey said: "With further water restrictions likely, we're heading from disaster to catastrophe because we're not viewed as important enough to spend $6 million on a dam that can save losses of $120 million annually."

Labor member for Mawson Leon Bignell said SA Water's handling of the project was a "disaster".

"It should have been finished now. South Australians have the right to know what SA Water is doing and if it is capable of running projects," he said.

Mr Harvey said that without vital water security, hundreds of wine industry jobs were placed at risk and many of the region's growers faced the prospect of abandoning their properties.

The region already is reeling from an estimated $30 million in lost fruit that could translate to about $120 million in lost wine sales as a result of February's heatwave.

The dam was promised to store reclaimed water as part of the the "Waterproofing the South" project, and would provide water to 50 per cent of the area's irrigators.

Mr Harvey said many of them have had their mains water allocation cut by 38 per cent and faced further cuts.

"We are gravely concerned (the dam) won't be built by September," he said. "It will affect dozens of growers and hundreds of jobs, possibly thousands."

Growers maintain the dam project should have been finished in February - at the very least before the start of the November irrigation season.

Mr Harvey said South Australian Water Security Minister Karlene Maywald indicated in a meeting in February, 2008, the project would take 12 months. But a spokeswoman for Ms Maywald denied this, saying it would be completed "on time" by the 2009/10 irrigation season.

Mr Harvey said the dam would reduce pollution to Gulf St Vincent, protect the grape and wine industries and return mains drinking water to the SA Water network.

Mr Bignell said he had been lobbying for 18 months to have the dam built and had written to Ms Maywald and Premier Mike Rann seeking answers.

The growers' association has been mobilising its members to lobby for assurances the dam will be filled by November. It says in a letter: "We are gravely concerned that the State Government and SA Water's current timeline for building the 700ML reclaimed water storage at Aldinga poses a grave risk to our livelihoods and the economy of the McLaren Vale region over the next 12 months."

SA Water said it had followed the same process undertaken with all major construction projects.

Chief operating officer John Ringham said in an email that a tender for the dam project was awarded last week and work started three days later.

McLaren Vale - Places to See

2009-04-09T14:51:00.002+09:30

Hardy's Tintara Winery

In a way this is the emotional centre of the district. Located on the Main Road at the western end of town it is a large complex centred around the old McLaren Vale Flour Mill which dates from 1878.

People wanting to do the rounds of the McLaren Vale wineries could do worse than purchase a copy of 'Wineries of McLaren Vale' which is available at the Hardy Winery in McLaren Vale and which lists, with maps, every one of the wineries in the local area and gives specific details of how to get there, what grapes are grown there, and a history of the owners and the winery.

The Barn
Located in Ellen Street and built in 1870 this building was, for a long time, the main coaching stop in the town.

McLaren Vale Hotel
Located on the Main Road, the McLaren Vale Hotel was built in 1857 and subsequently bought by Thomas Hardy who insisted that, regardless of demands on accommodation, there was always a room available for him.

Congregational Church and Salopian Inn (1854)
The Old Chapel in Willunga Road, McLaren Vale is now used by a range of small cottage industries. The plaque on the outside says 'To honour the memory of the pioneers of McLaren Vale who with dauntless faith held the first church service in the open air in 1840, built the first chapel in 1844, and built this, the first church, in 1861'. It¹s the McLaren Vale Congregational Church and is now occupied by the Art Gallery and L.J. Hooker.

Chapel Hill Winery
Located on the Chapel Hill Road north of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1979 and specialises in dry red and white table wines and dessert ports derived from cabernet, chardonnay, Verdelho and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8429.

Coriole Vineyards
Located on the Chaffeys Road north of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1969 and specialises in dry red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, semillon, chenin blanc, sangiovese and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8305.

Kay's Amery Vineyards
Located on Kay's Road, north of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1890 and specialises in full bodied dry reds, white table wines and fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, mataro, pinot noir, Merlot, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8211.

d'Arenberg Wines
Located on Osborn Road just north of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1912 and specialises in red and white table wines, sparkling red wine and fortified wine derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, viognier, petit verdot, chardonnay, marsanne, rousanne, sauvignon blanc, grenache, mourvedre, chambourcin and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8206.

Marienberg Wines
Located at 2 Chalk Hill Road just north of McLaren Vale this winery was established in 1966 and specialises in red and white table wines and sparkling and fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, semillon, pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 9666.

Hardy's Tintara
Located on the Main Road in McLaren Vale this large and historic winery was established in 1838 and specialises in premium red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Merlot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 9185.

Maxwell Wines
Located on Olivers Road in McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1979 and specialises in red and white table wines and mead (honey wine) derived from cabernet sauvignon, semillon, merlot, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8200.

Dennis of McLaren Vale
Located on Kangarilla Road in McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1971 and specialises in premium red and white table wines, port and mead derived from cabernet sauvignon, muscat, chardonnay, Merlot, sauvignon blanc, grenache and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8665.

Wirra Wirra Vineyards
Located on McMurtrie Road east of McLaren Vale this historic winery was established in 1894 and specialises in premium red and white table wines, fortified and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, semillon, pinot noir, chardonnay, Merlot, grenache, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8414.

Middlebrook Winery and Restaurant
Located on Sand Road east of McLaren Vale this delightful winery was established in 1947 and specialises in red and white table wines, ports and fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, semillon, chardonnay, Merlot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0004.

Tinlins Winery
Located on Kangarilla Road east of McLaren Vale this winery was established in 1976 and specialises in red and white table wines, fortified and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, grenache, pedro ximenes, palomino, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8649.

Scarpantoni Estate Wine
Located on Scarpantoni Drive east of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1979 and specialises in premium red and white table wines, fortified and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, gamay, muscat, chardonnay, Merlot, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0186.

Shottesbrooke Vineyards
Located at 1 Bagshaws Road east of McLaren Vale this award winning winery was established in 1984 and specialises in premium dry red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Merlot, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0002.

Kangarilla Road Vineyard & Winery
Located on Kangarilla Road east of McLaren Vale this family winery was established in 1975 and specialises in red and white table wines and fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay, Malbec, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, zinfandel and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0533.

Hugo Wines
Located on Elliot Road at McLaren Flat this small family winery was established in 1982 and specialises in red and white table wines and port derived from cabernet sauvignon, semillon, grenache, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0098.

Woodstock Winery
Located on Douglas Gully Road at McLaren Flat this family winery was established in 1973 and specialises in premium red and white table wines and port derived from cabernet sauvignon, semillon, grenache, chardonnay, riesling, Merlot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8383 0156.

Pirramimma Wines
Located on Johnston Road just south of McLaren Vale this well known winery was established in 1892 and specialises in red and white table wines and fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, semillon, pinot noir, chardonnay, Merlot, grenache, sauvignon blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8323 8205.

Fox Creek Wines
Located on Malpas Road south of McLaren Vale this boutique winery was established in 1996 and specialises in red and white table wines and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, verdelho, chenin blanc, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8556 2403.

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Visitors descend to McLaren Vale primarily for perusing the various wineries in the region, many of which are open daily for tastings. Most wineries are located just a short drive from the town centre.

The town boasts an abundance of food and wine and, being the gateway to the Fleurieu Peninsula, it also hosts various tourist attractions ranging from steam train rides to water sports such as diving, boating and surfing as well as fishing, whale and penguin viewing, not to mention a plethora of places to eat and the world-famous Shiraz harvested annually between March and early April.

Other attractions in the area include the Dridan Fine Arts gallery, the Tintara Winery Cellar Door which features the oldest vintage wine bottle in Australia and the century old groves in the Olive Grove.

A walking and cycling track stretches along the old railway line from McLaren Vale to Willunga and provides an ideal way to explore the area and sample its many offerings.

Various tours to McLaren Vale operate out of Adelaide regularly. You can also design your own tours at McLaren Vale itself with suggestions from the boutique wineries and gourmet producers in the region.

Scientists Have Too Much Time

2008-06-20T12:22:00.000+09:30

Adrian North, Head of Applied Psychology at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh has discovered that music influences taste. Specifically, he discovered that listening to powerful, heavy music makes wine seem richer and heavier.

One of the tests in the study involved people tasting Cabernet Sauvignon and listening to Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses. The test subjects reported that the wine tasted 60% more robust when the music was played.

The research has a few excited entrepreneurs exploring the option of music matching suggestions on wine labels and music menus in restaurants.

Meet Your Maker

2008-06-20T12:21:00.003+09:30

27 leading representatives from the Sydney wine trade were in the Vale as a part of the Meet Your Maker program run by the McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association. The two-day visit included a series of tastings, dinners, lunches, a helicopter flight and a four-wheel drive sub-regional tour. It was a huge success and we received extremely positive feedback from the sommeliers and fine wine retailers who left armed with increased knowledge of our products and positive memories of our region.

Vale Ale Launched

2008-06-20T12:21:00.001+09:30

On Friday 23 May, Vale Ale was launched at Farina Kitchen and Bar by the Honourable Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, Minister for Tourism. The brand new Vale Ale has already won an award for its packaging at the International Beer Awards in March.

Founding Chairman Adam Trippe-Smith is looking forward to the next stage. "We are currently looking for a suitable location to build a brewery that will include a restaurant and provide tastings.

We have commissioned the services of Australia's leading brewery engineering firm and are currently searching for an appropriate piece of land in the Vale, it's a very exciting time," he said.

Stat Man

2008-06-20T12:20:00.001+09:30

The volume of Australian wine exports declined 8.5% to 730 million litres in the year ending April 2008 according to the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation. This resulted in an overall value decrease of 4% to A$2.81 billion, but an average price increase of 4% to A$3.85 per litre.

Driving the decline in volume were reductions in bulk and soft pack shipments, but this was slightly offset by an increase in bottled volumes. One of the positives was a 150% increase in value per litre in China to A$4.62 per litre.

Fiesta! 2008

2008-06-20T12:16:00.001+09:30

2007 was a success and 2008 is set to raise the bar even further.

Fiesta! has set the target of delivering the most unique food and wine event in South Australia.

Through high profile events and media coverage Fiesta! showcases the Fleurieu Peninsula and its wine regions as South Australia's flourishing culinary destination, with a fresh, innovative and authentic approach.

In 2008 the Fiesta! events calendar will be strengthened and tweaked to meet the rising expectations of our culinary visitor. This will mean that Fiesta! will not only continue to attract an affluent audience seeking the very best food experience it will also be attractive to emerging foodies.

Whilst in the past Fiesta! has concentrated on the local and Adelaide markets, in 2008 strategies are being developed to target interstate visitors looking for a new culinary experience. Activities such as the Fiesta! Dish and The Art of Food Trail will provide our visitors the opportunity to have a taste of Fiesta! throughout the month of October.

Once again Cheong Liew has agreed to be the ambassador.

McLaren Vale Vine Improvement – Cutting Season

2008-06-20T12:14:00.002+09:30

The McLaren Vale Vine Improvement Society has begun cutting for 2008. For over 25 years the society has operated not for profit bringing new varieties and clones of grape into the McLaren Vale region.

McLaren VIS manager Darren McLaren reports Pinot Gris, Mourvèdre (aka. Mataro/Monstrell) and new clones of Shiraz being ordered. The society expects to produce 100,000 rootstocks and over 450,000 vinifera cuttings, both been for grafting old blocks and new establishment.

The MVVIS also offers services at cost to local grapegrowers:
Block Cutting
Cold Storage
Hot Water treatment and
Callusing.

Soil characteristics

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The McLaren district has many different soil types and this contributes to the wines from the area having different terroir. The vineyards are planted on soils including fertile red-brown earths, terra rossa, rendzina, soft sands and dark cracking clays.

Each of these soil types contributes to the rich diversity of wine produced by the winemakers of the region. Overall our soils have one common trait; they are free draining which means they hold very little water. This is, in fact, an advantage, as it allows the accurate control of moisture to the vines through the use of state-of-the-art drip irrigation. Because of reliable winter rain, irrigation can be kept to low levels and manipulated to achieve the production of superior fruit.

Some soil types allow grapes to be dry-grown. Approximately 20% of the total crop is dry-grown. These dry-grown vines are renowned for small fruit size, which is sought after for the intensity of its flavour.

Most vineyards are found on gently undulating land at about 100 m above sea level. In the foothills of the Mt Lofty Ranges to the east, where there is a scattering of vineyards, elevation rises to 320 m. In the north around Blewitt Springs elevation is around 200 m. These variations in elevation have a significant impact on the terroir and fruit produced in the vineyards.

Types of wine produced in McLaren Vale

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Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested in late March.

Less famous than McLaren Vale Shiraz, but equally enchanting, Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale continues to display the rich ripe characters that typify wines from this region. Violet and blackcurrant flavours, vibrant plum, mint and edges of liquorice and a touch of McLaren Vale’s trademark dark chocolate character are common.

Grenache is harvested in late April.

It is the ancient type of vine widely planted in France and Spain. It is the backbone of many of the worlds red and fortified wines. Grenache vines were removed from McLaren Vale in the 1980's when demand for fortified wines fell. Since the late 1990's Grenache has been enjoying a resurgence of popularity as table wine. The soils of McLaren Vale are particularly suited to this variety. However in wet years it can be difficult to grow well as it can produce big bunches of grapes which make a less concentrated wine. In the best vintages Grenache displays nuances of plum, mulberry and tobacco leaf, spice and mint characters with earthy overtones.

Chardonnay is harvested in mid March.

This is the major white variety of McLaren Vale. The most pronounced and distinctive feature is ripe peaches, with the wine from cooler sites displaying white peach. These wines maintain elegance and generally have long cellaring potential. Some McLaren Vale Chardonnay also features ripe melon, banana, fig and cashew nut flavours – rich and generous with pure elegance.

Sauvignon Blanc is harvested in early March.

Sauvignon Blanc from McLaren Vale has distinctive varietal characters of tropical fruit, green olives and asparagus, and a full-flavoured palate with a clean, fresh acid finish. Sauvignon Blanc grown in McLaren Vale reaches relatively high sugar levels compared with other wine regions growing this variety. The variety shows herbaceous, gooseberry, passionfruit and lychee aromas.

Petit Verdot is one of Bordeaux’s classic red grape varieties. It is a very thick-skinned grape that produces a wine of considerable depth, peppery, spicy and fragrant. Geoff Johnston of Pirramimma planted the first Australian plot at McLaren Vale in 1983 and it is only now that this wine is being recognised elsewhere.

Demand for cuttings of this variety has expanded rapidly and more wines will be presented to the market in the future. Petit Verdot grapes produce wine that has the colour intensity and spice of Shiraz, but with added fragrance of violets, which makes the nose very attractive.

Sangiovese is an Italian variety that does well in low fertility soils and a warm dry climate. It is slow to ripen and produces wine high in acid and tannin. The wine is deep in colour and aroma, and good for long cellaring. Sangiovese is harvested in McLaren Vale in late March early April.

Tempranillo is a Spanish variety that produces a red wine that matures quickly and can be ready for drinking in the year of vintage. In Spain Tempranillo is one of the most popular reds and when blended with Carignan it makes the best red wine of the Rioja region.

Verdelho is a Portuguese white wine variety that likes low vigour soils and a warm dry climate, Verdelho has been around for some time and is enjoying an increase in popularity. It produces wines that are vivacious, fruit salad-like, dry, and best when drunk young and fresh.

Perfectly suited to McLaren Vale, Viognier is an exotic variety introduced from France where the best wines are produced in the Condrieu region. This variety exhibits exotic aromas of apricot and musk, and light oak and malolactic character; with rose, nectarine and white peach, McLaren Vale Viognier is spicy and complex with a huge spectrum of flavours. It is often added to Shiraz for a totally luxurious experience.

Zinfandel is a thin-skinned grape that needs dry conditions to avoid rotting. Bunches ripen unevenly, requiring careful picking to ensure the true character is available to be further developed by the winemaker. Zinfandel is spicy in character without being particularly heavy.

Melbourne Cup

2007-11-09T18:47:00.001+10:30

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McLaren Vale Celebrity Wineshow

2007-11-02T11:47:00.000+10:30

Australia Day in McLaren Vale

2007-10-29T17:27:00.000+10:30

Santa in McLaren Vale

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Shiraz

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Shiraz is harvested from late February to early April.

McLaren Vale Shiraz displays pronounced berry and spice characters with some dark chocolate and liquorice, while Shiraz from cooler sub-regions exhibits defined ripe raspberry characters. McLaren Vale Shiraz is renowned for its great softness and rolling palate. Many winemakers in McLaren Vale choose to blend their final Shiraz from a variety of sub-regions to add complexity.

McLaren Vale naturally produces Shiraz that has very small berries. Smaller berries have a higher skin to pulp ratio. Berry skin contains flavanols (Anti-sunburn in grapes, 'flavour' in wine), Anthocyanins (colour) and other complex molecules that add to wine complexity. Grape pulp contains sugar and water. Therefore the more skin to less pulp the more complex the finished wine. Small berries make more intense Shiraz wine.

Within McLaren Vale and its subregions there is a diversity of soil types, clones and winemaking philosophies, which has led to a huge range of Shiraz wine styles being produced. Most winemakers produce at least one Shiraz wine

Wines

2007-10-17T14:53:00.000+09:30

Famous for producing some of the best Shiraz Australia has to offer, McLaren Vale is arguably one of the premier Shiraz-growing regions of the world. Shiraz is by far the most important variety for the region, accounting for about 50% of the total crush. The area's thin soils, limited water, and warm summers harness Shiraz’s natural vigour and produce intense flavoured fruit, and wine with a deep purple colour that can last decades in the bottle.

McLaren Vale wines are distinguished by their ripeness, elegance, structure, power and complexity. McLaren Vale has 3,218 hectares of Shiraz under vine. Other major varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon with 1,288 ha planted, Chardonnay with 722 ha planted and Grenache with 402 ha- much of this dry-grown (non-irrigated) bush vines. (Statistics taken from the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board’s vineyard register as of May 2005.)

Fleurieu Fiesta

2007-09-15T14:40:00.000+09:30

October is when the Fleurieu Peninsula’s Fiesta! serves you a gastronomic journey of ...

new tastes
personal encounters
delectable meals
perfect picnics
top quality product
competitions and awards, and
food and wine prepared and served with passion
Throughout October the Fleurieu Peninsula throws open its doors to the world and invites food lovers and culinary explorers in to share the secrets of its kitchens, barrels, groves and markets.

How do you make cheese?

Pickle Olives?

What is Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

How do you taste wines?

What is the perfect food and wine match?

Come join our talented chefs, winemakers and food producers who will be happy to share their trade secrets.

2008 Tour Down Under

2007-09-15T14:38:00.000+09:30

Next year's Tour Down Under will be a special 10th Anniversary celebration. As part of the celebrations team presentations will now be free to the public.

The celebrations will start on Friday, 25 January followed by Saturday 26 January with an Australia Day breakfast. The race will start at 11am and then in the evening an Australia Day Concert will be held at Rotary Park, Christies Beach. There will be more activities held on Sunday, 27 January.

The race will be visiting the City of Onkaparinga twice in Stage 3 on Thursday, 24 January 2008 and in Stage 5 on Saturday, 26 January 2008.

SA Writers' Festival - 6 – 16 September

2007-09-15T14:22:00.000+09:30

The South Australian Writers' Festival is a joint initiative of the City of Onkaparinga and the SA Writers Centre.

Join with us for a week of sharing the delight of the written word and the splendour of a good story. Let the river of inspiration flow both ways, from reader to writer, from new hand to old. Raise a glass of Wirra Wirra wine to the sparkle of wordplay and the turn of a good phrase. Take a look at the festival program for details of the events.

Festival highlights

Poets & Pizza at Coriole Vineyards
SOLD OUT!

Combining the Ingredients - taste the creations of SA chefs, Cheong Leiw, Salvatore Pepe and hear food reviewers David Sly and Howard Twelfetree at Willunga Farmers' Market
Saturday 15 September 11am
Free entry

Writers at Wirra Wirra
Gourmet foods, words, wine and music
Writers include - David Williamson, Ashley Mallett, Kirsty Brooks and Rory Barnes
Sun 16 Sept 11am - 4pm Free entry

Ground Water use in McLaren Vale

2007-08-05T12:13:00.000+09:30

Ground water use is lower in the McLaren Vale region, as vines mature and land use changes.

A report says the use of ground water in the McLaren Vale area, south of Adelaide, has declined by more than two-thirds in just over a decade.

The figures from the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Natural Resources Management Board show 2,900 megalitres of water were used in the 2005-06 season.

In 1994-95, the figure had been 9,100 megalitres.

A trend of wetter spring months is credited for the decline, along with changing land use and irrigation practices, maturing vines and greater use of reclaimed water.

The Weather in McLaren Vale

2007-07-12T16:54:00.001+09:30

The Fleurieu enjoys an idyllic Mediterranean-style climate and because it is bounded on both sides by the coast this region enjoys wonderful sea breezes. Half of the area's rainfall occurs during the four winter months April - July but the temperatures remain mild during this time, rarely lower than 15 degrees celsius.

Summer temperatures can occasionally reach 40 + degrees celsius but the hot season is tempered by magnificent cool mornings and balmy evenings .

With such a reliably temperate climate, the beach, swimming and virtually all of the outdoor pursuits are available year round.

Wine Making

2007-07-12T16:50:00.000+09:30

The main winemaking asset of the region is the excellent quality fruit produced by the region's grape-growers. It is this great fruit that allows the skilled winemakers of the region to produce such outstanding wines.

The vineyards and the grape-growers are the most important factors in ensuring superior quality fruit. With its favourable climate and geographical factors, McLaren Vale is recognised as one of the safest places in the world to grow grapes. The grape-growers of the region are experienced and committed to working with the winemakers to produce the best fruit, and thus the best wine, possible.

While there are many small wineries, the large producers are also represented. Both the large and small wineries utilise technology to ensure quality and maintain the distinctive characters that the various micro-climates within the region brings to the wine.

The careful control of water and increasing the use of in-ground moisture monitoring ensure that grapes are fully ripened and provide the winemakers with fruit of great flavour. The introduction of drip irrigation has enabled the restoration of old Shiraz vines. These old vines are now producing the truly great Shiraz that is taking out the top wine awards around the world.

On the winemaking side there has been considerable investment in new oak barrels and improved temperature control equipment.

This has had a strong impact on the quality of the white wines of the region as well as adding tremendous character to the reds.

Bed & Breakfast, South Australia

2007-05-19T10:50:00.000+09:30

Bed & Breakfast, South Australia

McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic Day

2007-02-01T09:24:00.000+10:30

Following the success of the inaugural event in April 2006 McLaren Vale will stage a Vintage and Classic Day.

The Vintage and Classic Day involves a celebration at vintage time with McLaren Vale Wineries hosting some of South Australia's finest Vintage and Classic cars on the last Sunday in April each year.

Considerable interest in the event is being received from both special interest car clubs and McLaren Vale wineries with 21 clubs and 12 wineries already participating.

The Vintage and Classic Day will commence with an initial gathering of vehicles at McLarens on the Lake. At approximately 11:30am all vehicles will proceed in convoy, via the Main Street taking a pre-determined route to their designated winery.

Participating wineries will host their designated car club(s) and the visiting public from 12noon with car clubs putting their vehicles on show to the public until 3:30pm.

This event will appeal to all motoring enthusiasts and the general public, provide an opportunity to visit some of McLaren Vale's outstanding wineries, meet with fellow enthusiasts and enjoy the spectacle of some of South Australia's finest vehicles.

McLaren Vale - short history

2007-02-01T08:37:00.000+10:30

McLaren Vale is an attractive and historic town in the heart of one of South Australia's premier grape growing areas.

Located 39 km from Adelaide, McLaren Vale is a charming and substantial township surrounded by more than 40 vineyards and wineries. On every side there are fields of grapes and the signposts at various points are thick with invitations to visit cellar doors to sample the vintages and purchase the locally made wines.

It is now accepted that the town was named after David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company, who arrived in the colony in 1837 and departed three years later. There is some dispute because some sources claim that town was named after a John McLaren who surveyed the area in 1839.

Until as recently as the 1920s McLaren Vale was applied to the region more than to the particular town and even today there is a feeling that the surrounding vineyards are really McLaren Vale vineyards even if they are some kilometres outside the town.

This is an area which has always been about grape growing. As early as 1850 the historic Hardy and Seaview wineries were in operation. It is widely accepted that Thomas Hardy's purchase of the Tintara vineyard in 1853 is the symbolic beginning of the town. Today the fundamental raison d'etre of the district has not changed.

2007-01-20T17:17:00.001+10:30

Highlights

Walking Trails
20 conservation parks on the Fleurieu Peninsula offer untouched scrubland, a home to kangaroos, koalas, emus and reptiles. The Heysen Trail (Australia's longest footpath) and Kuitpo Forest are great for walking. There are several trails with graded bushwalks to explore the gorge. This park is full of native trees, birds and reptiles.

Restaurants
Throughout the area there is an enticing variety of restaurants producing gourmet meals using the area's local produce; The Salopian Inn, The Barn, Limeburners , Star of Greece and d'Arrys Verandah, among others.

Arts & Crafts
There are plenty of art and craft shops, plant nurseries, a chocolate factory and local produce..

Coast & Beaches
The region boasts kilometers of white, clean uncrowded beaches, such as Christies, Sellicks and Maslins (Australia's first nudist beach). These are found along the coast of Gulf St Vincent. A short drive away is Port Noarlunga, with an underwater trail for snorkeling and scuba diving.

2007-01-20T13:32:00.000+10:30

Welcome to Bellevue Bed & Breakfast in McLaren Vale. Contemporary in style, Bellevue B&B accommodation offers you the best the McLaren Vale wine region has to offer.

Two guest bedrooms both elegant and spacious, with private en-suite bathrooms and queen-size beds.

Enjoy gourmet three course breakfast Relax with a glass or two of local wine in the courtyard while enjoying the views over our garden towards local vineyards.

There is a selection of games, books and magazines for your perusal, along with tea and coffee making facilities in your lounge. After a day of visiting the many winery cellar doors, food outlets and cafes, what could be better for you, than walking to one the many stunning restaurants McLaren Vale has to offer?

Our B&B is located in the compact wine region of McLaren Vale less than an hour's drive south of Adelaide.....

McLaren Vale wine region…

There is so much for you to see and do when you come to stay.

McLaren Vale is less than an hour's drive from Adelaide. It is a charming township surrounded by more than 50 vineyards and wineries. The vast majority have their own cellar door, where tastings and sales are available.

On every side there are fields of grapes and signposts at various points with invitations to visit cellar doors. Olive trees dot the landscape.

McLaren Vale has a maritime climate: warm to hot dry summers and moderate winters.

The McLaren Vale Wine Region is bounded to the south by the Sellicks Hill Range, extends to the eastern side of Clarendon and includes the area around the Mount Bold Reserve, extends just to the north of Reynella (all but a few vineyards are south of the Onkaparinga River), and is bounded to the west by the waters of Gulf St Vincent.