If you have any interest in wine at all you will be familiar with the wines of the McLaren Vale. This beautiful region is only a short drive from Adelaide. According to Graham there are over 300 wineries within an hour of the city! An oenophile’s dream!
The plan was to split our first visit to the area between driving and cycling. Given the forecast showed temperatures in the high 30’s we were a little apprehensive about the cycling portion, but soon came to appreciate the magic of the e-bike!
We picked our bikes up at the McLaren Vale Visitor Centre and those newbie e-bike riders among us got a quick orientation. I had silently cursed e-cyclists while mountain biking in Tremblant in the past. I had recent memories of gasping for breath as I peddled up yet another steep hill while serene seniors zipped by me, barely peddling at all.
The hype is real my friends! We switched on peddle assist and despite the searing heat and hot winds we cycled around 20km in relative comfort.
The only think that approaches the obsession for wine in Australia seems to be an obsession for coffee. After a short cycle we stopped for some flat whites before heading off along the trail to our first winery.
The coffee is delicious. Starbucks is not tolerated!
Our first winery stop was the Wirra Wirra winery. A very nice tasting with a wonderful cheese board.
After a busy morning of “cycling” we returned the e-bikes and headed out into the hills to Never Never Distillery and Chalk Hill Wines. The location featured an incredible view and the gin samples were fresh and interesting. We took advantage of the food station to fill up on some wood fired pizza.
One of the “must sees” due to its uniqueness rather than the quality of its wines was the d’Arenberg Cube. This for story post-modern structure featured Salvador Dali sculptures, the world’s oddest men’s restroom and some seriously terrific views.
Somehow at the end of this day Graham and Patty pulled together a meal for 12! An incredible mixed grill with fantastic salads. It was great to meet their friends Richard and Gillian and reconnect with their two sons, Jono and Andrew, and their daughter in law Anelle. Just a wonderful evening.
Unbelievably we were on the wine road again the next morning. This time, a much more sedentary tour of the original Penfolds Estate which is one of the only working urban wineries in the world.
The tour was quite informative and the tasting featured both the 2020 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz and the 2019 St. Henri Shiraz which were great. Graham had shared a 2014 and 2017 Bin 389 the previous evening so it was cool to have a chance to compare those excellent wines to this younger vintage.
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