What wine is the best from McLaren Vale?

McLaren Vale is a vineyard and the home to some of the best wines in South Australia.

McLaren Vale is only a 45 minute drive from Adelaide city. This wine region has over 80 wineries with some having some of the world’s oldest vineyards. McLaren Vale is best known for its lovely shiraz. But all wineries offer delicious wine types across McLaren Vale.

Chapel Hill Winery

Chapel Hill Winery planted the first vines back in 1972. Since then, they have created history with their wines.

Chapel Hill’s flagship shiraz is 2019 The Vicar. This shiraz has a taste of blackberries, plumbs, and dark chocolate. You might also get a hint of black liquorice, wild fennel, and some wild herbs. Another great wine is the 2021 pinot grigio, The Parson. This white wine has delicious fruit flavours. From green pear to mandarin and a few fresh herbs. This wine pairs with salt and pepper squid.

Hardy Tintara Cellar

Hardy Tintara has been around for over 160 years. For the winery’s 165th anniversary, they are creating a cabernet sauvignon shiraz. The wine is expected to have combined fruit across Frankland River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. The 2014 Eileen Hardy chardonnay is one of their most awarded wines. The aroma is intense from lemon, stone fruit, and oak. The final blend is rich and powerful. Another awarded wine is the 2014 Thomas Hardy cabernet sauvignon. This deep red wine has a beautiful taste of fruits like plum and berry with oak spice and sweetness.

Wirra Wirra Vineyards

The Angelus is a 2019 cabernet sauvignon. This deep red wine is released each vintage, showcasing the best wines in McLaren Vale. The Angelus is full of flavours from plum, cherry, and blackcurrant. It’s best matched with lamb and broad beans with herbs. Farmer’s Heart 2021 grenache is a fresh red wine with red and purple fruits with a hint of oak. The fruit in this wine has come from a variety of sun-regions across McLaren Vale.

McLaren Vale has so many more delicious wines to offer. A great way to find out what you think is the best wine is by doing a tour. You can check out the half day McLaren Vale wine experience tour or the one day McLaren Vale wine tour with Hahndorf. Both tours take you to the wineries listed above and a couple more. The tours are a great way to explore a bit more of Adelaide, have a great lunch, and try some wines across the region. Each winery will tell you about the history and the process is making these award-winning wines.

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.