McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about south of the Adelaide city centre. It is internationally renowned for the wines it produces and included within the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John McLaren (unrelated) who surveyed the area in 1839. Among the first settlers to the region in late 1839, were two English farmers from Devon, William Colton and Charles Thomas Hewett. William Colton established the Daringa Farm and Charles Thomas Hewett established Oxenberry Farm. Both men would be prominent in the early days of McLaren Vale. Although initially the region's main economic activity was the growing of cereal crops, John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838 and the present-day Seaview and Hardy wineries were in operation as early as 1850. Grapes were first planted in the region in 1838 and some vines more than 100 years old are still producing. Today there are more than 88 cellar doors in McLaren Vale. The majority are small family-run operations and boutique wineries.
Geography.
The wine region which is located within the southern end of the Adelaide metropolitan area is bounded by the coastline with Gulf St Vincent in the west and by the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges in the east and in the south with its northern boundary commencing at the coastline in the suburb of Hallett Cove and finishing in the foothills in the suburb of Chandlers Hill. It is located mainly within the local government area of the City of Onkaparinga with part of its northern end being in the local government area of the City of Marion.
Climate.
The McLaren Vale wine region has a Mediterranean climate with four clear seasons. With a dry warm summer, the area has dry weather from December through to March or April, giving an easy change between summer and winter. It is gentle with long warm days and short cool nights. Winter rains of 580–700 mm per annum flow into a fresh spring. It rarely experiences frost or drought due to its close proximity to the sea.
Wines.
The McLaren Vale wine region is well known for its dry red wines, especially those made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre. Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Sangiovese are also grown. White wine varieties in the wine region include Fiano, Vermentino, Grenache blanc, Roussanne and other such Mediterranean varieties.
Notable for producing Shiraz, the grape is by far the most important variety for the wine region, accounting for about 50% of the total crush. The area's thin soils, limited water and warm summers harness Shiraz's natural vigor and produce intense flavored fruit, and wine with a deep purple color that can last decades in the bottle. McLaren Vale wines are distinguished by their ripeness, elegance, structure, power and complexity. The wine region has 3218 hectares of Shiraz under vine. Other major varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon with 1288 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.)
Soil characteristics.
The McLaren Vale wine region 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 wine region. Overall the 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 100m above sea level. In the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east, where there is a scattering of vineyards, elevation rises to 320 m. At Blewitt Springs elevation is around 200 m. These variations in elevation have a significant impact on the terroir and fruit produced in the vineyards.
Subregions.
The McLaren Vale wine region has no recognised subregions, however, some wineries promote their vineyards as being in particular subregions with terroir peculiar to that part of the region. The McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association has identified 19 distinct "districts" based on climate and geology.
Statutory protection of parts of the wine region.
In February 2011, South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced that the state government would "look at ways that we can protect the unique identity and integrity of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale." Premier Rann said: "Barossa and McLaren Vale food and wine are key icons of South Australia. We must never allow the Barossa or McLaren Vale to become suburbs of Adelaide (sic)."
Legislation to protect the character of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale was reported in the media as being passed by the South Australian Parliament in 2012 and came into force in January 2013. The statutory change consisted of an amendment to an existing item of legislation, the "Development Act 1993", to create protection districts (also called "Character Preservation Districts") within the relevant local government areas to replace the interim protection districts put in place on 11 April 2012. The intention of the amendment is to ensure that the requirements for a protection district will always prevail over other development requirements where there is conflict.
In the case of the McLaren Vale wine region, a character protection district with the name "McLaren Vale District" was created within the boundaries of the City of Onkaparinga. The character protection district overlays a majority of the land within the local government area. Specifically, this is land not zoned for residential and other urban uses and consists mainly of the eastern side of the local government area extending from the Sturt Creek in the north to parts of the coastal suburbs of Aldinga, Aldinga Beach, Maslin Beach, Port Willunga and Sellicks Beach in the south.