Awarded Clive Simmonds Memorial Trophy – best ambassador for McLaren Vale in the Hospitality industry

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McLaren Vale Wine tours with lunch at the best restaurant in SA!

One of the best McLaren Vale Wine tours with lunch I’ve had so far was, funny enough, winners of an online competition I did with Winey Times. The winners received a day out in McLaren Vale with lunch at the Salopian Inn, voted the best restaurant in South Australia 2018. You never know what type of group you’ll get but we all clicked and it was laughs at the start.

The group included 3 Scottish people and 1 Australian and we started off at Kay’s Brothers with a tour, winemaking lesson and tasting with the amazing Josh. This was a great introduction into the wine world for whiskey drinkers and set up the day well.

A group of 4 experiencing a wine tour at Kay Brothers winery in McLaren Vale

The second stop was to visit Tim and Amanda at Geddes Wines. Family friendly, dog-friendly and full of laughs the group really got into wine here. Great stories about the wine industry and local soil lessons got the group really interested in each wine.

A group of 4 sharing a laugh and some lessons at the Geddes Wines.

With stomachs grumbling, we headed to the Salopian Inn which is a local favourite. With a wonderful cellar, dozens of gins and an array of dazzling dishes it’s no wonder it was voted best restaurant in South Australia in 2018 by the Advertiser. The sauces are good enough to drink as you can see.

A man drinking sauce from a plate with a straw during lunch at the Salopian Inn.

An iconic spot in McLaren Vale, Coriole Vineyards, was the first visit of the afternoon. Located amongst rolling hills covered in gorgeous gardens, this family-owned winery does it all including olive oils, red wine vinegar, table olives and multiple Italian varieties including Sangiovese, Barbera and Nero D’Avola.

A group of 4 wine tasting at Coriole Vineyards.

One of the newer cellar doors in the area, Inkwell Wines, was our last tasting for the day. Dudley and Irina went through some of their wide range of small batch, minimal intervention wines. The group left with a case of their sparkling wine in a can and off to the beach we went.

A group of 4 tasting wine at Inkwell Wines with Dudley and Irina.

Before heading back into Adelaide we drove onto Aldinga Beach for a walk in the water and many laughs. It was a great way to finish a terrific day.

A group of 4 posing for a photo during a walk on Aldinga Beach.

The weather was good, the group was fun and many wines were enjoyed. It was a great example of the great days we have in McLaren Vale.

 

If you want to experience one of our McLaren Vale Wine tours with lunch at the best restaurant in SA like this crew, get in touch today to book your tour!

Brewery tours are also available.