McLaren Vale is 40 km south of Adelaide, hemmed between the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the Gulf St Vincent coast. The wine region is small and approachable — you can walk or cycle between cellar doors along the main road. The Shiraz and Grenache here have a character quite different from the Barossa: richer, often more generous, and influenced by the maritime climate.
The d'Arenberg estate — run by the flamboyant Chester Osborn from a building shaped like a scattered Rubik's cube — is the area's most distinctive cellar door experience. McLaren Vale village has good restaurants. A loop via the coast road through Willunga and back through the hills makes for a satisfying half-day drive.