Wine & Food
Wine
Approaching from Adelaide, for a moment or two you catch a glimpse of the whole of the valley, with McLaren Vale in the middle distance surrounded by a partitioned and cordoned patchwork of shiraz, grenache, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay vines covering the broad green valley.
It marks the start of a journey that takes in some of Australia's most acclaimed wines and a bounty of regional produce that drives the Fleurieu Peninsula's markets and restaurants. By any gastronomic standards, this is a remarkable part of the world. With around 60 winery cellar doors, McLaren Vale is the largest and closest to Adelaide of the Fleurieu Peninsula's four wine regions, each of them owing much of their character to their proximity to water. Langhorne Creek has become a major grape producer for the premium wine industry, while Currency Creek and Southern Fleurieu have some of the oldest and newest boutique wineries in South Australia.
Food
If wine nourishes the soul of the Fleurieu Peninsula, then fabulous regional food sustains its heart. It's a growers' paradise with rich fertile soils, temperate climate and reliable rainfall, a lifestyle governed by thge rhytms of the seasons, where food is enjoyed year-round as one of life's pleasures. Look beyond the wineries and you'll find a strong farming tradition, among long-established almond and olive groves. Here livestock and dairy cattle graze freely over lush green hills, while fruit trees in numerous small, family run orchards are heavy with ripening crops.
In a landscape so blessed with such a wonderful array of ingredients, it's only natural that the locals have come up with imaginative ways to make the most of them. Visitors will find themselves exposed at every turn to roadside outlets selling jams, relishes, handmade breads, traditional cured and smoked meats, rich cheeses and much more.
Australia's best almonds are grown at Willunga, and the olive oil produced here is now compared favourably to Italy's finest. Follow the Produce and Tourist Trail from Mt Compass to find fresh blueberries, organically grown pheasants and quail, venison, marron (a freshwater crayfish), strawberries and jams, rainbow trout and authentic French-style goat's curd and feta cheeses, or thick, rich Jersey-milk cream and traditional farmhouse cheddars.
Up and down the rugged coastline, weatherbeaten fishermen glean all manner of seafood from the gulf's clear, unspoilt waters. Prized King George whiting, garfish, tommy ruffs and mulloway, squid, crayfish and crabs - whatever variety is in season, they soon find their way, fresh from the sea, to the tables of the Fleurieu Peninsula's many outstanding restaurants.
More on Wine and Food
- Fleurieu Wineries & Cellar Doors
- This is the place for bold, inky-black shiraz, rich but elegant cabernet sauvignon and grenache that holds its own in any company. Red wine country. But then, it also has some of the best chardonnay in Australia. Read More
- Wine and Food Events
- Taste the Fleurieu Peninsula by joining in the fun of a food and wine festival. Read More
- Dining out in the Fleurieu Peninsula
- This regions makes the most of its location - surrounded by the sea on three sides. But its not all seafood. Read More
