February 2003

McLaren Vale may look like a backwater at first, but tucked into that rural landscape is some of the finest dining anywhere. Bordered by the ocean to the west and cow- and sheep-covered hills in every other direction, the region is blessed with a plethora of ingredients that don't go far to get on your plate. Add to that a thriving olive industry and a burgeoning interest in artisanal cheese, and you begin to understand why the local winemakers are such a good-natured crew.

  Your first stop in McLaren should be Market 190. Center-valley on the main road, it's an excellent base from which to start a tour, and the fluffy muffins (topped with a scoop of clabbered cream), fresh-squeezed juices and sweetly bitter coffee are much-needed padding for a day of tasting - or surfing, which is possible when the local waters are shark-free.
  After that, ask for directions to the bike path, a paved strip that runs through the vineyards along a series of old train trestles. The sea of vines might seem familiar (it looks a bit like Tuscany, or maybe Sonoma...), but the brush along the path illuminates just how different McLaren Vale is: fuchsia-hued bottle-brush bushes; wattle trees covered with cascades of yellow, mini pom-poms; geraniums running wild; thistles of prehistoric proportions; flamboyant galahs flashing their pink chests as they fly over the vines; multi-colored cockatoos in the eucalypts overhead; and, if you're lucky and it's particularly dry, a kangaroo bouncing through the vineyards. (The walk will also make it easier to appreciate the undulations winemakers here call "hills," which, though small to the eye, have appreciable effects on the wines they grow.)
  Back at the wineries, it's tempting to nibble the whole day through, as most cellar doors offer bowls of local almonds, olives and sometimes even charcuterie plates. At Coriole, brothers Paul and Mark Lloyd offer olives and oils from their own olive processing plant and cheeses from their company, The Woodside Cheese Wrights. Buy a bag of the meaty purple olives, a chunk of the Moulin and some wood-fired bread, take them into Coriole's old cottage garden or out to the beach: Coriole's dense, long-lived reds couldn't have a better showcase.
  If you're not full from your snack, lunch at d'Arry's Verandah at d'Arenberg Cellars is a must, as much for the food as the view from vale's edge. It's tempting to fill up on crusty bread dipped in the house olive oil from the groves that lent their name to d'Arenberg's Olive Grove Chardonnay, but save room for oysters (oysters in South Australia are like lobster in Maine: excellent and cheap). Fish is also a sure bet here, as owner and legendary fisherman d'Arry Osborne wouldn't allow it any other way, but there are options even for d'Arenberg's ballsy reds, like osso buco of local veal or buttery gnocchi tossed with greens and topped with tangy local goat cheese.
  While winery dining affords an intimate and focused view of the region, check out the Salopian Inn, The Victory Hotel, or Star of Greece for wines that roam the valley from top to bottom and span decades. All three restaurants are fixtures in the region, though they couldn't differ more in attitude. The Salopian is the most classic, a 150-year-old coach house turned into a restaurant about 14 years ago, nestled in among the vines in the valley bottom. It's the place to which everyone heads when they want to impress, a white tablecloth restaurant that has made a celebrity out of Pip Forrester, the French-born chef who's run the kitchen for the last 14 years. And though it's classic, it's not stuffy: To find a wine to match the twice-cooked crab soufflˇs or grass-fed Angus porterhouse, diners are invited into the cellar to pluck their choice straight off the racks. Stay for dessert, too, and try the local "stickies," fortified wines that are an Australian specialty.
  The Victory Hotel is a classic in another way, a pub on a windy hill that used to be a popular stop on the train line. Now that the train line is gone, the place is strictly local and looking a little down at the heels. Pass through the smoky, beery front bar into the dining room, where the winemakers from the region convene. The food isn't fancy, but the fish fry is top rate, and dishes like fish pie, oysters Rockefeller and Caesar salad topped with streaky bacon and a poached egg are excellent and cheap. And, as would be expected from the clientele, the cellar is as deep as the front bar is long.
  More modern but just as important to understanding the McLaren sensibility is the Star of Greece. This renovated ice cream shack, named for a shipwreck half a mile off shore, attracts all kinds with its seaside view, its beach-bum-meets-artsy vibe and its food. Pick a color, any color - each seat is painted a different shade - and ask the waiter to pop the Stelvin on a local riesling (Clare Valley may get all the raves, but McLaren Vale makes some good ones as well) to accompany the meaty, fresh sardines with a sauce of garlic, parsley and capers, or the hairpin-thin whiting, fried crisp. Find a Vale-grown semillon or verdelho for the batter-fried snook (a local fish), then move on to the lusty reds for chicken livers, toasted brioche with a pile of figs in syrup, or lamb tenderloin braised until it melts. Regardless of the renovation, there are still ice cream cones available to take on a stroll down the beach.
  Whatever happens, don't leave without spending a Friday night at Russell's (though you may spend most of it waiting to get in). Russell Jeavons started the Salopian Inn on its path to fame before Forrester took over; now he runs a place in an old blacksmith's cottage with a team of high school students, two wood ovens and a fireplace. Open only on Friday nights, it's essentially a pizza place. But what pizza! People pack into the small dining room, or sit around a bonfire outside, or pile into a galvanized tin shed built next to the place, for smoky wheels with toppings like spiced lamb, fresh prawns and shaved ham, or chopped chicken dressed with lime, yogurt and mint. Many diners bring their own bottles (a negligible corkage fee applies), but there's also a quirky array of wines in the small cellar. A result of trading food for wine with hungry winemakers, many of these have been carefully aged or are hard to find. When it gets late, Jeavons clears the tables out of the galvo and starts spinning tango CDs, because Russell's, in fact, is the base for the South Australian Tango Club - more proof that in between the vines, the McLaren Vale is full of wild and wonderful surprises.

McLAREN VALE contact info:

D'Arry's Verandah (at D'Arenberg Winery)
Osborne Rd., McLaren Vale; 08.8323.8710

Market 190 190 Main Road,
McLaren Vale; 08.8323.8558

Russell's,
13 High St., Willunga, McLaren Vale; 08.8556.2571

Salopian Inn Corner of McMurtrie & Willunga Rds.,
McLaren Vale; 08.8323.8769

Star of Greece Esplanade,
Port Willunga, McLaren Vale; 08.8557.7420

Victory Hotel Sellicks Beach,
Main South Rd., McLaren Vale; 08.8556.3083