Blazing wine trails
After working as one of New York’s top sommeliers for a decade, Brad Hickey came to Australia in 2007 and fell in love with McLaren Vale – and with local vigneron Nicole Thorpe. The couple launched their own label, Brash Higgins, and are now in the vanguard of new Australian wine.
They manage their own organic vineyard, and through the Amphora Project they produce a Nero d’Avola wine that’s been fermented and aged for six months in beeswax-lined clay amphora – an ancient winemaking and storage vessel. In 2016, their Nero d’Avola won the prestigious Rule Breaker award at a South Australian wine show.
With its Mediterranean climate, incredibly diverse soils and propensity for change and experimentation, McLaren Vale attracts some of the most creative winemakers around. Another ex-sommelier, James Erskine, has joined Brad and Nicole at the forefront of experimentation through his label, Jauma (pronounced ‘yow-mah’). He produces “wild, creative, expressive living wines” using minimal-intervention techniques, with sell-out drops that include sparkling Grenache and Shiraz and a cloudy Chenin Blanc.
These rule-breaking winemakers are sharing the spotlight with the iconic names that built the region’s reputation, including Hardys, d’Arenberg, Chapel Hill and Wirra Wirra. From the outside it would be easy to see tension between the old and the new, the classic and the innovative. But McLaren Vale is a collaborative community of winemakers collectively lifting the region’s capabilities.
Diverse and adaptable
Just 45 minutes’ drive south of Adelaide on Fleurieu Peninsula, McLaren Vale is a picturesque region nestled between the Mount Lofty Ranges and white-sand beaches. Its exceptional wines and regional produce are set among rolling hills, charming villages and a rugged coastline. This ancient land is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world, with a huge range of soils across 19 distinct districts, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re perfectly suited to growing top-quality grapes and all manner of vines.
McLaren Vale was South Australia’s first wine region, established in 1838. In the mi 1900s, immigrants from post-war Italy arrived, bringing new grapevines and winemaking methods, along with olives and olive trees, and a passion for food. Today the region has more than 100 wineries and demand for its wines is at an all-time global high – yet it retains its innovative spirit. Much of that spirit stems from the fact that there are still many boutique wineries who continue to push the boundaries.
Most grapes grown here are red, with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache leading the charge. These wines are diverse in style and up there with Australia’s best. Wine writer James Halliday once said “McLaren Vale Grenache is its secret weapon”, and some Grenache wines are made from vines that are over 100 years old. But these days a line-up of alternative varieties is also creating buzz, especially Fiano, Vermentino, Tempranillo and Barbera. These Italian and Spanish vines flourish in McLaren Vale’s warm climate.
They also reflect the region’s focus on sustainability, with some growers adapting what they plant to suit the changing environment. With environmental sustainability a major focus, McLaren Vale is leading the way in climate-appropriate plantings, water management and organic and biodynamic practices.
One of Australia’s most exciting wine regions, McLaren Vale has it all: from natural beauty and gourmet dining to sustainable vineyards, old vines and a progressive community of winemakers who aren’t afraid to break the rules while staying true to the region’s ancient soils.
