SHIRAZ AND BEYOND
ANGUS HUGHSON
Australian Shiraz is at a crossroads, and nowhere is that clearer than in McLaren Vale. For decades, Shiraz has been the country’s leading light, a grape variety that did much to define the nation’s wines worldwide. McLaren Vale, with the Barossa, has been the benchmark by which all other wines have been judged, their wines’ natural richness and power providing an impressive, raw impact that is hard to ignore. It is what brought the early vignerons to the region. Local pioneers recognised something special about this strip of land squeezed between a thin line of hills and the Gulf St Vincent, just south of Adelaide, and exploited its Mediterranean climate to make McLaren Vale a region that not only attracted local winemakers but also fruit buyers to fill out their own wines, particularly from other regions across South Australia. Natural generosity of flavour is what McLaren Vale does very well, almost with its eyes closed, and these styles of wine are still incredibly
36
The Vintage Journal – Regional Focus
Powered by FlippingBook