What’s the definitive McLaren Vale experience? Take a sunny hillside, stripe it with rows of mature vines, insert a photogenic 1850s stone farmhouse down a long dirt driveway, add an olive grove and a conifer or two … then open a bottle of fine shiraz as the sun tracks its way towards the western horizon. Coriole delivers – and does so without a whiff or haughtiness, exclusivity or braggadocio.
Tastings at the cellar door ($15), one of Coriole’s original stone farm buildings, are typically laidback. No bookings are required, but be prepared to wait, as it’s a cosy space with limited numbers (hot tip: arrive early to late to beat the crush). The staff will happily take you on a tour from chenin blanc to sangiovese, nero d'avola and shiraz, and they are just as happy to talk sustainability: Coriole is big on solar, native revegetation, rainwater harvesting, composting and organic gardening. The restaurant here, Gather, with its clattering tables and chairs and local Willunga slate floor, uses vegetables and herbs grown on-site. Book ahead for a set-menu degustation lunch from Thursday to Monday. Or swing by the Arbour Bar for a bottle of Estate Shiraz and watch the late-afternoon sun do its thing. McLaren Vale defined.
