McLaren Vale has the warmth and feel of a country town, with the distinct advantage of being 40 minutes from South Australia's Capital city, Adelaide. McLaren Vale is one of Australia's renowned wine regions, famous for producing some the best wines in the world, and with over 76 cellar doors. The region is thriving, and the energy and passion of the local community is infectious. The region's artisans are passionate about the food, wine and culture of the area, and this is evidenced in the genuine hospitality offered by McLaren Vale's winery operators.
McLaren Vale was named after David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company, who arrived in the colony in 1837 and departed three years later. There is some dispute because some sources claim that town was named after a Scotsman, John McLaren, who surveyed the area in 1839. Before either of them came along the local Aborigines reputedly called the area Myallina Dooronga.
Two small villages – Gloucester and Bellevue – were established here in the 1840's by migrants from Great Britain, In 1923 buildings from these villages merged, adopting the name of the valley.
Until the 1920s McLaren Vale was applied to the region more than to the particular town and even today there is a feeling that the surrounding vineyards are really McLaren Vale vineyards even if they are some kilometres outside the town.
This is an area which has always been about grape growing. As early as 1850 the historic Hardy and Seaview wineries were in operation. It is widely accepted that Thomas Hardy's purchase of the Tintara vineyard in 1853 is the symbolic beginning of the town.
Many buildings from these early days can still be found in and around the area. Early life was founded on farming with and emphasis on cereal crops. Evidence of the prosperity in the era can be found in McLaren Vale today.
