A weekend in McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale earns its reputation the first time you drive down its Main Road on a Friday afternoon. The hills drop away to the west toward Gulf St Vincent, the vineyards blur into olive groves, and the light is so soft it looks like it was ordered in. Forty-five minutes from Adelaide and an entire world away.

This is the classic weekend itinerary - two days, a dozen stops, plenty of time between each one. Assume a rough pace of three cellar doors a day and leave room for wandering.

Friday afternoon - Arrive the proper way

Leave Adelaide after lunch so you arrive with the afternoon still ahead of you. Your first stop should be d'Arenberg and the famous Cube on Osborn Road. Park, stand in the middle of the vineyard, and look up at Chester Osborn's five-storey puzzle-box of a tasting room before you go inside. The Blending Bench experience is a genuine hour of fun - you leave with a bottle of your own custom blend. Book a seated tasting in the upstairs cellar door if you can.

From the Cube, drift ten minutes south to Samson Tall. This 1854 stone chapel is one of the most atmospheric tastings in the Vale. It is small, personal, and almost nobody else knows about it - which is exactly why it belongs on your itinerary.

Check into your accommodation with enough time to clean up before dinner at The Salopian Inn on McMurtrie Road. The 600-bottle cellar is absurd, the gin bar has 250 labels, and the modern Australian menu leans on the peninsula's producers. Book well ahead.

Saturday - The long wander

Start with sourdough and coffee at Home Grain Bakery on Old Coach Road at Aldinga. Take a loaf for later.

Head to the Willunga Farmers Market if you are reading this on a Saturday morning - it runs 8am to noon in the grounds of Willunga High School and is one of the best regional markets in the country. Producers from across the Fleurieu set up from stone fruits to cheesemakers to small-batch gin. Plan an hour and a strong appetite for samples.

Late morning, cross McMurtrie Road to Wirra Wirra Vineyards. The ironstone cellar is 130 years old and the Angelus Cabernet is one of the region's flagship reds. Taste the Angelus and the Church Block blends, then move to the tiny tasting room at S.C. Pannell for views over the Vale and an education in Mediterranean varietals.

Lunch should be long. Choose between the sun-drenched garden at Coriole Vineyards for a Fiore Sardo cheese and Sangiovese lunch, or The Currant Shed - a restored 1880s drying shed where the seasonal menu changes every few weeks.

Afternoon: take a detour to Port Willunga Beach for a walk along the cliffs and the old jetty ruins. The cave dwellings cut into the limestone cliff were used by 19th-century fishermen and the beach below stretches for kilometres. Finish at the Star of Greece on the clifftop with a glass of something crisp and the sun setting into the gulf.

Sunday - Vines, valley and a heritage pub

Slow down. Breakfast at Blessed Cheese on Main Road, McLaren Vale (coffee, cheese, pastries). Spend the rest of the morning in the foothills: Paxton for a biodynamic winery visit, or up to the sandy-soil sub-region Blewitt Springs for Yangarra Estate - Australia's reference Grenache producer.

For lunch, drive up the hill to The Victory Hotel on Sellicks Hill. The historic country pub has one of the great wine cellars of South Australia, the menu is unfussy, and the view from the beer garden across the vineyards and the Gulf is the postcard you came for.

After lunch, walk it off at Onkaparinga River National Park - the Punchbowl Lookout is a gentle 2km loop that delivers one of the best gorge views in the Adelaide hills. Back in the car, drive home via the coast road - Sellicks Beach, Maslin, Port Willunga, Aldinga Beach - for one more look at the southern ocean before you turn north.

Practical notes

• Book restaurants ahead - weekends fill up
• Drink driving - two of the wineries above have accommodation, several others have designated-driver shuttles. Don't wing it.
• The d'Arenberg Cube has a dress code of "smart casual" for the restaurant - no effort required for the cellar door
• Almond blossom (July) and harvest (March-April) are the two most beautiful times to visit