McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about 38 kilometres (24 mi) south of the Adelaide city centre. It is internationally renowned for the wines it produces and is included within the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John McLaren (unrelated) who surveyed the area in 1839. Among the first settlers to the region in late 1839, were two English farmers from Devon, William Colton and Charles Thomas Hewett. William Colton established the Daringa Farm and Charles Thomas Hewett established Oxenberry Farm. Both men would be prominent in the early days of McLaren Vale. Although initially the region's main economic activity was the growing of cereal crops, John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838 and the present-day Seaview and Hardy wineries were in operation as early as 1850. Grapes were first planted in the region in 1838 and some vines more than 100 years old are still producing.
From the Wikipedia article McLaren Vale, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
McLaren Vale is an appellation in South Australia, Australia. We track 76 of its wines in stock at 29 shops, from 12 wine houses, from € 8.95; mostly red.
| Vintage | Wines | From | Median / 75 cl | Critics' score | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | – | – | – | averagewetwet harvest +0.4 °C · 1,997 GDD · 145 % rain |
| 2025 | – | – | – | – | hotdry +1.9 °C · 2,309 GDD · 55 % rain |
| 2024 | 4 | € 17.00 | € 22.67 | 91.0 (1 wine) | average +0.3 °C · 1,971 GDD · 77 % rain |
| 2023 | 5 | € 16.90 | € 21.23 | – | averagewetdry harvest −0.3 °C · 1,838 GDD · 138 % rain |
| 2022 |
d'Arenberg 17 · Two Hands 6 · Coriole 5 · Mitolo Wines Aust Pty Ltd 4 · Silent Noise 4 · dArenberg 2 · Mollydooker 2 · De Lisio Wines 1 · Redheads Studio 1 · Domaine Paxton Wines 1 · Thirsty Boy Limited 1 · Grounded Cru 1
| 8 |
| € 15.95 |
| € 26.04 |
| – |
| averagedrydry harvest +0.1 °C · 1,923 GDD · 60 % rain |
| 2021 | 17 | € 13.60 | € 29.43 | – | averagedry ±0.0 °C · 1,910 GDD · 62 % rain |
| 2020 | 6 | € 8.95 | € 53.30 | – | averagewet harvest +0.1 °C · 1,938 GDD · 123 % rain |
| 2019 | 4 | € 19.54 | € 37.00 | – | hotdrydry harvest +1.4 °C · 2,207 GDD · 3 % rain |
| 2018 | 4 | € 37.95 | € 72.73 | – | hotdrydry harvest +1.8 °C · 2,286 GDD · 6 % rain |
| 2017 | 3 | € 49.99 | € 107.04 | – | warmdrydry harvest +0.5 °C · 2,013 GDD · 12 % rain |
| 2016 | 1 | € 107.04 | € 107.04 | – | hotdry +1.6 °C · 2,262 GDD · 56 % rain |
| 2015 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest +0.1 °C · 1,921 GDD · 101 % rain |
| 2014 | 3 | € 54.95 | € 57.95 | – | average +0.1 °C · 1,935 GDD · 121 % rain |
| 2013 | – | – | – | – | warm +0.8 °C · 2,081 GDD · 73 % rain |
| 2012 | – | – | – | – | average +0.2 °C · 1,954 GDD · 115 % rain |
| 2011 | – | – | – | – | coolwetwet harvest −0.6 °C · 1,786 GDD · 188 % rain |
| 2010 | – | – | – | – | hot +1.1 °C · 2,131 GDD · 115 % rain |
| 2009 | – | – | – | – | average +0.2 °C · 1,944 GDD · 89 % rain |
| 2008 | – | – | – | – | average +0.2 °C · 1,944 GDD · 113 % rain |
| 2007 | – | – | – | – | warm +0.7 °C · 2,045 GDD · 122 % rain |
| 2006 | – | – | – | – | coolwet −0.5 °C · 1,817 GDD · 181 % rain |
| 2005 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest −0.3 °C · 1,848 GDD · 87 % rain |
| 2004 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.5 °C · 1,795 GDD · 77 % rain |
| 2003 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest −0.4 °C · 1,823 GDD · 106 % rain |
| 2002 | – | – | – | – | cold −1.7 °C · 1,542 GDD · 98 % rain |
| 2001 | – | – | – | – | hot +1.0 °C · 2,115 GDD · 99 % rain |
| 2000 | – | – | – | – | averagewet +0.1 °C · 1,918 GDD · 155 % rain |
| 1999 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,895 GDD · 95 % rain |
| 1998 | 1 | € 30.00 | € 30.00 | – | averagewetdry harvest −0.4 °C · 1,826 GDD · 142 % rain |
| 1997 | – | – | – | – | cooldrydry harvest −0.6 °C · 1,779 GDD · 69 % rain |
| 1996 | – | – | – | – | cold −1.2 °C · 1,661 GDD · 81 % rain |
| 1995 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.5 °C · 1,791 GDD · 110 % rain |
| 1994 | – | – | – | – | colddry harvest −1.0 °C · 1,698 GDD · 105 % rain |
| 1993 | – | – | – | – | coolwet −0.9 °C · 1,710 GDD · 191 % rain |
| 1992 | – | – | – | – | coldwet harvest −1.0 °C · 1,698 GDD · 106 % rain |
| 1991 | – | – | – | – | average −0.2 °C · 1,871 GDD · 82 % rain |
| 1990 | – | – | – | – | averagedry harvest −0.4 °C · 1,825 GDD · 79 % rain |
| 1989 | – | – | – | – | average −0.2 °C · 1,867 GDD · 77 % rain |
| 1988 | – | – | – | – | average −0.3 °C · 1,850 GDD · 95 % rain |
| 1987 | – | – | – | – | cold −1.6 °C · 1,555 GDD · 115 % rain |
| 1986 | – | – | – | – | cooldry harvest −0.9 °C · 1,722 GDD · 91 % rain |
| 1985 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest −0.3 °C · 1,838 GDD · 97 % rain |
| 1984 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.8 °C · 1,737 GDD · 101 % rain |
| 1983 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest −0.1 °C · 1,874 GDD · 121 % rain |
| 1982 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,898 GDD · 108 % rain |
Growing season (April–October; October–April south of the equator): mean temperature against McLaren Vale's 1991–2020 normal (hot: 1 °C or more above, warm: 0.5 °C, cool/cold below), growing degree days (warmth for the vines, base 10 °C) and rain against normal, with the harvest month (September/March) flagged when very wet or dry. Monthly data from NASA POWER (MERRA-2) at one point in the appellation. The current year is compared with the same months of a normal year (“so far”); its latest months are preliminary and revised by NASA later.
Critics' score: the average of the best 100-point score quoted for each wine of that vintage, as the shops quote them. A few quoted wines make a thin average; the number of wines is in brackets.