McLaren Vale Bike and Wine Tour

Come along and enjoy a beautiful day of exploring the hills, wines and vineyards of South Australia’s McLaren Vale by bike with this full-day tour. Rather than being a regular wine tasting tour, this tour is really more of a nature-based exploration of this beautiful corner of South Australia by bike, with a good bit of quality wine tasting and local produce thrown in! As you will be using high-end mountain bikes, you have the advantage of being able to get off the beaten tracks and really see the country, rather than being tied to bitumen roads and cycleways. You will see totally stunning parts of the region that others just don’t get to.

You will roll through some of the amazing National Parks near Adelaide, enjoy an exhilarating (yet easy) downhill ride down Wickhams hill, and pedal through the vines to find sensational local wineries. Don’t worry, you will be starting at the highest point in the area and riding mostly downhill. You will be picked up in central Adelaide and transported to the first ride spot of the day. You will be provided with a good quality mountain bike with front suspension and disc brakes, and a helmet and gloves, and set off to explore the area.

You will be taken to stunning corners of the region that most people don't visit, or even know about! Exactly where does depend a little of the weather and conditions, but you will either explore the Onkaparinga River National Park where you will have special access to ride along trails overlooking an impressive gorge, or a more relaxed ride in stunning native bush settings of Kuitpo Forest, both of which fringe the McLaren Vale wine region. You will regularly see kangaroos and koalas on the ride, but very few people.

Next is a lovely descent down Wickhams Hill towards McLaren Vale, which offers stunning views of the Vale below. It's a 4km bitumen descent on a quiet country road. Keep an eye out for Koala's in the trees if you dare, or just enjoy not pedalling for the whole descent whilst taking in the views. 

When you reach the Vale, it's then a short roll to the first stop, and time for a little wine tasting! You will then ride through the vineyards and stop at a number of local wineries to sample their fare and perhaps purchase some wine to take home with you. You will visit at least 2 wineries on the trip, plus other stops. Nice medium sized wineries offering exceptional wines have been selected, and a personalised tasting experience. 

As you ride between wineries you will utilise quiet backroads and private farm tracks and stay off the busy roads. There will also be a few secret shortcuts that only mountain bikes can manage! The riding is fairly leisurely and is suitable for anyone who is happy riding a bike on firetracks and country roads for a few hours.

One of the highlights of the tour is lunch. Stop at a winery, and after another tasting you will sit down for a delicious local produce platter lunch. Feel free to enjoy a glass of wine from the winery too, and buy wines to take home (they can be picked up later in the van).

In the afternoon you can choose from visits to the wonderful Goodieson's Brewery for a refreshing ale or two, but other options include another winery, a cafe/chocolate stop for a little desert, or if it’s really warm maybe a swim stop at one of the beautiful beaches that fringe the Vale.

Finally, you will be picked up and transported back to Adelaide. Exact details will depend on exactly where you end up, it's pretty casual! You have about 45mins for a snooze on the way back to town!