VISIT > BATTLE OF BOSWORTH, McLaren Vale SA

Battle of Bosworth is one of McLaren Vale’s most characterful cellar doors: organically farmed, family-run, and set in a restored 1850s chaff shed and stables with sweeping vineyard views to Gulf St Vincent, it combines serious wine credentials with a relaxed, regionally grounded setting. VARIETALS > Battle of Bosworth is best known for Shiraz and…

ByCrispy3 days ago

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

VISIT > PRIMO ESTATE, McLaren Vale SA

Step through the glass doors at Primo Estate and the first thing you notice is the light: refracted off pale stone, softened by timber, framed by rows of vines that run towards the Willunga foothills. It feels more like a contemporary Italian villa than a conventional Australian cellar door – an architectural expression of the…

ByCrispy4 days ago

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

VISIT > D’Arenberg, McLaren Vale SA

Founded in 1912, D’Arenberg is family created a winery that has become synonymous with the McLaren Vale region, today many of the visitors are just as familiar with the architectural cube museum and the restaurant. I grew up in the McLaren Vale region and D’Arenberg winery was part of my childhood, my mother worked…

ByCrispy4 days ago

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

VISIT > PAXTON WINERY, McLaren Vale SA

Paxton’s cellar door at historic Landcross Farm makes a strong first impression: biodynamic vines rolling down to the valley, a repurposed 1850s shearing shed, and a quietly confident organic ethos that runs from the soil to the glass. This is McLaren Vale in a slower, more grounded key – relaxed lawns, build-your-own platters, and a…

ByCrispy5 days ago

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

VISIT > CHALK HILL WINES, McLaren Vale SA

Nestled into the slope above McLaren Vale with a long, low view across vines to the ranges, Chalk Hill feels less like a single cellar door and more like a small, well‑edited village built around wine, gin, and golden hour. APPEARANCE > Nestled into the slope above McLaren Vale with a long, low view across…

ByCrispyMarch 22, 2026

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Bannockburn Pinot Noir, 2024 (18/20)

There are a few wines that are always in my wine cellar and regular and reliable choices when out for dinner with friends and it is found on the wine list. The Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a crowd pleaser, delightfully pretty but retaining enough structure and elegance to appeal to the wine snob…

ByCrispyMarch 21, 2026

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Scopri, Carlton (18/20)

There are places that stay forever on your most reliable list. It takes a special mix of reliably fine food a warm and comfortable room, good acoustics and genuine service. Scopri remains one of those establishments that remains on our favourite list and is one of Melbourne’s most quietly assured Italian dining rooms: a…

ByCrispyMarch 21, 2026

STAY > CALABRIA STAY > ITALY WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Il Casato, Scilla Italy (15/20)

Il Casato Deluxe Rooms is a polished little waterfront hideaway in Chianalea di Scilla, pairing modern, simple rooms with a spectacular over‑water restaurant that makes the most of the Costa Viola light. AMBIENCE > Chianalea is the most evocative corner of Scilla, a tight weave of alleys, stone houses and fishing boats nosing up to…

ByCrispyMarch 17, 2026

STAY > CALABRIA STAY > ITALY WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > NOONE TROPEA GUESTHOUSE, Tropea Italy (15/20)

NoOne Tropea Guesthouse is a quietly confident little escape in the heart of Tropea: design‑forward, obsessively clean and with a breakfast terrace that makes you rethink your return flight. If you have been researching an Italy holiday and considering a beautiful town slightly off the tourist trail, then no doubt you will already have Tropea…

ByCrispyMarch 15, 2026

DRINK > BARS DRINK > ITALY DRINK > SICILY

DRINK > Fratelli Burgio, Ortigia, Italy (15/20)

There are lots of bars in the beautiful historic town but the Salumi and wine at Fratelli Burgio make for a perfect combination and of course it is in the perfect location, combine it with the harbourside bar Alporto you have it all sorted. AMBIENCE > In the beating heart of Ortigia’s open-air market, Fratelli…

ByCrispyMarch 13, 2026

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