09 Apr 2024
Nick picked us up from the cruise terminal and drove us to McLaren Vale for a wine tour during our ship's day docked in Adelaide. Nick was just as friendly and informative as can be.
For our first stop he took us to Molly Dooker winery. This was the highlight of our day. This winery is on beautifully maintained grounds, with a view of the valley. The tasting room ("cellar door") at Molly Dooker was modern, clean and comfortable. More importantly, the wines were delicious. So happy that Nick brought us to this winery.
Based on reviews, we had also pre-booked (on our own) lunch at the d'Arenberg Veranda restaurant and a visit to the d'Arenberg Cube, which Nick drove us to. The d'Arenberg experience was somewhat disappointing compared to Molly Dooker. In retrospect, I wish we had let Nick choose our lunch spot and a couple different wineries, instead of d'Arenberg (which we chose ourselves). The only real highlight of d'Arenberg was the fantastic view of the vale from one of its balconies.
Bottom line: Just tell Nick what you want to taste, experience, eat and he will find the right places take you to.
Also, we wrapped up a little early, so Nick graciously offered to take us to a nearby wildlife sanctuary where we got a glimpse of a kangaroo and an emu. He also took a brief detour to show us downtown Adelaide before dropping us off at the cruise terminal.