The first thing to say about Barbara Santich’s book is that it is not really a wine book at all. Instead it is a beautifully written celebration of the McLaren Vale, its appearance, people, traditions, its festivals, and of course, its wine. It’s a social history that actually begins prior to the white settlement of the region which, without excessively glorifying any of its qualities, paints an honest and appealing picture of this region, subtley linking the present with the past. Central to the theme of this book is the pride taken by the author in the quality of the wine and produce of this region for which she has a close, long-term relationship and a deep affection. While reading about the orchards, the olives and the vines it is sometimes easy to believe the words must describe a place more European than Australian. Exhaustively researched and skilfully written, McLaren Vale Sea and Vines is just the sort of book every wine region would want written about it. The only trouble is for those only a decade or two into their own history is that to weave such a tapestry of tradition and achievement takes at least a century. While most of its illustrations are adequately presented in black and white, most being old photographs, the occasional colour plate amply reflects what the author describes in her introduction as ethe impossibly high summer sky, the parched brown landscape, the olives and vines and almond blossom’ of this unique wine region, whose status and level of recognition in the wine world have never been higher. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to scratch beneath the labels of Australian wine.
