The Blending Bench is a hands-on, interactive experience where you play winemaker. A palette of wine parcels, each with distinctive flavors and textures, are melded in search of balance, fullness and finesse. The tour operators have done the physical work – picking, crushing, fermenting, foot treading, basket pressing and barrel ageing, so that you get to create a wine that is truly unique. You then bottle, name and label a 750ml sample to take home and show off to your friends! Afterwards explore the grounds of the renowned D'Arenberg Winery, taking in the rolling hills of McLaren Vale.

Take a scenic drive to Victor Harbor through the stunning Mclaren Vale region. Get a glimpse of the vineyards and rolling hills in the distance that you will be back to explore later. Arrive in Victor Harbor and be greeted with ocean views, discover the history, geology, and nature of the local area. Next, enjoy a 90-minute open ocean boat cruise through the Southern Ocean passing by Seal Rock, The Bluff and West Island. Witness the spectacular Waitpinga Cliffs and look out for seabirds such as petrels, shearwaters, and cormorants. Looping around Seal Island, see Australian sea lions and long-nosed fur seals basking in the sun or frolicking in the water. Following your Southern Ocean Adventure boat cruise sit down and enjoy a picnic lunch in one of the many reserves along Victor Harbor's foreshore. Soak up the atmosphere of this popular tourist town, with Granite Island in the distance you may even see one of the local horse-drawn trams crossing over the Causeway. After a short drive to the McLaren Vale wine region arrive at d'Arenberg Winery with time to explore the famous cube before enjoying a tasting session of their delicious biodynamic wines. Then heading onto Gemtree Winery, begin your progressive wine tasting and learn about the biodynamic practices and philosophy behind this family-owned property. Finish off the afternoon with a Vintner’s platter and a glass of Gemtree regional wine, before your afternoon drive back to Adelaide city.

Visit d'Arenberg Winery in the Mclaren Valley to taste some of the best shiraz the region has to offer. Taste 4 varieties of The Dead Arm Shiraz on a guided wine tasting, and visit the d'Arneberg Cube to immerse yourself in a multisensory wine experience. Since its release in 1993, The Dead Arm Shiraz has received hundreds of accolades from wine critics and judges from around the world. Take a self-guided journey to taste the history of this outstanding wine. On a guided wine tasting, taste 4 varieties of The Dead Arm Shiraz, including the current release vintage and three treasures from the d’Arenberg cellars. Find out why the esteemed Langtons Classification names The Dead Arm Shiraz among Australia’s most collected wines. Finish your experience with a visit to the d’Arenbeg Cube, a multi-function building set among Mourvèdre vines. The building has the optical illusion of floating in a vineyard, each level with sweeping views overlooking the rolling hills of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges. Each of the five levels has been carefully designed to entice and excite the senses, including features such as a wine sensory room, a virtual fermenter, a 360-degree video room, and many other tactile experiences.