The Clare is a working rural community;many farms and vineyards have been in the same families for generations. You are in the country,so don't expect city-slicker attitudes.
Places to eat
Skillogalee(www.skillogalee.com.au) is regarded as one of Australia's best winery restaurants. Run by Dave and Diana Palmer for the past 20 years,Skillogalee serves lunch 363 days a year and offers seating for about 30 guests in two rustic rooms and for a further 40 to 50 on the verandah,overlooking the winery's gardens. All dishes on the menu can be matched to Skillogalee wines and morning and afternoon teas are served and gourmet picnic baskets are available,although it is as a long-lunch venue that Skillogalee has built its reputation. There are several bed-and-breakfast options for those who wish to stay.
Wild Saffron (wildsaffron.com.au) is a licensed gourmet cafe at which owner Jodi Weckert has meals to eat in or take away - perfect for those staying in a self-catering cottage. The menu changes daily and breakfast is available at weekends.
Reilly'swinery restaurant at picturesque Mintaro,a village noted for its stone cottages,is open for lunch seven days a week and specialises in"from the garden to the plate"cuisine. There's an organic garden that guests are invited to wander through. Sit by the fire in winter,or on the verandah in summer.
Cygnets at Auburn,the recently openedLast Word Innat Clare (open seven days until 9pm) and the newArtisan's Table,next to the Kirrihill cellar door,also do good food,while the Penna Lane and Eyre Creek cellar doors offer regional platters. The Wheatsheaf and the Sevenhill Hotel both have good pub meals.
Wineries and cellar doors
Most Clare Valley wineries are family-owned and there's a good chance of meeting the winemaker or viticulturist at the cellar door of venues such asMitchells,Pikes,Neagles Rock,Crabtree,Paulett,Taylors,Tim AdamsandJim Barry. Pop intoSevenhilland you'll find Jesuit monks tending their grape vines,just as their predecessors have done for more than 150 years.
For some of the best views in the valley,Mount Surmon'slofty terrace is the place to head. Here the vineyard platter is laden with regional tastes including olives,chicken,fetta,dried tomatoes and pickled vegetables. AtPaulett,too,the vistas are as spectacular as the dry rieslings. Pikes's beautiful 1870s cellar door overlooks vines in the Polish Hill River valley. Here,Cathy Pike has introduced grazing plates to eat on site or take away. A $20 gourmet package has a selection of cheeses,walnuts,olives and fig paste,as well as an environmentally friendly bamboo plate and wooden knife.
Riesling specialistO'Leary Walkerhas just opened its new cellar door,which promises to be one of the region's most attractive,while the newly openedEyre Creekcellar door near Auburn has been converted from an old dairy into an intimate tasting space overlooking the dry-grown vineyard.
TheKnappsteincellar door in the former Enterprise Brewery building is now also home to a microbrewery. Both the cellar door and brewery are open for tours and tastings.
Wendoureemakes some of Australia's long-living reds and has cult status among aficionados but is open only by appointment,whileKilikanoon,Grosset(open only when there is something to sell),Annie's LaneandKirrihillare also popular.
Places to stay
Thorn Park by the Vines(thornpark.com.au) is the new boutique venture for David Hay and Michael Speers,whose famous Thorn Park country-house hotel is now a Jesuit retreat. It offers boutique accommodation and fine food with residential cooking classes available by appointment. There are just two rooms,making this the perfect escape for couples.
There are dozens of small,self-catering cottages dotted through the villages and vines,withHughes ParkandRiver Walk Cottageamong the most popular.
Other favourites with regular visitors includeNorth Bundaleer Homestead,The Reserve Apartmentin Clare,Quince Cottagenear Watervale and theStationmaster's Residencein Clare. Guests can enjoy an outdoor bath atWilliam Hunt's Retreatin Mintaro.
Main attractions
The annualClare Valley Gourmet Weekend,to be held on May 15-16,will draw up to 10,000 people to the region to enjoy the flavours provided by local food producers,restaurateurs and winemakers.
The valley was the first to host a regional food and wine festival in Australia and the region's hamlets remain popular. The valley mood is authentically Australian - and there's usually a friendly welcome at its cellar doors.Martindale Hallat Mintaro was used as the set of the girls'boarding school for the moviePicnic at Hanging Rock,while the town of Freeling,on the way to the Clare from the Barossa,is better known as where the popular television seriesMcLeod's Daughterswas shot.
Natural attractions
Walkers and cyclists will love theRiesling Trail- an old railway line now transformed into a popular riding track. The 35-kilometre sealed bicycle track connects the townships of Auburn,Leasingham,Watervale,Penwortham,Sevenhill,Clare and White Hut.
The trail is a segment of the 800-kilometre Mawson Trail for mountain bikers and is a fabulous way to experience the region's townships and history.
Local secret
Claymore Wines(claymorewines.com.au) is one of the more idiosyncratic producers in the Clare,with all its offerings named after famous rock songs or artists.
Wines such as the Dark Side of the Moon shiraz,Joshua Tree riesling,Deja Vu rose,Purple Rain sauvignon blanc,You'll Never Walk Alone grenache shiraz and Walk on the Wild Side shiraz viognier have become collectors'items among rock fans.
Your favourites can be sampled at the cellar door. The wines are very good.
Just up the road
KapundaandBurraare heritage towns that began life as copper-mining outposts. Both have stone cottages and historic buildings.
Kapunda,the former home of cattle baron Sir Sidney Kidman,is best known for it statue of miner Map Kernow (Son of Cornwall),which greets visitors as they drive into town.
Burra is a beautifully preserved place. Its attractions include the former Redruth Gaol and the Monster Mine,as well as Thorogoods of Burra (a boutique cider brewery) and the Uptown Gallery.
In the 1850s,Burra was second only to Adelaide in population in South Australia.
More information
The Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend is on May 15-16. Contact the Clare Valley Information Centre at Main North Road,Clare. Seeclarevalley.com.au andsouthaustralia.com.