HOME OF THE WEEK: McLAREN VALE?

Seaford Heights? McLaren Flat? Nah. Morris Short, broker at ReMax, just happened to nominate this as his Home of the Week. It's in Rooty Hill, where the famous Minchinbury Vineyards covered the slopes west of Sydney for over a century.

As you can see, it's well-fortified.

Which is not to say you can't get architecture and planning to match this brilliance amongst the wineries south of Adelaide. Even the classic Reynella siltstone bush vine Shiraz Max Schubert chose to make up half of Grange has disappeared beneath such Tupperware Tuscany. Villa rash.

With the foreboding South Australia election pushing into vintage with three political parties instead of the usual two, planning issues we thought we'd cornered with the McLaren Vale and Barossa Protection legislations are suddenly under question, and the Glenthorne Farm scientific research site within the internationally-gazetted McLaren Vale GIC is under threat of development of one sort or another: anything but science and viticulture research, which is what it's for.

So next Wednesday, the 21st, we're having an important public meeting in McLaren Vale. The three candidates standing in the local seat of Mawson have agreed to take part in a public forum with the Mayor of Onkaparinga:

We'll first work through an agenda roughly following that "Where To Next" guide, then open the gathering for questions from the floor.

This is a great opportunity to clear the air and assist you choose or question your candidate, and have some vital input into the style of life you hope to enjoy in this beautiful, bounteous vignoble. 

Democracy is not a free gift. Give some of your brains and your time and get along!

We are fully aware that vintage is upon us, and people are working long shifts, so if there's a chance you can't make it, please ensure somebody takes your place. Send two proxies. It's important.

Nothing would be better than to see everybody leave with a new feeling of enlightenment, confidence and community. 

Let's give it a go!