The movie "The Boys are Back ' shows McLaren Vale of its most romantic side: golden hills, beautiful beaches (where your car is allowed!) and of course vineyards. Director Scott Hicks, who lives in the region and has a vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, filmed at Dogridge winery. The winery was founded in the early nineties by Dave and Jen Wright. Their house, surrounded by vineyards and a hedge of roses, you immediately recognize if you've seen the movie.

DogRidge has one of the most charming wine cellar doors of the region: a small, utterly unpretentious room with a table in the center for visitors to taste. On the wall are hanging newspaper clippings. The wine region gained a lot of media attention as a result of the film. Very well, according to winemaker Fred Howard (Jens son), "McLaren Vale is often overlooked by tourists."

Some of the vineyards, which are controlled by his stepbrother Dan Wright, were built during World War II, others are younger. "Most were in bad shape when we bought it: the soil was exhausted by routinely spraying poison," says Howard. Now they are in excellent condition, because the Dogridge people take organic farming and sustainability very seriously. Howard: "Weeds, insects, birds, rodents, snakes, are all welcome. Everything is in balance. "

Meanwhile he serves his wine. The fresh 2005 Chardonnay The Pup has a mango and a little creamy in the flavor but turns out light and tight. The 2006 Cadenzia Grenache begins as a fruity, light jam but does have weight and complexity. The 2006 Shirtfront Shiraz has eucalyptus, blackberry, bitter chocolate and taste sultry. But the tastiest, in my opinion, is the Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: delicious 'dusty' with round, soft tannins.

A very friendly winery. That would also be Clive Owen’s opinion. The main character in "The Boys are Back” has left a signed photo, which has a nice spot in the cellar door.

This article was created in November 2009 by journalist Remke de Lange. For more wine articles: www.remkedelange.nl. This article is copyrighted