History
The original Woodstock property was named by English settlers, after their hometown of Woodstock, near Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. The Townsend Family, headed by William Louis Townsend, received a Crown Lease for the property in 1905, built a home with a brick well and established the estate as a vineyard and orchard. It has been known as Woodstock ever since.
In the centre of the town of Woodstock in England stands a set of medieval wooden leg stocks, which were historically used for the public punishment of townsfolk who had over-imbibed. A replica of these stocks welcomes you at the entrance of Woodstock Estate in McLaren Vale. Incidentally, our much-revered single vineyard Woodstock ‘The Stocks’ Shiraz, sourced exclusively from 31 rows of old Shiraz vines (planted circa 1900), has been cheekily named after this set of stocks!
Situated about 35 kilometres South of Adelaide and 10 minutes East of the beaches, McLaren Vale is not only a convivial place to visit, it is also one of the oldest winemaking regions in Australia. It is bordered by Adelaide to the North, the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Southeast, and the Gulf of St Vincent to the West. Its six sub-regions, though not officially declared, are Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, Seaview, McLaren Flat, Willunga and Sellicks Foothills.
Woodstock lies between McLaren Flat and Blewitt Springs, east of the town of McLaren Vale. These sub-regions benefit from cool nightly gully breezes and are home to some of the best Chardonnays in the region. Coupled with long warm days, the reds from McLaren Flat tend to show opulence yet elegance and a structure more refined than many in the region.