The McLaren Vale wine region is situated a short distance to the South of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The township of McLaren Vale, which gives its name to the region, is only 37 km from the centre of Adelaide and can be reached in under 45 minutes by car.

The region extends from the Sellicks Hill Range to the eastern side of Clarendon, just to the north of Reynella and is bounded to the west by the waters of Gulf St Vincent. The proximity of the sea to the west has a pronounced impact on the climate of the region, which combined with good air drainage means the vineyards enjoy minimal temperature variability and good exposure to cool afternoon breezes from the southwest. Regional temperature variability is less than 1.5° C, with the climate characterised by warm summers, moderate winters, winter-dominant rainfall (580-700 mm per annum), low relative humidity and relatively high evaporation.

Although the region is comparatively small, it contains a wide diversity of soil and microclimate interactions, called terroirs. Each terrior produces different characteristics in the wines.

Vines are planted on a wide variety of soils including podsolic soils of low fertility, fertile red-brown earths, terra rossa, rendzina, soldolic and dark cracking soils. Each of these soil types contributes to the rich diversity of wine produced by the winemakers of the region. Overall the soil is very poor and in many cases is sandy in nature and laid over clays, which means they hold very little water. This is, however, an advantage, as it allows the accurate control of moisture to the vines through the use of drip irrigation.