McLaren Vale is a picturesque country town approximately 45 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. With its vineyards sprawling over hundreds of undulating kilometres, it is the toast of South Australia's world-renowned Fleurieu Peninsular.
The town is bordered to the North, South and East by the ancient rolling Willunga Hills, while to the West lies the sparkling waters of the Gulf of St. Vincent.
With the sea being so close, less than 10km from the centre of town, the climate is quite moderate, almost Mediterranean.
Domenico soon discovered the region was ideal for viticulture and it was there in 1958 that he bought his first property of just 5.6 hectares.
Later he was to become vineyard manager for Seaview Wines of McLaren Vale and was responsible for the contoured vineyards that Seaview were renowned for in the 1960s. In 1968, the original school property of 20 hectares was purchased in the adjacent town of McLaren Flat.
In the years following, a further 12 hectares of adjoining land was purchased, making him one of the largest growers in the region at that time. In 1979, the winery was built with the aid of his wife Paula and two sons, Michael and Filippo, on the McLaren Flat property, with only a percentage of the tonnage harvest released onto the market under the Scarpantoni label.
The last two decades has seen major expansions to the Estate including the purchase of a property in the heart of McLaren Vale. This includes plantings of premium Shiraz, a wetlands development, a fully renovated winery and cellar door, and the future restoration of a historical homestead.
To this day, the winery is very much a family business with every step of production, from viticulture to the packaged product done entirely on the premises. This gives total control over every stage of the winemaking process and ensures that the highest standards are maintained.
