Ever since the D'Arenberg Cube opened in 2017 I have wanted to visit. It has intrigued me. Seeing it up close today was so much better than seeing the photos. Let me try and describe it to you. It is a five storey building and to me it looks like a Rubik cube. A gentleman by the name of Chester Osborn came up with the idea of this building in 2003 and his inspiration came about from the complexities and puzzles of wine making. The Osborn family have tended vineyards in the McLaren Vale area size 1912 and continues producing distinctive wines. It was built at a cost of around $15million with the South Australian government contributing $2m.
The ground floor contains the Alternate Realities Museum and also the 360 degree theatre experience. I loved the museum. This art really draws me in with its quirkiness. There are QR codes on every art piece and you scan them to hear Chester Osborn explain the artworks. Here is just a sample of what is contained on this floor.
The first floor is home to perhaps the most peculiar bathrooms in the country. The doors are hidden amongst so much greenery that it very hard to find your way in but isn't the toilet great!
We were so very fortunate that the second floor held an exhibition by Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). This multi million dollar exhibition has been displayed around the world and contains bronze sculptures and graphic artworks all on loan from the Dalí Universe in Switzerland. The bronze horse pictured below is valued at $1.5 million. I have always admired Dalí's work and the way certain artworks can contain multiple visions depending on the angle you look at them. It is a very impressive collection.
The third floor is where Singapore Circus is located. This is a melting pot of South-East Asian inspired cuisine. We did not dine here today but we may return as the dishes that we saw going to the tables looked very delicious.
The fourth floor brings us to the tasting room where you can enjoy a wine tasting of the D'Arenberg wines. The tasting room has 360 degree views over McLaren Vale, Willing Hills and the Gulf of St. Vincent. One of the highlights is the "Dead Arm Distinction" private wine tasting room. You can probably guess the décor of this room......
I absolutely loved the D'Arenberg Cube and it was the perfect thing to do on a rather bleak day. We left Adelaide around 10am and it was raining and the rain has continued, albeit lightly, all day. However, late this afternoon there was a break in the weather and Philip and I walked a section of the Shiraz Trail that starts behind our caravan park. It was quite windy and the temperature has dropped considerably to what we have been experiencing. Hopefully the cold front will have moved over us by tomorrow and we can enjoy a little more sightseeing.
 |
| The caravan park is on the other side of the little lake. |
No comments:
Post a Comment