Inside F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and Olympic cyclist Tiffany Cromwell's McLaren Vale vineyard retreat in South Australia

Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas spends much of his time around the scream of high-tech engines, but at the South Australian home he owns with his partner, champion Australian road and gravel cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, the soundtrack to life couldn’t be more different.

The couple settled on the idyllic McLaren Vale property, with a six-hectare working vineyard and luxury guest accommodation, last November.

The Finnish star, who drives for Cadillac, and Cromwell, a South Australia-born Olympian, will use The Vineyard Retreat as their Australian base. 

The Blewitt Springs address includes a private main house with a vineyard outlook and, for guests to book, six upmarket villas with decks on the doorstep of the vines and two apartments in a converted cottage in nearby McLaren Flat.

When the couple have nowhere to be – which doesn’t happen often – a morning in wine country unfolds slowly.

After a sleep-in, Bottas says he whips up omelettes – “I’m the breakfast man” – and they relax outside, “enjoying the sounds of nature”.

Their connection to The Vineyard Retreat started five years ago when they holidayed there. Friends sent them the listing when it hit the market last year. Cromwell went to an inspection and was immediately impressed, and she urged Bottas to check it out.

“It just ticked all the boxes,” she says. “It was a ‘wow’ property compared to the others we’d looked at together. He was convinced enough to see it.”

Bottas needed little persuasion. He had been a McLaren Vale convert since that getaway. “I really enjoyed it here, and it’s a beautiful place,” he says. “The more I visited, it became pretty clear this is where we’ll have a base.”

Cromwell represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics and rides overseas for team Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto, and has multiple national and international victories to her name. Bottas is one of F1’s most experienced drivers and a dual runner-up in the World Drivers’ Championship with his previous team, Mercedes. 

As athletes, they are rarely in one place for long and have homes in Europe, including Monaco. However, the McLaren Vale home is the first they have decorated together from scratch. 

Cromwell took the lead on the design decisions – about “90 per cent” were hers, Bottas says. 

They value a home that provides a sense of respite, and have achieved that with natural tones and plush furniture to sink into. Kitting out the kitchen to be both the practical and social heart of the home was a priority. 

“We’re already on the move all the time,” Cromwell says. “It’s about making sure it’s super comfortable, where you can switch off and enjoy the time. 

“When you walk in the door you suddenly feel calm.”

With its vaulted timber ceilings, handsome stone fireplaces and rich blue accents, the house had existing elements the pair both liked, and were happy not to have to do a large-scale redecoration. 

Their additions have included a traditional wood-fired Finnish sauna, which is a daily ritual for Bottas, and a custom Weber outdoor kitchen and barbecue to enhance the outdoor entertaining space.

Cromwell has a confident sense of style, which she describes as “Nordic minimalism with pops of personality”, and thoughtful inclusions give a room character while remaining refined. A case in point is a playful lolly bag sculpture by contemporary New Zealand porcelain and glass artist Simon Lewis Wards.

Cromwell saw his work on social media and instantly wanted a piece to be a conversation starter in their new home. “It’s not a typical piece of art,” she says.

At least half of the furniture is from BoConcept, a Danish design house and manufacturer that suits Cromwell’s affinity for understated, modern classics.

They hadn’t deliberately sought to buy a property with a business attached, but have embraced the opportunity.

Followers of The Vineyard Retreat on Instagram will have seen Bottas replenishing the villas’ amenities, hanging fresh towels with the same precision he uses to tackle a hairpin turn.

South Australia is represented in the finer touches they have chosen, including premium Jurlique bathroom products made with ingredients from the company’s biodynamic farm in the Adelaide Hills.

The couple have plans to expand the experience with a concierge service and events, and are installing a guest wellness area with a Nordic sauna as the centrepiece.

A sweat session would be followed nicely by a glass of signature shiraz from grapes grown on the property, which is in development. The vineyard currently supplies grapes to local winemakers, including Samuel’s Gorge.

Cromwell never expected to own a house in South Australia, but it’s been a meaningful move. Living and competing abroad has changed her perspective on her home state.

“When you grow up here you kind of under-appreciate the place,” she says. “You know, it’s not a bad way of life.”

Meanwhile, Bottas has become an honorary Aussie. He hams it up – cycling in budgie smugglers and Instagramming his weekend Bunnings runs – but it’s clear that Australia is dear to him.

He is a passionate ambassador for South Australia, which he says is often underestimated. “It’s one of the most beautiful places overall that you can find.”

Through The Vineyard Retreat, guests are discovering precisely why they chose this patch to put down roots.

Although they have yet to think of a name for their upcoming red wine, perhaps The Long Way Home would be fitting for a couple who have travelled the world and found their perfect place among the vines.