Winetasting Far from Home

Question

_{This is part 51 of the puzzle series Around the World in Many Days. Each part is solvable on its own.}

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Dear Puzzling,

I hope you are well. My journey continues with another exciting destination. Today I have toured some lovely small towns that form an impressive wine-growing region. The culture in the area is quite distinct and has an interesting European influence. Can you guess where I am?

Love, Gladys.

^{Colouring note: In the three groups of cells on the right-hand side of the image, the line going through the first group of cells is green and the lines in the bottom two groups are red.}
Solve on Penpa+

Across
1. The S in PSE
5. Mos —, former stage name of rapper Yasiin Bey
7. Like B, M or P, phonetically
9. Go down a black diamond, perhaps
10. A Friend
11. Mystical life force
13. The first letter in Heraklion
15. Spurs supporters
18. E.g. MIT
20. An edible part of a lobster
21. The score at the start of overtime
22. — Moon, drummer of the Who

Down
2. Yugoslav leader
3. The Matterhorn, for example
4. African staple food
5. Satellite receiver
6. Maya the Bee's grasshopper friend
7. Lawyers' association
8. — Thieves, 1940s film classic
12. Mongrel
14. Magazine that selects the "Person of the Year"
16. Legislative assembly
17. Babe's home?
19. — Lilly, US pharmaceutical company

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Gladys will return in Aquatic Giants.

Answer 1

Gladys is visiting...

...the Barossa Valley, an area in South Australia with strong European heritage, renowned for producing wine.

The crossword solves as follows:

The final answer can be read off according to the rules specified to the right of the grid:

By drawing a line from letter to letter between the 'in' and 'out' arrows, without passing through solid walls or a letter 'I':



In fact, it's worth pointing out here that the crossword entries have clearly been specifically chosen so that there are 'I's positioned throughout the grid in such a way that there is only one possible route through the maze, without doubling-back on oneself at any point. This can be seen effectively by adding additional walls (here marked with crosses) around any cell containing an 'I':

Clue explanations:

Across
1. The S in PSE = STACK
5. Mos —, former stage name of rapper Yasiin Bey = DEF
7. Like B, M or P, phonetically = BILABIAL (produced with both lips)
9. Go down a black diamond, perhaps = SKI (ski slope difficulty indication)
10. A Friend = ROSS
11. Mystical life force = CHI
13. The first letter in Heraklion = ETA (the first letter in the native Greek spelling of 'Heraklion': Ηράκλειο)
15. Spurs supporters = YIDS
18. E.g. MIT = UNI(versity)
20. An edible part of a lobster = TOMALLEY
21. The score at the start of overtime = TIE
22. — Moon, drummer of the Who = KEITH

Down
2. Yugoslav leader = TITO
3. The Matterhorn, for example = ALP
4. African staple food = CASSAVA
5. Satellite receiver = DISH
6. Maya the Bee's grasshopper friend = FLIP
7. Lawyers' association = BAR
8. — Thieves, 1940s film classic = BICYCLE
12. Mongrel = MUTT
14. Magazine that selects the "Person of the Year" = TIME
16. Legislative assembly = DIET
17. Babe's home? = STY (Babe is a pig)
19. — Lilly, US pharmaceutical company = ELI