Shaw + Smith Yum Cha 2023

Every year we gather our friends in trade and celebrate our new release wines over Yum Cha. The tradition began over 30 years ago and now takes place in every state.

In 2023, the incredible team at Mr. Wong in Sydney hosted us for the tenth year. NSW Market Manager, Kavita Faiella reflects on 10 years at the venue: "Colloquially known by the Sydney trade as Shaw + Smith Christmas, Yum Cha is definitely a festive occassion, where we squeeze as many people into Mr. Wong as possible to celebrate the year that has been and the new vintage releases with delicious dumplings and excellent company. It really is one of the best days of the year."

These events have become integral to building relationships with sommelierrs, retailers and restaurants around the country. They're also a lot of fun!

A big thank you to all of the venues who helped make the 2023 Shaw + Smith Yum Cha events such a success:

Star House, Adelaide

Donna Chang, Brisbane

Me Wah, Hobart

Supernormal, Melbourne

Light Years, Newcastle

Miss Chow's, Perth

Mr. Wong, Sydney

21/08/2023 at 12:01 PM Permalink

The Interview Series #7

In this Interview Series #7, Tasting Room Manager Alex Camatta chats all things Chardonnay with Joint CEO and Chief Winemaker, Adam Wadewitz.

Adam, you’ve received many awards for Chardonnay over the years. Can you tell us more about your interest in this variety?

Prior to starting at Shaw + Smith, I was the senior winemaker for Seppelt, based in the Grampians at Great Western. The exciting part of working there for me was a vineyard in the South, in the Henty region, called Drumborg which was planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. It is one of the coolest mainland regions in Australia. My interest in Chardonnay was really piqued at this time so I’ve long been a Chardonnay tragic.

While working for Seppelt, I remember having a chance to see wines from all around Australia and the ones that really stood out to me were Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. It’s quite serendipitous that I have now spent the last 9 years working with Adelaide Hills and Tasmanian fruit. It’s been a fascinating journey to be on.

What do you think makes the Adelaide Hills so well suited to Chardonnay?

It’s the one variety for me that is a real match made in heaven. Not often in new world places, and particularly in Australia, do you find such balance.

Often in cold places you end up with high natural acidity, but you don’t always see weight. What you see in the Hills is a mid-palate weight which gives shape to the wine and is beautiful. I feel there’s a real attraction and affinity of Chardonnay with (parts of?) the Adelaide Hills.

We’ve seen considerable changes to our viticulture practices over the last few years, including entering the process of organic conversion. How impactful are our vineyard practices on the final wine?

We take a holistic approach which informs everything we do. It starts with doing the right thing by the soil. And when you’re doing the right thing by the soil, you’re also doing the right thing by the plants and the microbes that are living there. As a result, we have more resilient, healthier plants. We sometimes see less fruit, but that’s ok when you have more balance.

Ultimately, it’s about the place and the attributes of that place. There’s certainly lots you can do with Chardonnay; you can shape it to be a better version of itself. For us, it always comes back to where it’s from, and when we finally get the fruit in the winery, we like that there isn’t much we need to do. 

Is there a particular vintage of Chardonnay you have made at Shaw + Smith that stands out for you?

There’s a few. I remember the 2014 vintage was an amazing year because it was so cold and there was a lot of flavour intensity. I remember sticking a flag in the ground and saying that we’re not going to see a better vintage than this! While I’m not sure we have, when 15 rolled around it was also a stand out.

The thing about chardonnay is that there is some malleability to it. You can like a chardonnay in two very different seasons for different reasons. In the warmer seasons you get opulence and in cooler seasons you see acidity and fineness.

If there is one wine that leaves me thinking more than most, it is the yet to be released 2019 Lenswood Vineyard Chardonnay. It’s a special wine.

The 2014 M3 Chardonnay has been made available in a Chardonnay Wine Flight for Chardonnay May. Book your tasting here.

23/04/2021 at 1:44 PM Permalink

Recipe: Fino Vino's BBQ Chicken

Recipe: Fino Vino’s BBQ CHICKEN, SWEETCORN, BLACK BARLEY, MISO BUTTER

Fino Vino, originally of Willunga, and then Seppeltsfield fame, is a delightful wine bar and restaurant in Adelaide’s CBD.

The Shaw + Smith vintage crew took over Fino Vino earlier this month, celebrating the official end to an excellent vintage. A stand-out dish from this lunch was Fino Vino’s take on BBQ Chicken. A brined and butterflied chicken which Executive Chef and co-owner David Swain steams and grills to absolute perfection, this is like a warm hug, a true comfort dish. Our new release 2020 M3 Chardonnay is a great match for this white meat masterpiece.

Tip: this recipe calls for overnight brining, make sure you start your preparation a day in advance.

BBQ CHICKEN, SWEETCORN, BLACK BARLEY, MISO BUTTER by FINO VINO
David Swain, co-owner, Executive Chef

Serves 4

STEP ONE | Brine solution

INGREDIENTS

1 litre water
60g salt
40g sugar
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
7 coriander seeds
1 clove

METHOD

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil. Remove from heat and place in your fridge until completely chilled before using.

STEP TWO | Preparing chicken for brining

INGREDIENTS

1 whole free-range chicken

METHOD

Find your favourite chicken and ask your butcher to butterfly it. 

Place chicken in brining liquid ensuring it is fully covered in liquid. Place in refrigerator overnight (about 16 hours).

Remove chicken from the brining liquid and pat dry with absorbent paper. Set aside.

STEP THREE | Preparing corn and barley

INGREDIENTS

2 corn cobs in their husks
1 cup black barley, cooked al dente
250mls chicken stock
10g white miso paste
50g unsalted butter
1 bunch chives, finely sliced
Salt and pepper

METHOD

Steam corn cobs in the husk for 15 minutes. Once cooked, peel and char over a hot barbecue until charred. Remove from heat, slice kernels from the cob and set aside.

STEP FOUR | Cooking the chicken

Pre heat a lidded barbecue to 200℃.

Place the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin is nicely caramelised. Turn the chicken over, reduce heat to medium or low, cover and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until done.

Remove from barbecue, cover with foil, rest the chicken for 15 minutes.

STEP FIVE | Assembling the dish

In a pot, combine corn, black barley, chicken stock, miso paste, chives, butter and seasoning to taste. Bring to the boil.

When almost at boiling point, carve the chicken and arrange on a serving plate. Remove corn and barley mixture from the heat and spoon over the chicken. Serve immediately.

22/04/2021 at 2:47 PM Permalink

Competition Winners | 2019 Adelaide Hills Luxury Escape + Win a Shaw + Smith Cellar

Congratulations to Kelly Flynn, the winner of our Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills Luxury Weekend Competition 2019 and Chris Byrne, the winner of the Shaw + Smith $1000 Cellar.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks also to Sequoia Lodge, Mount Lofty House for their participation in this sensational prize.
 

09/08/2019 at 12:00 PM Permalink

News from Shaw + Smith

Continuing Shaw + Smith’s focus on education for both the trade and our customers, we will be holding our bi-annual series of workshops with the focus this year on Shiraz.
 
Given the evolution in cool-climate Shiraz production in Australia, these workshops are an opportunity to compare different examples, explore the issues specific to growing and making Shiraz in these climates, and assess the development of style and quality. Northern Rhone wines will sit beside leading Australian producers including the single vineyard Shaw + Smith Balhannah Shiraz and Shaw + Smith Shiraz 2015.  Presenters include winemakers Martin Shaw and Adam Wadewitz, plus David LeMire MW and Dan Coward.

Workshops will be held in WA, Vic, SA and Qld and are $95 for consumers. Trade are by invitation only.

Click on your state above for details and bookings.

In NSW please visit Prince Wine Store for their workshop event by clicking here.

02/05/2017 at 8:58 PM Permalink

Winner of the luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge

Congratulations to Jacquie Elliott from QLD - you are the winner of the Shaw + Smith luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island.

Thank you to everyone who has entered our luxury weekend at Southern Ocean Lodge competition.  We have had an overwhelming response and are so pleased to partner with Southern Ocean Lodge  and Habitus to bring you this amazing prize.

08/07/2013 at 10:39 AM Permalink

2013 Vintage Report - Martin Shaw and David LeMire MW

Winter / Spring rainfall - Winter rainfall for Balhannah was 70mm below the long-term average though irrigation dams were full by late July. In Mid-September rainfall virtually ceased. From October through to harvest there was only an additional 80mm recorded.

Flowering – Flowering was underway early, beginning on November 10th, and weather conditions were excellent. This meant 2013 had the potential to be a high-yielding year, and it was important to control yields to achieve ripeness and concentration.

Weather up to and including harvest - The season was warmer than usual with an occasional one and two day heat spike. The positive was the consistently cool nights that tempered the season in general.   It was a year of high irrigation demand to establish adequate vine growth early in the season then to retain it through to harvest. However it was a very easy year in terms of disease risk, with no disease issues at all. Harvest began early on February 16th for clone 777 Pinot Noir, and was underway for Sauvignon Blanc on February 21st.

Stand out varieties  - Some great examples of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. The caveat being that you needed good vine health to endure heat spikes and a moderate yield to allow you to pick at the optimum time. Thinning fruit to achieve our target yields was crucial, and in the case of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, some blocks were thinned twice, and some three times.

Overall quality – taking into account a warmer than average growing season and a compressed harvest window we have been pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of fruit from the 2013 Vintage. The white wines look very solid, but it may be the reds that have the edge at this early stage as they continue to impress in the winery.

15/04/2013 at 4:36 PM Permalink

Meet the Judges: Michael Hill Smith MW

Meet the Judges: Michael Hill Smith MW (Decanter.com, Monday 25 February 2013)

Michael Hill-Smith MW DWWA 2013 Regional Chair
Michael Hill Smith MW works in many areas of the wine trade, including at his own vineyard, Shaw + Smith. Find out about one of our two Regional Chairs for Australia in this interview...

Tell us a little about yourself – where are you based and where do you work?
After passing my MW in 1988, I set up Shaw + Smith in the Adelaide Hills with my winemaking cousin and close friend Martin Shaw. After 23 vintages this still remains my major focus – augmented by wine judging, masterclasses, wine consulting (for clients including Singapore Airlines), and an unseemly amount of travel.

Tell us a bit about your expertise and how you got into wine?
As I was born into a wine family, wine has always been part of my life. Yet it was not until my early twenties that I became aware of the diversity and wonder of wine.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while working in the wine industry?
Always be true to your palate – regardless of the reputation or provenance of a wine. Objectivity is creditability.

Who has been your biggest inspiration during your wine career?
Without question, Len Evans - Decanter Man of the Year 1997. His carrot and stick approach gave me the confidence to move to the UK to study for the MW, and to set up Shaw + Smith on my return.

What are your most memorable wine moments from the last ten years?
It’s hard to isolate any one standout [moment] in a myriad of good bottles, fine food and interesting people. As a mate of mine points out - "Working in wine is work – but not as most people understand the concept".

Which kinds of wines do you think should be given more attention in 2013?
Wines from dynamic and talented people, driven by quality not fashion. In Australia this often equates to small-to-medium sized producers making exciting regional wines with a sense of place.

Which wines are you drinking at home at the moment? Is there a strong wine scene in your city?
Burgundy, both white and red; aged Aussie Riesling; top quality Pinot Noir and the best of Australia's 'new wave' Chardonnays.

And yes, as Adelaide is home to many winemakers so it has a healthy and inquisitive wine scene.

What’s your desert island wine?
1978 DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) La Tache for the evenings and Dom Perignon Rosé on tap during the day.

What single piece of advice do you have for people just starting out in wine?
Drink wine mindfully – think about what you are tasting, and take the time to learn about the wine in your glass.

When judging, what are you looking for in great wine?
Balance, length, intensity, complexity, and a sense of uniqueness.

Finally, what are you looking forward to most about judging at the Decanter World Wine Awards?
Catching up with the old and bold, and the best and brightest. The camaraderie amongst judges is what keeps me coming back."

Read more at http://www.decanter.com/people-and-places/interviews/583661/meet-the-judges-michael-hill-smith-mw#FIjXoxHuxR3YHgTI.99

07/03/2013 at 8:05 AM Permalink