Practicing patience in Piccadilly

You probably know that we love working with great vintage sites. At Lenswood we were lucky enough to find a terrific vineyard with established vines, planted in 1999, and we’ve been making single vineyard wines from Lenswood since 2014.  More recently, we bought 5.5 hectares of land in the Piccadilly sub-region of the Adelaide Hills, where we’ve planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at very high vine densities (over 10,000 vines per ha, about 4 times the normal Australian vine density). This season we got our first small crop, and the fruit looks seriously good. We’ll need to be patient, but the signs are there that our Piccadilly Vineyard will give us some really special wines over the next few years.

 

False Alibi Cocktail Recipe

Whilst not its intended purpose, we are flattered nonetheless that the cocktail’s creator insists that only the  very best ingredients be used hence the selection of Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc.  

Either way it is delicious, perfect for Easter!

False Alibi Recipe

1. Separate the white from an egg 

2. Combine the below ingredients in a large cocktail shaker:
     20ml Passionfruit syrup
     15ml Lemon juice
     10ml Gum Arabic syrup
     1.25ml White balsamic
     35ml Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc
     20ml Vodka 

3. Add egg white to the rest of the ingredients and shake with a small handful of crushed ice until ingredients are dissolved and very cold. 

 4. Pour 20ml Perrier into a chilled narrow highball glass. 

5. Rinse the cocktail shaker with 20ml Perrier and top up glass. 

6. Garnish with hibiscus tincture. 

If you need Sauvignon Blanc to make this recipe, order here

Enjoy! 

Meatsmith's Roast Porchetta

Ahead of the festive season, our friends at Melbourne's speciality butcher and wine merchant, Meatsmith, have shared their delicious porchetta recipe - the hero of the dining table.

Porchetta works best with medium-bodied, fruit-driven wines, making our 2021 Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir the perfect choice. The cool ripening conditions produced Pinot Noir with intense red and blue fruit flavours, and excellent balance. Complex, aromatic, medium-bodied with deceptive power, silky tannins and long-term ageing potential. The 2021 shows black cherry, darker fruits, and underlying gamey aromas with great flavour and length.

HOW TO ROAST A PORCHETTA

A rare breed belly porchetta is one of the heroes of the sharing table. Slow-cooked over a couple of hours and only needing a bright salad and crusty bread rolls to serve, it's the ultimate in laidback catering. Beachport Berkshires and Glen Eyrie Farm supply Meatsmith with exceptional pork, and the belly is generously seasoned with fennel seed, garlic, chilli, parsley and lemon, before being rolled and trussed, ready to slow roast. The key is to make sure the skin is completely dry, it's massaged with plenty of sea salt and loads of quality olive oil. You can find their fail-safe method below.

Please note, Meatsmith recommends the same amount of cooking time for all weights of porchetta.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x Rare Breed Porchetta
• Quartz Hill Olive Oil
• Murray River Sea Salt
• Meatsmith mustard

PREPARING THE ROAST

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Make sure the porchetta is completely dry. Meatsmith reccomends leaving the porchettas uncovered in the fridge overnight.Score the porchetta into the skin and fat, 1cm apart.

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the scored porchetta.

Massage the oil into the skin.Season the porchetta generously with Murray River sea salt, rubbing the salt evenly into the incisions.

ROASTING THE PORCHETTA

Place the porchetta onto a wire rack that nestles into the baking tray and then into the preheated oven. It's ideal to have as much space as possible around the porchetta for the air to evenly circulate, creating crisp crackling.

Add a splash of water to the base of the roasting dish and oast the porchetta for two hours.

Increase the temperature of the oven to 220C, then roast the porchetta for a further 30 minutes so that the crackling forms.

 

RESTING AND CARVING THE PORCHETTA

Once you have achieved the crunchiest of crackling, remove the porchetta from the oven.

Place it on a board and allow the porchetta to rest uncovered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes of resting, remove the trussing string from the porchetta.

Using a sharp carving knife, slice the porchetta into 2cm rounds.

Serve one slice of porchetta per person with dressed leaves and Meatsmith mustard.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PORCHETTA

Porchetta is delicious and served as part of a Sunday roast spread with gravy, potato gratin and a shaved fennel salad - we also love the leftovers stuffed into bread rolls dressed with a vibrant herb sauce.

See the original recipie and other pork recipes from Meatsmith here. If you're located in Melbourne, purchase your Porchetta from the experts at Meatsmith here.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PORCHETTA

Porchetta is delicious and served as part of a Sunday roast spread with gravy, potato gratin and a shaved fennel salad - we also love the leftovers stuffed into bread rolls dressed with a vibrant herb sauce.

See the original recipie and other pork recipes from Meatsmith here. If you're located in Melbourne, purchase your Porchetta from the experts at Meatsmith here.

Image & Recipe Credit: Meatsmith

Christmas Gift Guide 2022

This year's Christmas Gift Guide provides gift inspiration for even the most difficult wine and food connoisseur.

One lucky person has the chance to WIN everything listed in the Shaw + Smith gift guide, pictured above, valued at over $1,000. For your chance to win, place an order online or in the Tasting Room before 15 December 2022.* You will automatically go in the draw to win.

CUBE™ Portable BBQ - Everdure by Heston Blumenthal | $299 | Shop here

Grill on the go. The Everdure CUBE has been designed in collaboration with world-renowned chef Heston Blumenthal and made in Australia.

Shaw + Smith 3 x 375ml Gift Box | $85 ($76.50 for Wine Club members) | Shop here

Our half bottle gift box. Included in the box is 1 x 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, 1 x 2021 M3 Chardonnay, and 1 x 2019 Shiraz (all 375ml bottles). 

eto Stainless Steel Finish Wine Decanter | $314 | Shop here

Not only does the eto decanter decant your wine, it also preserves it. eto's unique preservation system creates a seal between the wine and the air, reducing your wine’s exposure to oxygen.

TASTE by Stanley Tucci | $34.35 | Shop here

From award-winning actor and food-obsessed Stanley Tucci comes a heartwarming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.

Mud Australia Cheese Platter | $325 | Shop here

Since 1994, Mud Australia has created elegant and timeless handmade porcelain homewares, and their cheese platter is no exception. 

Maison Balzac Lemonade Glass Summer Set | $99 | Shop here

These four drinking glasses are each hand crafted from coloured borosilicate glass. The perfect vessel for your favourite summer drink.

The Fish Weight by Josh Niland | $150 | Shop here

Josh Niland is the chef and owner of seafood mecca Saint Peter. Their fish weights are the essential tool for achieving crisp skin fish.

Little Greeves Chilli Oil 250ml | $15.95 | Shop here

Handmade in Melbourne, Little Greeves Chilli Oil is the aromatic, spicy pantry essential that makes bad things taste good and good things taste better. 

Playing Cards x David Shrigley | $19.00 | Shop here

A pack of 57 playing cards that have been individually hand-illustrated by visual artist David Shrigley. In keeping with his style of humour, all suits are drawn black

Competition terms and conditions here.

Recipe: Tandoori Trout with Wombok Salad by Tonka, Melbourne

The sweetness and earthiness of the trout paired with tandoori spice, in this recipe from Melbourne favourite, Tonka, plays right into the fragrance of our 2021 Pinot Noir. 

TANDOORI TROUT

Ingredients:

Ocean Trout - 4 pieces
Fennel seeds 3g
Mustard seeds 7g
Red onion 700g
Ginger garlic paste 40g
Green chilli 15g
Turmeric powder 5g

Method:

Slice onions. Heat a little vegetable oil and cook on low heat until brown.
Toast fennel seeds and mustard seeds until fragrant.
Roughly chop green chilli.
Once onions are cooked, add in toasted spices and turmeric powder and chilli. Mix well.
Leave to cool slightly then blend until smooth and season with salt.
Use when cold to marinade trout.

Cook the trout on a hot barbecue or grill until pink.

WOMBOK SALAD

Ingredients:

1/4 wombok cabbage, sliced finely
1/4 bunch coriander leaves
1/4 bunch Vietnamese mint
1 lebanese cucumber, cut on an angle, deseeded
1 long red chilli, sliced
1 green chilli, sliced
100ml lemon juice
25g castor sugar
Fish sauce to taste

Method:

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice, fish sauce and sugar into a dressing and toss the salad. Add sliced chilli for garnish. 

Recipe: Chiswick's Ocean Trout

Chef Taylor Cullen from Chiswick restaurant, in Sydney's picturesque Woollahra, shares his passion for flavour and texture with this delicious ocean trout recipe. The delicacy of the trout, combined with the subtle flavours of the anchovy butter, make this dish a beautiful match for our latest release 2021 M3 Chardonnay. 

ANCHOVY BUTTER

200g butter unsalted
50g ologasti anchovy- pick the small ones
30g lemon zest
Pepper
Salt
8x nasturtium flowers

Fine chop anchovy and shred the flower petals, mix all together, store.

WOOD ROASTED CABBAGE

1x cabbage

Roast cabbage on wood in the oven until black completely black and almost cooked through. 

Peel off outer black layers and clean the cabbage with a chux or paper towel.

Alternatively, put it on the BBQ until black or under the grill.

Break down into 120g portions with no core.

Steam for 4 minutes and toss through Anchovy butter.

DASHI

4cm kombu
20g bonito flakes
2x dried shiitake
200ml water
½ Lemon juice
20ml Soy sauce
Xanthan gum

Take water to 80 degrees celsius, add kombu, shiitake and bonito.

Let cool to room temperature, strain, place on heat and put in a little xantan until liquid slightly thickens  - the consistency will be in between olive oil and water.

Season with remaining ingredients and chill.

OCEAN TROUT

Cut trout and leave skin side up in the fridge for 2 hours to dry the skin, place skin side down in a smoking hot skillet and press until completely flat and you stop feeling the skin bubble.

Cook for 3 minutes until black - it can be super dark- flip and cook for 10 seconds on underside then remove from pan.

Place trout on plate with cabbage tossed butter - pour a little dashi on top of trout, then add more salt and olive oil, serve.

The Interview Series #10

Georgia, you started with Shaw + Smith in 2021. Can you tell us  a little about how you ended up in the wine industry?

I’ve been in hospitality for years, and I really enjoy food and wine. I also really love cooking and growing things so I decided one day to try studying and thought winemaking would be a sort of marriage of making things and being in the world of food and wine without having to do the hospo life! 

I’m hoping to further explore the viticulture side of the industry as well, as I love seeing the cycles of the seasons and how vines develop and produce the grapes we love so much.

What does a typical day in the lab look like during vintage?

Busy! Each day can be slightly different but overall we need to keep on top of what’s going on in the winery, in terms of fruit processing (press loads), barreling down of white juices or red wines, transfers and ferments so that we can do analysis where required. We also help culture yeast and malo bugs (to conduct malolactic fermentation) which is pretty cool to see. 

At the start of vintage we analyse maturity samples from growers and our own vineyards, this information is passed onto the winemakers and viticulturalists to help make picking decisions.

The lab is a really great place to get an overview of what is going on across the entire winery from crushing through to bottling. We communicate with the winemakers throughout the day which is helpful to understand the decisions they make on a daily basis and then see the results in the wine.

You work incredibly long days, do you think your hospitality experience prepared you for this? What gets you through a shift?

Yes, for sure. Being able to work on your feet for 12 hours during vintage is certainly a fitness I developed working doubles in restaurants! It’s nice to sit down sometimes to do some computer work but generally I like to be up and about. But the adrenaline you get from a busy day in the winery, similar to a busy service in hospo, gives you so much energy which makes the work easier. 

Also coffee is the MVP.

Lastly, is there a wine from the 2022 vintage that you’re particularly excited to try?

I do love the Tolpuddle wines, it’s very exciting to see the fruit arrive knowing how far it’s come. We haven’t seen all of it yet but it’s looking awesome so far.

And also the Riesling, I love our Riesling. It's only just starting ferment, but it's such a delicious wine, I’m always excited to see it every year.

 

Recipe: Beef Ribs, Burnt Carrot, Pickled Swede, by Five Regions Restaurant

Five Regions Restaurant, at the Oval Hotel in Adelaide, brings the South Australian wine regions to the city, pairing wines with regional produce as per the season.

This season, the Restaurant is featuring Shaw + Smith wines to match with their elegant menu, showcasing local ingredients. As part of this collaboration, they have shared their dish for you to try at home, Beef ribs, burnt carrots, pickled swedes, as a match to our new release 2020 Shaw + Smith Shiraz.

This is not a dish to leave to the last minute, and you might find you need two bottles of Shiraz (one when doing the meal prep, and another to pour with the final dish). Give yourself the time to prepare, and it’ll be well worth the wait!

Or, book in to Five Regions Restaurant and try the full five-course, Shaw + Smith paired degustation experience for yourselves, until end of March 2022.

---

BEEF RIBS, BURNT CARROTS, PICKLED SWEDES

Serves 4

By Sol Borlongan, Sous Chef Five Regions

This recipe needs planning and timing to deliver it at the right time – start it Thursday for your Saturday night get together, or spend Sunday prepping, and enjoy it on a Tuesday! The low and slow sous vide cooking tenderises the meat, combines the flavours whilst keeping an amazing texture unique to sous vide.

BEEF:

2 kg beef ribs (remove the skin-like membrane on the back of the ribs)

RUB

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon salt flakes
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf
Sprig lemon thyme
Splash red wine

Method:

Combine the salt and pepper.
Brush the mustard on the ribs and massage in the rub, sprinkle the wine.
Bag ready for sous vide.
Seal and cook for 48hrs at 54.5C ensure the ribs stay submerged in water for the entire time.
When done, remove from bag, pat dry
Brown over charcoal grill until caramelised. Rest for 30 minutes before slicing
Remove bones, slice to 8 slices.

SAUCE

Ingredients:

30g bacon, diced
500mL beef stock
2 shallots, finely diced
20g butter
30 ml red wine (shiraz works best)
20g tomato ketchup
10g Dijon mustard
5 ml cider vinegar
10ml Worcestershire
A few drops tabasco
50 mil apple juice
20 ml maple syrup

Method:

Brown the bacon in a large pan over a high heat until well browned. add the stock and deglaze the pan reduce the liquid by two-thirds.
Meanwhile, in another pan sweat shallots in the butter until soft. Add madeira.  bring to simmer and reduce the liquid by half.
Add the shallots mixture to the reduced stock and simmer to reduce the liquid for further quarter. skimming continuously.
Mix together all the remaining ingredients
Pass the mixture through the fine sieve before using to the baste meat.

BURNT CARROT

Ingredients:

3 carrots
1/4 tsp ground cumin, toasted
1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 tsp ground fennel seeds, toasted
(mix cumin, coriander, fennel all together)
1 teaspoon butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup cream
¼ lemon, juiced

Method:

Heat the oven to 200C. in a roasting pan combine the carrots with the oil, spice mixture, salt and pepper. Roast the carrots until tender and dark (almost burn).
In a food processor, puree the carrots with the butter, milk, lemon juice, salt to taste. if necessary, reheat the puree in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring.

PICKLE SWEDES

350g swedes, slice, cure with 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt for 30 min to 1 hr then wash

Pickling solution:

90g chardonnay vinegar
60g castor sugar
20g salt
1/2 tsp pink pepper corn
2 dried chilies

In a sauce pan bring all ingredients to the boil, Add the cured swedes in a clean jar and pour in the warm pickling liquid.

The Interview Series #9

In this Interview Series #9, Alex Camatta chats with Tasting Room personality, Sam Little.  Sam joined the team as Assistant Tasting Room Manager in 2020. 

Sam, can you tell us a little about your career before joining the Shaw + Smith team?

I actually fell backwards into the wine industry, to an extent. I studied Media at university and majored in journalism before moving into freelance work for local music and lifestyle blogs. After discovering a passion for all things fermented, I began working casually at the S.C. Pannell Cellar Door in McLaren Vale. I quickly fell in love with the wine industry and moved into a permanent role at SCP. I spent a great three years there, learning the craft and developing a keen interest in complex grape varietals like Nebbiolo and Chardonnay. I left Pannell early in 2020 due to musical opportunities which were sidelined by the pandemic, but was lucky enough that an opportunity came up here at Shaw + Smith. Chardonnay in mind, I jumped at it, and here I am.

What do you consider to be unique about the Shaw + Smith tasting experience?

I think it’s the purity of it. It’s truly all about the wine. It forces people to slow down and immerse themselves in the experience. I love the balance between conversational and informative – it’s what I look for when I venture out into the wine world. We’re also incredibly blessed with our team; the level of knowledge is encyclopaedic. The wine and cheese combination is brilliance in simplicity. It just works.

When you’re not pouring wine or navigating the Tasting Room Spotify List, what will we find you doing with your spare time?

You’ve hit the bullseye with music. My band and I have been lucky enough to tour a considerable part of Australia over the past couple of years. If I’m not pouring wine, there’s a good chance I'm drinking it somewhere sunny or making an idiot of myself on-stage – sometimes all at once.

Do you have a favourite wine/song pairing?

Sheesh, this is a tough one. If we’re going classy, it’d have to be 2016 Vietti Barolo Castiglione and Frank Sinatra’s cover of Blue Moon. Of an afternoon, though, 2019 Cobaw Ridge Chardonnay and the Go Farther In Lightness record by Gang Of Youths, in its entirety – it’s a long album so let’s chase that bottle with a 2019 S+S M3, thanks.

---

Tasting Room remains open 11-5, daily.  Sam and the team are working hard to maintain a safe environment for you to enjoy our wines, while navigating current restrictions. If you’re planning to visit, we recommend booking here.

Limited Edition Sauvignon Blanc Print, Belinda Aucott

We are excited to reveal a collaboration with Sydney based artist Belinda Aucott. Belinda has captured the essence of our inimitable Sauvignon Blanc with this limited edition, A1 print. 

Belinda says of the project, "Having grown up in the Adelaide Hills, it was a pleasure to return to Shaw + Smith's cellar door to be briefed on this project. Their whole team is world class, and I am very proud of this collaboration.

“Orange, blue, explosion and blackjack, these were some of the versions I worked on during the creation of the poster design for Shaw + Smith. I wanted to get the final image just right, staying true to the iconic brand, but without diluting my abstract style.

“Fresh green, zesty aromas define their cult classic Sauvignon Blanc, with pink grapefruit being one of my favourite flavour profiles. It’s a beautiful wine to drink, and I hope the final image is redolent of sunny times, shared with friends around the table.

“The Shaw + Smith team were great to work with, they let me do my impressionistic illustrations without interference, and they ultimately opted for a drawing that suits their wonderful, minimal and precise style.” 

Belinda Aucott is an illustrator and art lover who borders on being obsessed. A self-confessed Francophile, she is the author of the blog Champagne Republic, founded in 2014 to document her daily reveries. Her illustrative work has been published in; Australian Financial Review Luxury Magazine; Australian Gourmet Traveller WINE; Inside Out, Stellar Magazine and Harpers Bazaar Australia.

Commissioned by, and available exclusively through Shaw + Smith.