Great to be part of such a wonderful event, organised by East End Cellars our 2013 Pinot Noir was superbly matched with chef Nic Watt’s Duck Dish and I couldn’t have agreed more. The gentle delicate flavours and subtle smokey finish of the Pinot was a clever choice for the Duck.

Asian in theme we were matched with the main course, which although largely represented with a  Kangaroo Island presence, sommelier Duncan Vent insisted that the Adelaide Hills wine region have a voice and in particular the Piccadilly Valley with its hand-crafted cool climate wines – Pinot Noir country.

The duck,  a beautiful Mick Durdin aromatic duck leg confit served with potato galette, pickled red onion, hazelnut, lime and hoisin vinaigrette. A perfect combination for a balmy Autumn night.

Looking forward to working again with Tasting Australia and supporting great food with great wine.

On a side note, although chef Victor Liong wasn’t matching his dishes to our wine at Tasting Australia, he saw great potential for future combinations as he, “loved the haunting tones and beautiful length”.

Much thanks Victor.

A crisp and stunning morning at the beginning of harvest.

Cool air and a perfect Autumn day announced the beginning of the next week and a half of hand-picking the culmination of a years’ work. Chardonnay was first, followed swiftly by Sauvignon  Blanc and last but not least, the Pinot Noir. In all, good yields and exciting base flavours. Lots of room to play with all very different approaches for very different varietals.

The sunrise over the Uley Vineyard always gets me and never ceases to remind me of what a beautiful part of the world the Piccadilly Valley is –  a nice reprieve before the back breaking work begins.

Time to get my hands dirty with a little help from my friends.

 

It’s that time of year again, the moment we’ve all be waiting for, vintage.

Some really wonderful fruit across the varietals with distinctive full flavours. It’s always exciting, albeit exhausting, when an entire year’s work starts to come together. The late pick reminds me of the late 90’s where the weather and conditions were similar. How things come in cycles. As such should be a bold and distinctive vintage.

Hand harvesting has already begun and the results of labour look promising. Next week into the winery where we coax the delicate flavours into haunting tones and melodies,  capturing the essence of cool climate wine that the Piccadilly Valley is so famous for.