Shiraz is a Fickle Mistress

There are several famous wine regions in Australia, and two of them are in the state of South Australia: McLaren Vale and the Barossa. To prepare for trips to these regions, we went to Adelaide's Good Food and Wine Show last weekend where we sampled dozens of SA wines and got our grubby little Canadian hands on as many food samples as possible.

In Line for the McLaren Vale Shiraz Tasting

We were a bit disappointed in the food on offer, but all of the vendors were really informative and generous with their wines. I will avoid boring details about bouquet and oaking techniques and local winery histories, but I will share some of the basics that we learned:

• This region is hot but is subject to maritime influences. The soil is loamy and dry, resulting concentrated flavours, tannins and phenols
• Shiraz, CabSauvs, Semillon, and Riesling vintages do well under these conditions
• Wines that are matured in oak barrels contain more phenols and complexity than wines that are just fermented in oak and then bottled
• The Shiraz and CabSauvs from both McLaren Vale and the Barossa often benefit from some aging in the bottle (1-4 years) because they possess tight tannic structures that need to mellow and break down...so it doesn't feel as though you've been chewing cotton balls

On October 15th our aunt and uncle took us to McLaren Vale. We started the day in Willunga, the main town in the region, for their weekend market. After sampling and buying some lavender fudge, we headed off for our first winery, Richard Hamilton Wines. It just so happens that our aunt used have a "thing" with Richard (ahem, I mean, Dr. Hamilton), so we just had to stop here. We weren't crazy about the vintages they were offering at their cellar door, but we did buy a Riesling due to the connection with the grower. We also stopped at Hardy's, Settlement, and Oliver's Taranga. We actually sampled a Shiraz and Tempranillo from Taranga at the Good Food and Wine Show, so we wanted to see where the grapes were grown. While we did not particularly like Taranga's Tempranillo or Cab, we really liked their Shiraz. In fact, Kate liked their 2007 Reserve so much at the cellar door that she asked me to buy her a bottle for her upcoming birthday. This Shiraz is juicy and has a full-mouth Cab feel yet finishes just dry and spicy enough to counterbalance that initial splash of flavour.

Outside of Settlement Wines. Can you Tell We've Had a Few? 

...When We Are Not Making Pizza or Drinking Wine

McLaren Vale was beautiful and only thirty minutes away from Adelaide. We are going to the Barossa in two weeks to see how their Shirazes measure up. But the important question is: who is going to be the designated driver?!

Aussie Rules for Demolishing

In addition to pizza-making, Kate and I have been seeking truly Aussie (and, more specifically, South Australian) experiences over the past few weeks.

One of the things that we wanted to do since planning this trip in Vancouver was to attend an Aussie Rules (Australian Football League) game. We picked a good time to be here because the national league Grand Final (yay Geelong!) took place two weeks ago and the SANFL Final was this past weekend. We nabbed free tickets to the SANFL game thanks to Dan the Man and enjoyed a nail-biter between the West Torrens Eagles and the formidable Central Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won the past five years, so it was great to see the underdog pull through. 

Aussie Rules: Crazier and More Exciting Than Gridiron!

We have done well on the food front, what with our job at Vili's Bakery, but we have been hunting down the illusive Ned Kelly Pie. Due to their colonial origins, Australians love meat pies and sausage rolls, yet they have created several items to call their own. Kangaroo pies are not uncommon, and Ned Kelly Pies can also be found at the better bakeries around the country. Ned Kelly was an outlaw born in 1855, just north of Melbourne, who spent several years in his twenties hiding from the law in the outback. In order to provide extra sustenance for those days in the outback when you are...you know...shooting at coppers and robbing farmers, Ned Kelly Pies are topped with a fried egg and broiled cheese.  We found some acclaimed pies at Beck's Bake House, and were surprised by how well all of the ingredients melded. We were scared the Ned Kelly would be heavy, like its namesake's infamous iron suit, but it was bold and delectable.  

You CAN'T Get More SA Than This

South Australia's official slogan is The Festival State and we really wanted to hit-up a music festival while were here. The major festival in spring is the day-long Parklife, which tours through five of the country's largest cities. We wanted to go, but we just couldn't afford it on our pizza-maker's wages. In an act of extreme generosity, our relatives bought us tickets as early birthday gifts. The weather was great, and highlights from the day included listening to The Naked and Famous, watching Lykke Li from a front row vantage point, and collecting $1 for every beer can and water bottle we found and turned in on the concert grounds. We took advantage of this recycling scheme, especially in the evening after all of the eighteen and nineteen year-olds were pissed. Thanks John, Cathy, Lizzy and J-Ho!
  

Who Owns Each Hand?

Over the past month, we have also been helping our aunt and uncle prepare their house for a major renovation. Here is a video for our family...a last look at Uncle John's house before it is flattened: