Spent the weekend at a music festival, held in Willunga, a small town in the Southern Vales next door to McLaren Vale.
Through the afternoon, several of us were programmed to play music at the Brackenwood Wines cellar door in the main street. An old stone building with a high ceiling and slate floors, the acoustics were lively and most satisfying for playing unplugged. While we performed, the boss gave us a complimentary glass of:
Brackenwood Vineyards Riesling (Hope Forest – Adelaide Hills) 2008
Citrus nose. Flavours of grapefruit, pear and green apple, some mineral characters. Full flavoured at the start and a fairly short finish. Pleasant.
After we finished playing, we were handed a glass of:
Brackenwood Vineyards sparkling shiraz (Hope Forest – Adelaide Hills) 2005
Fermented in the Champagne method.
Dense deep purple-beetroot colour. Black cherry, blackberry, spice, pepper. The bead was not very vigorous; someone said that the bottle had been open for a while, but it should not have made this much difference. I would have preferred a bit more fizz. An attractive flavour, though.
Saturday evening, four of us sought out a meal together. Beginning at the top of the main street, we worked our way down. Four cafés: closed. One pub: booked out. Turning the corner, we wondered aloud whether we would have to end up with a hot dog at the main festival site. Luckily, we came next to a small slate-roofed stone building, shared by two separate eateries. One was a coffee shop, probably basic offerings only; next door, we glimpsed through the window white table cloths and polished glass and silverware. Tempted by the prospect of a grown-up meal on a plate, we went in. The establishment was called Fino. We were welcomed, and shown through to the “dining room” – a small room off the main dining area, with a table that could seat six and a wall of wine racks. Three of us ordered steaks – scotch fillet with anchovy butter; one ordered grilled prawns. We had sides of potatoes roasted in duck fat, and lightly steamed green beans. The steak eaters took a glass of wine each, and the prawn eater ordered ginger beer. The steaks were good, but the prawns, once shelled, formed an inadequately small serve. The bill: $160. Forty bucks each. Over priced.
Having said that, the wine I had with my steak complemented it very well, its mineral and savoury flavours balancing well with the anchovy butter and the toastiness from the char-grill.
Oliver’s Tarango tempranillo (McLaren Vale) 2006
Dense dark maroon in colour. An earthy, savoury wine, cool on the tongue: mushroom, black olive, nutmeg, anise, toasted bread.