Delicious Australia – (03)March 2020

MikeBennielookstochefs-turned-

winemakerstoprovethatgoodfood and

goodwinegohand-in-hand.

@mikebennie101 @mikebennie101

THIS GOES

WITH THAT

CINQA SEPTPINOT

NOIRVERMOUTH,$55

Formerchefand

sommelierDavidChapman

establishedAllieswine

withaneyefortherefined,

distinctwinesofVictoria.

Here'shisexceptional

vermouth.It’sallrosehip

teaandexoticherbsin

personality,andbest

drunkovericewith

a wedge of blood orange.

RAVENSWORTHPINOT

GRIS2019,$29

BryanMartinwasa chefin

hisformerlife,thoughhe

maintainscloseconnection

totheculinaryartswith

hisbread-making,butter

churning,butchering,

huntingandpickling.This

wineis fermentedonits

skins,givingit a pretty

pinkhue,andtastes

peachy and delicious.

GIANTSTEPS ROSÉ

2019,$25

SteveFlamsteed'sformer

lifeasa chefmaybe

relativelydistant,buthis

eyefordetail,flavourand

aromahasresultedina

slewofaccoladesand

amazingwines.Thisrosé

is reallythirst-quenching

stuff– pretty, fine, spicy

and dry.

NGARTOSYRAH

VIOGNIER2018,$45

BrendanCatois a

journeymanchef,noted

forhisworkatthe

defunctRootstockSydney

festivals,wherehemet

andbefriendedNgeringa

winemakerErinnKlein.

Thecollaborationwine

hereis silky,fragrantand

beautiful to sip on.

DEMIBYSYRAHMI

SHIRAZ2018,$27

TherenownedLakehouse

inDaylesford,Victoria,was

chef-turned-winemaker

AdamFoster'sformer

workplace– fertileground

forlearningaboutgreat

produceandgreat

technique,aptlyapplied

togreatgrapesand

winemaking.Thisis

a very elegant shiraz.

"YOUCAN'TSEPARATEthekitchenfrom

thedrinks,”saysDuncanWelgemoed,

chefat Adelaide'sAfricola.I agree,adding

thatthebestdiningexperiencescome

aboutfromexcellentkitchensthatare

heavilyinvestedin theirdiners'drinking.

ForAfricola’sbrilliantfoodmenu,

Welgemoedsourcesproducefromlocal,

small-scalegrowers.Tohimandhisteam,

it makessensethatthewinelistis similar.

“TheAdelaideHillsare 25 minutesaway,

McLarenValelessthananhour,andthe

BarossaandClareValley,amongstother

regions,arereadilyaccessiblefrom

Adelaide,"hesays."It’sstupidtopreach

aboutlocalproduce,paddocktoplate,

andnotfocusonthe great work around

usin vineyards.”

Somechefsbroadentheirhorizonsand

endupbecomingdeeplyinvestedin the

winemakingprocess(Welgemoedhas

donesomewinemakingperiodshimself).

Othershavegonefurtherand ended up

winemakersthemselves.

MattStonefromfamedYarraValley

restaurantOakridgeis a cross-over

chef-winemaker.“Therearesomany

similaritiesbetweena kitchenand

a winery,”offersStone.“Forourfood,we

lookatnurturinganingredientthrougha

growingseason,pickingit atitsoptimum,

andgentlymanipulatingit intoa dish.The

parallelswithwinemakingareprettyneat.”

Stoneteamedupwithwinemakersat

Oakridgetoproduce‘GardenGris’,

a rosé-stylewinemadebyfermenting

ripepinotgrisgrapesintheirskins.

Theresultingdropis delicious,fresh

andfrisky,butofferssomeoftheclassic

fruitinessofthevariety.It’sversatilefor

everything,fromvegetablestoraw

seafoodandslow-cookedproteins.

“Essentially,wineis thefinalseasoning

beforeyoueat,”saysStone.“Ifyou’re

drinkingsomethingreallycompetitiveat

thetable,it worksagainsttheeffortsof

thekitchen.It’sthefinalpieceofthedish,

andchefsshouldallbekeentoinvest

more in drinks.” Righteous stuff.

delicious.com.au/drinks

ToperusemoreofMike’s

favourite drinks.

COULTERWINESC2

SANGIOVESE2018,$28

ChrisCoulterwasa cheffor

20 yearsbeforeturningto

winemakingatbigcompany

wineries.Thisis hisown

sideproject.Themedium-

bodiedredwineis very

food-friendly,offering

pepperyspiceandjuicy,

redberryfruitcharacter.

Trywithsimplehome-

cooked pizza or pasta.

MIKE

BENNIE

IS

ALSO

CO-OWNER

OF

A

SYDNEY-BASED

WINE AND LIQUOR RETAIL BUSINESS

DEMI BY SYRAHMI

PHOTOGRAPHY

BEN DEARNLEY

DRINKS.

34 delicious.com.au