Smith & Co Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2016
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Region
Adelaide Hills, SA
Winery
Tim Smith Wines
Variety
Shiraz
Winemaker
Tim Smith
This week we sipped on not one, not two but three bottles of Mr Riggs Montepulciano wine. Mr Riggs is a James Halliday 5 star rated winery which is a pretty amazing achievement in itself. You know when you crack open any wine from these guys we are talking about a glass of seriously good wine and this one didn't disappoint either!
A good burger doesn’t simply just require beer – especially one of this caliber!! For me, I am ALL about a good shiraz with my burger. Something bold, beautiful, and powerful (but not to the point where I can only drink 1/2 the bottle).
Ingredients
2 red onions, thickly sliced 1 tablespoon sea salt, or to taste 4 cloves garlic, sliced ½ teaspoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped 50g hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 100g butter, softened 1.6kg free-range chicken sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 lemon, slicedMethod
Placing herbs and nuts under the chicken’s skin gives this dish its wonderful flavour and crispy texture. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced). Line a baking dish or cast-iron dish with onion slices (the dish should be just large enough to hold the chicken). Gently pound the salt, garlic, peppercorns and olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Gradually add the parsley and hazelnuts and pound to a rough paste. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and stir in the butter.
Considerably cooler than the surrounding plains, the hills are washed in rain during winter months, and the peaks wrapped in fog. It is considered a high rainfall region compared to other Australian regions, but outside of winter the climate is warm and dry. Night time temperatures are the feature - notably cooler than the day when the sun sets. Worth noting is how the average rainfall increases the higher you go, with Mount Lofty picking up 1400mm on the old splash-o-meter compared to 850mm just 10K down the road in Charleston. This range of moisture and altitudes results in a variety of soils, but in general are sand and clay loam over clay subsoils. A bit of shale and ironstone can be found, and the soil is acidic on average and rarely acidic.
The combination of climate and soil lends to superb cool-weather whites like Riesling (if you watch for mould), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and crisp Chardonnays. Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found, with the grapes maturing
Shiraz (which is essentially Syrah) is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines.
Wines made from Syrah are often powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other viticultural practices chosen. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries (usually dark as opposed to red), chocolate, espresso and black pepper. No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these "primary" notes are moderated and then supplemented with earthy or savory "tertiary" notes such as leather and truffle.
"Secondary" flavor and aroma notes are those associated with several things, generally winemakers' practices (such as oak barrel and yeast regimes).
History
It is called Syrah in its country of origin, France, as well as in the rest of Europe,