We are continuing our tour of Australia with #WorldWineTravel, this week tapping into the white wines of South Australia. Of course the first white wine that comes to mind in this region is Riesling. So that is what we will be diving into today.
The World Wine Travel group is led this month by Lynn Gowdy of Savor the Harvest. You can read her invitation post here!
You can join the writer of #WorldWineTravel to discuss the white wines of South Australia on Saturday morning March 26th, at 8 am Pacific time on Twitter. Just follow and use the hashtag #WorldWineTravel.
At the bottom of this post, you will find a list with links to all of my Colleagues’ articles on the region!
Speaking of the region…
South Australia
The South Australian wine region is located in South Central Australia, sitting West of Victoria and New South Wales and East of Western Australia.
Most of the vineyard land is in close proximity to the Southern Ocean or along the gulfs of St. Vincent and Spencer. (for more on South Australia wine regions see our post “South Australia – Cabernet from Coonawarra & Fortified Shiraz from McClaren Vale”.
Clare Valley
Today we focus on the Clare Valley. This region is bet known for it’s Riesling, although Cabernet and Shiraz are also widely grown in the area.
The region sits 2 hours north of Adelaide and is one of the oldest regions in the country. The first vineyard planting in the area was in 1840 by John Horrocks who was exploring the region and tucked some Grenache in the ground. In 1951 the first winery, Sevenhill Cellars, was founded by the Jesuit Brothers to make sacramental wine.
Sitting in the Mount Lofty Ranges the Clare Valley is a series of valleys with cooler climate than the surrounding areas and wide diurnal shifts (shifts between daytime and nightime temperatures), which is perfect for Riesling. You will hear winemakers speak of their pure unpolluted skies.
The region is not easy, there is a history of bushfires, floods and droughts. It was just 2018 when the winemakers of the region came together to found an association. These are modest people, who came together to share with the world their sense of authenticity, which you can taste in the wine. You can find the Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association here.
More than just wine
You may have caught our recent series “The Scenic Route”. We show you some beautiful wine regions, which inevitably take you through some spectacular scenery.
While we haven’t visited the Clare Valley, I did some research and found that there is more to this region than just wine. There are also some terrific historic places to stay. There is a working sheep farm, where you can stay in the heritage-listed cottages, or an old grammar school that is now a B&B.
As to sites nearby…30 minutes away you will find Lake Bumbunga. This is a salt water lake that changes color over the year depending on the salinity. It goes from Bubblegum pink to white and blue.
50 minutes from Clare you will find Red Banks Conservation Park with an interpretive walking trail that guides you down a path that diprotodons and giant marsupials walked 65,000 years ago.
The remnants of Burra’s historic copper mining town are nearby and give you 46 historic sites to explore, from underground brewery cellars to homes for the miners dug into the riverbank.
Of course the City of Adelaide is close by, with beautiful tree lined streets and Glenelg Beach where you can enjoy the Gulf of St. Vincent and pick up a gelato.
Learn more about what there is to do in the Clare Valley here.
The Jim Barry story
Jim was the first winemaker in the Clare Valley to have a degree in Oenology. He was just the 17th graduate of the program at the Roseworthy Agricultural College back in 1947. He spent over 20 years at the Clarevale Co-operative as winemaker and then established Taylors Wines in 1969 for the Taylor Family.
Jim and his wife Nancy established Jim Barry Wines in 1959.
Jim and Nancy’s three sons, Peter,Mark & John all worked with the winery as the company grew. In 1985 Peter took the helm. He is still driving the company today and with his children Tom, Sam and Olivia they step into the 3rd generation at this winery.
I found a great video with 3rd generation wine maker Tom Barry created by Wine Australia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV0KHo3XPL4
In 1995 Peter met Ernst Loosen of Dr. Loosen Estate at the London Wine Fair. The two formed a collaboration, with Peter making a German-style Riesling from the Lodge Hill vineyard, called Wolta Wolta and Ernst making an Australian Style Riesling from the Erdener Treppchen Vineyard in Germany that he calls Walhalla. They do these under the LoosenBarry label.
I did not have an opportunity to taste these wines, but what a fun side by side to do!
Jim Barry Wines has 17 vineyard locations totaling 320 hectares (790 acres) in the Clare Valley as well as a small property in Coonawarra. In addition to their Riesling, they are well known for their Armagh Shiraz. They are also the only winery in Australia to produce Assyrtiko (a Greek white wine variety).
2019 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling
The property this vineyard sits on was originally a pastoral run named Wolta Wolta. They purchased the property in 1977 to plant Riesling. Jim was sure this spot would make amazing Rieslings.
Lodge Hill Vineyard is on the Eastern Ranges in the Clare Valley and is over 1500 feet in elevation. This vineyard which is one of the highest in the Clare Valley gets great sun and cool nights due to the aspect and altitude, which means slow ripening and great acid retention in the grapes.
They do a gentle press and quickly get it to ferment to retain the fruit flavors.
This wine had great acidity (a hallmark of any good Riesling!). I found bright fresh lemon and wet stones with a bit of citrus floral note and citrus pith.
This is a spectacular Riesling and outperforms its price point!
$25.00 SRP (Wine.com) – 12% abv
What to pair with this Jim Barry Clare Valley Riesling?
Riesling is great with seafood and since this was Australia, we went with Shrimp. I also wanted to tie in those lime notes from the wine.
We settled on Shrimp with lime ginger coconut broth on buckwheat soba noodles.
Lime coconut and shrimp are classic together. This delicious shrimp dish is quick to make, delicious, and beautiful. The crunchy snow peas, the firmness of the shrimp, the slightly wilted spinach, all add to the textures in your mouth, brightened by the lime, softened by the coconut creme. All in all a satisfying dish that looks amazing and is perfect with an Australian Riesling from the Clare Valley.
This was delicious with the wine. The recipe is below.
#WorldWineTravel writers
So while you are planning your trip to the Clare Valley (as I’m sure you are doing after reading this), check out some of my fellow writers’ pieces to add a few more cellar doors to your itinerary!
A Day In The Life On The Farm (Wendy) pairs “South Australian Chardonnay with Pesto Bruschetta Chicken”
Culinary Adventures with Camilla (Camilla) shares “Asparagus-Leek Velouté + Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020”
Enofylz Wine Blog (Martin) digs into “Pewsey Vale – Eden Valley’s Original Riesling Monopole”
AdVINEtures (Chris & Allison) is exploring “South Australia Riesling”
My Full Wine Glass (Linda) discusses “Eden Valley Dry Riesling? Cool!”
Wine Predator ….. Gwendolyn Alley shares “Eight at the Gate: Sustainable Chardonnay In Wrattonbully, South Australia”
Savor the Harvest (Lynn) discusses “Paxton Wines – Biodynamic Pioneer in South Australia”
Food Wine Click (Jeff) tells us “Eden Valley Shines Among South Australia Whites”
Our Good Life (Terri) tells us about “Tait Family Wines and a Family Tradition Meal”
Wineivore (Deanna) shares “Brash Higgins Zibbibo Natural Wine + A Sashimi Plate #worldwinetravel“
For more on Australian wines
Here are the other recent pieces on Australian Wine we have written with #WorldWineTravel
- South Australia – Cabernet from Coonawarra & Fortified Shiraz from McClaren Vale
- Walsh & Sons – Next-Generation Wines from Margaret River in Western Australia
We also had an opportunity to visit New South Wales in October of 2019, here is a snippet of our articles on the region.
- 2 days in Orange? Too little time for this beautiful Australian wine region!
- Nashdale Lane – Great People, a Rainbow of Wines and the Perfect Glamping Experience in the Orange Wine Region
- Swift – Delicious Traditional Method Sparkling Wines from Printhie and the High Altitude Vineyards in Orange Australia
- On Australia – fires and wine
- Dean – CGC Wine reporter at Large – from McLaren Vale Australia
- Angullong in Millthorpe – Wine, Welcome to Country, Indigenous Dances and bush Tucka in Orange NSW
- Exploring New South Wales – Hunter Valley
- Exploring New South Wales – Shoalhaven Coast & Southern Highlands
Shrimp with lime ginger coconut broth on buckwheat soba noodles
Lime coconut and shrimp are classic together. This delicious shrimp dish is quick to make, delicious, and beautiful. The crunchy snow peas, the firmness of the shrimp, the slightly wilted spinach, all add to the textures in your mouth, brightened by the lime, softened by the coconut creme. All in all a satisfying dish that looks amazing and is perfect with an Australian Riesling from the Clare Valley.
Ingredients
- ½ red onion (set some aside sliced to add at the end)
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 tsp fresh chopped ginger
- Zest of one lime (set some aside for garnish)
- 1 bunch of cilantro (set some aside for garnish)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¾ cup coconut cream
- ¾ cup snow peas
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 4 oz Buckwheat uncooked soba noodles
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Add your soba noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Roughly Chop ¼ cup of the onion and the garlic.
- Toss in the food processor with the ginger, lime zest, cilantro, and oil and pulse to make a rough paste
- Put this paste in the bottom of a large-bottomed pot (I used my dutch oven), over medium heat, and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes (don’t let it still and burn).
- Add the chicken stock and coconut milk, bring to a simmer.
- Add the fish sauce and lime juice and season with salt.
- Stir in the shrimp and snow peas just until the prawns turn pink. Add the spinach just to wilt.
- Slice the remaining red onion.
- Drain your soba noodles, place to one side of the bowl, add your shrimp mixture to the other side, pouring some of the extra sauce over the noodles. Garnish with cilantro, sliced onion, and lime zest. If you like you can also garnish with chili flakes.
Notes
Choose another noodle if you like! This would be good with rice noodles, udon, or even zucchini noodles!
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 888Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 20gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 243mgSodium 3101mgCarbohydrates 106gFiber 7gSugar 65gProtein 42g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Join us as we take
“The Scenic Route”
Episodes 1 & 2 are Now Available!
You can enjoy Episode 1 where we visit the Ribbon Ridge AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and meet Dan Warnshuis of Utopia Winery.
Episode 1 of The Scenic Route in the Ribbon Ridge AVA with Dan Warnshuis of Utopia
Episode 2 takes us to the Yamhill-Carlton AVA to visit Steve Lutz at Lenné Estate, where his steep vineyard and peavine soils make the vines struggle, causing small grapes and concentrated wines.
And be sure to follow our YouTube Channel so you won’t miss an episode! Crushed Grape Chronicles on YouTube
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