With a lot of the wineries offering all sorts of specials on previous vintages at the moment, I took the chance to visit a couple of wineries I haven’t visited for a while. A favourite of mine, Woodstock Wines, have a great history of doing Friday Pizza Nights, but I was here just to try out their latest Sparkling variety.
Set amongst the gum trees just outside of McLaren Flat, Woodstock creates that feel good country vibe as soon as you arrive. The cellar door is set apart from the main restaurant and is a very nice setup with separate tables for either couples or groups.
With an extensive range, my main focus was the 2016 Ruby Velvet Sparkling Dolcetto Lagrein. With a berry note and a taste of cherries and raspberries, this Sparkling shined bright with just the right amount of acid from the fruit and a soft velvety finish. It was also great with a few slices of salami and a hard cheddar. For $20 it won’t break the bank, and will sure to please you every time you pop the cork!
Next stop, Graham Stevens Wines, and if you didn’t love the bloke before you visited, you will after, as Graham spends a lot of time in the tasting room for his visitors and guests. Often with great stories he is an encyclopedia of information and his wines are regularly carrying a Gold or Silver medal showing his consistent wine making style. And it is a style I like with his wines bursting with fruit character and often with medium bodied soft tannin finishes. The 2013 Reserve Shiraz is a superb example of a typical fruit driven McLaren Vale Shiraz, with smooth tannin and slight peppery finish. With many fine wines it’s hard to pick a favourite however with a 2010 Magnum available I couldn’t help myself.
