Paul Petagna and his family, with d'Arry's veranda chef Nigel Rich, tabled the perfect vintage lunch yesterday, to celebrate the end of Paul's near-perfect 2011 squash on Sellick's Hill, McLaren Vale. That's Nigel and pizza maestro Annika Berlingieri of Settlement Wines, beside the calmest, sweetest-smelling ferments
DRINKSTER has seen so far this difficult year. Nobody felt any inclination to punch the bag.
While the Petagnas blocked both ends of the table, to ensure no good will could flow away to waste, we ate figs wrapped in prosciutto and baked (this year has been freaky with delicious figs and chillies in The Vales), pork belly with Thai style salad, and the sweetest, happiest, most elegant chicken cassoulet. Our Italian-Australian hosts made us feel like the Mediterranean stretched down here to us. But there was never any doubt that we were in McLaren Vale, Australia. Praise Bacchus for our Italian community!
Paul (conducting, above) laughed as we discussed the mould difficulties the industrialised grapeyards are suffering in this shitty year. He rarely, if ever, sprays the standard petrochem dill-brain whatever you wanta call it regime, and yet there was his crop safe and clean and singing, in the fermenters, while outside, those who spray by habit all year were losing round one to botrytis cinerea, and panicking.
That's one of the Wine Diva Mercs sulking below, in the twilight. This was a truly beautiful and memorable day well had by experts, and a celebration of one great little winery's success in a vintage which is looking impossible for many and very difficult for the rest.
Paul Petagna and his family, with d'Arry's veranda chef Nigel Rich, tabled the perfect vintage lunch yesterday, to celebrate the end of Paul's near-perfect 2011 squash on Sellick's Hill, McLaren Vale. That's Nigel and pizza maestro Annika Berlingieri of Settlement Wines, beside the calmest, sweetest-smelling ferments DRINKSTER has seen so far this difficult year. Nobody felt any inclination to punch the bag.
While the Petagnas blocked both ends of the table, to ensure no good will could flow away to waste, we ate figs wrapped in prosciutto and baked (this year has been freaky with delicious figs and chillies in The Vales), pork belly with Thai style salad, and the sweetest, happiest, most elegant chicken cassoulet. Our Italian-Australian hosts made us feel like the Mediterranean stretched down here to us. But there was never any doubt that we were in McLaren Vale, Australia. Praise Bacchus for our Italian community!
Paul (conducting, above) laughed as we discussed the mould difficulties the industrialised grapeyards are suffering in this shitty year. He rarely, if ever, sprays the standard petrochem dill-brain whatever you wanta call it regime, and yet there was his crop safe and clean and singing, in the fermenters, while outside, those who spray by habit all year were losing round one to botrytis cinerea, and panicking.
That's one of the Wine Diva Mercs sulking below, in the twilight. This was a truly beautiful and memorable day well had by experts, and a celebration of one great little winery's success in a vintage which is looking impossible for many and very difficult for the rest.
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