With the launch of our new 2016 Stonybroke Shiraz, cellar door manager Phil takes a look at the wine and finds the perfect pasta pairing.
There’s been a lot written about the 2016 vintage, especially for shiraz, over the last two years. Much of it has focused on the difficulties faced – the early summer rains and then heat during the late summer. What is missed in that conversation is how that, even in notionally difficult vintages, good quality fruit can still be found.
Given the fact that everything we do at Glenguin is done by hand – planting, training, pruning and picking – the ability to be discerning when it comes to selecting parcels of fruit means that in most every year, there should be fruit of high enough quality to enable us to make at least one wine.
As it was in 2016.
Only the very best fruit in the vineyard was selected leading to a yield of only one tonne to the acre – small even by our standards. The intention early on was to create two wines – a Stonybroke and a Schoolhouse – however after tasting through all the barrels back in May of last year, we felt that, despite there being some barrels of very high quality, it wasn’t quite what we expect from Schoolhouse. Thus all the barrels that were destined for that wine got declassified and we have put together an intriguing, if very different Stonybroke.
Firstly, the 2016 Stonybroke is 100% Shriaz, without any of the Tannat that has been part of this wine for a long time. Secondly, it has had extended oak maturation – 14 months in 100% French oak, of which 25% was new. Throw in 20% whole bunches for extra texture and complexity, and you get a wine that sits more comfortably with what one may expect from Schoolhouse than its Stonybroke peers of years past.
All together, a much more complex and concentrated wine with well integrated, soft tannins and flavours of bright red cherries into blueberries and purple fruits. A more sophisticated Stonybroke Shiraz, you could say, with ‘age me’ written all over it.
As such, finding a match for this wine was not an easy task. I wanted something deep and concentrated, a little bit rich, but also something to sit down with good friends, great conversation and amazing wine. I knew I wanted pasta, but I wanted more than just a simple tomato sauce. What proved to be the perfect pasta pairing was a rich dish, befitting the wine itself: penne pasta with oxtail and Stonybroke Shiraz reduction.
Ingredients
- Good quality, dried penne pasta (can substitute for home-made tagliatelle)
- 600 grams oxtail
- 100 mls high quality olive oil
- 300 mls red wine (always cook with the wine you’re drinking!)
- 200 grams fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- Salt
- Pepper
- Good quality parmesan cheese
Method
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celcius
In an oven-proof pot, place the oxtail, olive oil, red wine, tomatoes, onion, celery and carrot. Cover and cook in the oven until the meat is falling off the bone – minimum two hours, leave uncovered for the last half hour.
Once the meat is cooked, remove from the pot, shred, and return to pot.
Place pot on stove, bring to the boil and simmer until liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Once sauce has reduced, cook pasta according to packet instructions in well salted boiling water. Drain pasta, then add to the oxtail and stir to combine.
Serve immediately, with shavings of parmesan cheese on top.
Our 2016 Stonybroke Shiraz can be purchased via our online cellar door
