At the table

How to open a wine bottle using a shoe

2012-01-11T16:51:00.002+10:30

Happy new year to everyone. I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

The time for me has flown by. We had a very enjoyable family Christmas in Griffith NSW, it was great to catch up with the whole family over a massive lunch and lots of drinks. We also had a really big New Years with a pig and a lamb in the spit, good friends who visited from Sydney and a few from Adelaide, not to mention indulging in some amazing wines over the break. I have taken some notes on the wines and will post a few bits and pieces later in the month.

For now I have just come across this really interesting way to open a bottle. I hope you enjoy!

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Leone Brut Prestige

2011-10-07T13:43:00.002+10:30

SA Wine of The Year – Leone 2011 Pinot Grigio

2011-09-06T14:10:00.003+09:30

Boutique wineries can offer wines of excellence for consumers at value for money prices.

The Leone 2011 Pinot Grigio was awarded the consumers choice for its category at last Friday nights SA Wine of the Year Awards. Produced by Lou Miranda Estate, a boutique family owned and operated winery in the Barossa Valley, the Pinot Grigio is produced from a single vineyard on the Estate. This wine represents outstanding value, at $18.95 RRP which is a very consumer friendly price.

The Leone Pinot Grigio has been crafted with your enjoyment in mind. Its fresh clean palate of citrus and pear is extremely food friendly. The generous fruit flavour and lovely balance ensures this wine is the perfect summer companion.

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Good results for International Wine shows

2011-05-18T11:12:00.005+09:30

The results have just been announced for the Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine Challenge and Lou Miranda Estate fared very on the world stage.

International Wine Challenge 2011
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Old Vine Shiraz awarded SilverLou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz awarded Bronze

Decanter World Wine Awards 2011
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz awarded a Commended

If you live in the UK and would like to purchases any of these wines or any other Lou Miranda Estate products please visit Hard to Find Wines

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Illustration by David James Stokes

2011-05-14T14:09:00.003+09:30

Last year I spoke with an interesting gentleman about our Old Vine Shiraz vineyard which is located in between the winery and the neighboring church. The gentleman, who turned out to be a very well known South Australia illustrator, Mr David James Stokes, was putting together a special exhibition of various old vines from the Barossa Valley.

We happily agreed to have one of our old vines illustrated and displayed in an exhibition which was held on Sunday the 5th December 2010 at the National Wine Centre.

It is a gorgeous illustration which has wonderful personality! As it was drawn in the early months of spring David has been able to capture the new sprigs of life which are beginning to form.

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Our baby Sangrantino

2011-04-17T15:47:00.003+09:30

I would like to introduce you to a new grape variety called Sangrantino. We planted a small vineyard of 1 hectre in 2009 of this grape variety on our Rowland Flat, Barossa Valley property. 2011 is the first year we have picked the grapes from these still small and delicate vines. We have managed to crush about 50 litres for our first vintage which we are very excited about. For a small batch like this we do everything by hand, picking, crushing & loving care.

I will continue to post photos of the Sangrantino as we slowly work through the winemaking process. The Sangrantino grape variety hails from Northern Italy and is a soft but a flavorsome grape variety.

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Shattering the glass

2011-04-14T13:28:00.002+09:30

I found this interesting image of a bullet shattering a wine bottle. I love that the photographer included the cork which flying off the top. Great photo!

Barossa Winter Dinner @ Lou Miranda Estate

2011-03-23T10:42:00.004+10:30

Lou Miranda Estate invites you to join us for a four course dinner on Saturday 21st May 2011 to celebrate Winter in the Barossa.

Date: Saturday 21st May 2011
Location: Lou Miranda Estate, Rowland Flat
Time: first seating at 6:30, last seating at 8:00
Cost: $65.00pp (4 courses, not including drinks)
Bookings essential: please call 8524 4537 or email victoria@loumirandaestate.com.au
payment must be made with the booking.

The Menu
Warm fragrant citrus olives and a rosemary & parmesan flowerpot scroll with olive butter

Starters
Lamb cigars with mint, chilli & lime vinegarette
Barbecued scallops wrapped in prociutto on a bed of braised lentils
Squid tube stuffed with fetta lemon & parsley served with lemon voulte and tomato chutney

Entree
Prawn ravioli with mascarpone, lime & ginger with creamy pea and saffron sauce topped with smoked salmon

Main
Chicken breast stuffed with ricotta, orange blossom & baby spinach wrapped in prociutto served with & a maplecomb, peas & salami

Dessert
Quince & walnut cake with baked honey quince and mascarpone
Leone 2008 Botrytis Semillon

Coffee & tea

http://www.loumirandaestate.com.au/

Stain glassed windows

2011-03-14T12:45:00.003+10:30

When I was about 20 years old my girlfriend and I spent 1 month traveling around Europe, a majority of the trip was taken up with visiting churches and admiring art. We traveling over the Christmas and New Years period of our university holidays so it was the dead of winter in Europe. We were constantly drawn to the churches as we traveling from town to town, sometimes spending hours in them waiting for a snow storm to pass or accidentally finding ourselves in the middle of an organ rehearsal.

After studying art history in Year 12 and focusing my attention on gothic architecture and its comparison to the Bauhaus movement seeing these magnificent structures in person was a highlight of the trip.

What I absolutely loved about the churches was how impossibly dark and imposing they were and yet beautiful light would dance and filter through the stain glassed windows. Here are a few photos I wanted to share with you of the Lion's in the stain glasses windows.

The Lovely Lion

2011-02-14T15:05:00.000+10:30

I found a lovely collection of Lion's today on Flickr. I particular like the image above, he has a beautiful face & years of rubbing his nose have kept the bronze a beautiful shiny gold. I think it gives the lion a more human touch, like a dogs nose that is wet when it is healthy.

The photos were taken by Leo Reynolds, you can check out his entire collection at Flickr, he has some great albums with beautiful photography it is definaltely worth looking him up.

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

The Knowledge of Fortifieds

2011-02-02T12:22:00.004+10:30

Join us at Lou Miranda Estate for 'The Knowledge of Fortifieds' a program running in conjunction with The Barossa Vintage Festival. From the 23rd of April to the 1st of May the Barossa will come alive with festivities being help throughout the valley.

The Knowledge of Fortifieds will run from Saturday 23 April to Sunday 1 May. Starting at 11.15am sharp every day, the program will run for 45 minutes.

Lou Miranda Estate presents a glimpse into the life of a fortified. Compare the life of a young unwooded port to that of a mature 20 year old. See the vats from the 1930’s which have matured the ports over the years and hear how the traditional way of ports have come of
age in Modern Australia.

Cost: $5.00 adult/children FREE
Bookings essential: (08) 8524 4537

To see more information on The Barossa Vintage Festival you can view the program here.

http://www.loumirandaestate.com.au/
Lou Miranda Estate, Barossa Valley Way, Rowland Flat

Open from 11:00 daily

Our cheeky fat trip

2011-01-29T12:20:00.000+10:30

On a recent surf through cyber space I found this cute blog by Janet & Nick at 'Our Cheeky Fat Trip' which I believe is about the holidaying adventures of Janet & Nick, the photo and the quote are from the site which you can check our here.

"My favourite though is Lou Miranda Estate, where we’re treated to some free churros (mmmm) and I get an unusual bottle of sparkling Shiraz."

It is really lovely to hear from customers and know that people are enjoying coming to visit us at Lou Miranda Estate.

And the winners are . . .

2011-01-13T16:09:00.000+10:30

It's that time of year again and the results are in and we have had a very successful award season.

Perth Royal Wine Show 2010
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz "Bronze Medal"
Leone 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon "Bronze Medal"

Australian Small Winemakers Show 2010
Leone 2010 Chardonnay "Bronze Medal"
Leone 2010 Pinot Grigio "Bronze Medal"
Leone 2010 Sauvignon Blanc "Bronze Medal"

Barossa Wine Show 2010
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz "Silver Medal"

Cowra Wine Show 2010
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz "Silver Medal"
Leone 2008 Shiraz "Silver Medal"
Leone 2010 Pinot Grigio "Bronze Medal"

Australian Wine Showcase
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz "94 points"
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Old Vine Shiraz "93 points"
Leone 2008 Shiraz "93 points"
Leone 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon "93 points"
Leone 2010 Chardonnay "85 points"
Leone 2010 Pinot Grigio "85 points"

Winestate Magazine
Leone 2010 Sauvignon Blanc "3 & a half stars" Winestate Special Edition 2010
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz "4 & a half stars" Winestate World's Greatest Shiraz Challenge V, Winestate September/October 2010
Leone 2008 Botrytis Semillon "3 stars" Winestate New Release, Winestate September/October 2010

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Barossa by Bike

2011-01-06T12:59:00.003+10:30

The Barossa is famous for its wine and food, and now with the extension of the Barossa Bike Trail from Nuriootpa to Angaston, we are keen to promote the Barossa as a cycle tourism destination, but need your help!

To celebrate the Tour Down Under - Stage 1 in the Barossa Valley, Tourism Barossa Inc have partnered with the Barossa Council to organise a fundraising ride from Tanunda via Nuriootpa and up to Angaston.

On the morning of the Stage 1 finish of the Tour Down Under, Tuesday 18 January 2011, you, your family & freinds can participate in this wonderful event. The cost to participate is $5pp which will be donated to the Cancer Council SA, and includes a drink and piece of fruit kindly donated by Tanunda Foodland.

Everyone is invited to participate in this community initiative to help raise funds for the Cancer Council SA and showcase our new bike path through the Barossa. If you would like to participate similpy download this form and forward onto Barossa Tourism.

If you don’t have a bike of your own, Barossa Bike Hire have put together a package which includes the registration fee and the hire of a new and comfortable bike for $30, all can be booked on Barossa Bike Hire’s Website. Bikes will be collected at the end of the riders and can be transported back to Tanunda by arrangement.

Please read through the terms and conditions for the event.

All for 1

2010-12-29T14:13:00.004+10:30

From the 1st January to the 26th January a group of Australia winemakers are asking you to only drink Australian Wine. It is just a bit of fun for the month of January and a good way to celebrate Australia Day.

If you would like to find out more about the 'All for 1' movement please visit www.allforonewine.com.au today and make your pledge, there is even a page for the 'sinners' to confess their sins.

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Asher

2010-12-29T11:59:00.004+10:30

On the Saturday, the 11th of December 2010 we hosted the wedding of Mr & Mrs Asher at Lou Miranda Estate. It was a beautiful cool evening, Lauren had provided beautiful candles and fairy lights to decorate the room and all the guest were in for a great night, which I believe didn't end until the early hours of the morning at a Gawler pub 'The Exchange'.

I would like to share with you their beautiful wedding cake which was topped with a gorgeous caricature of the new couple.

From the staff at Lou Miranda Estate congratulations once again to Mr & Mrs Asher, we wish you all the best for your future together.

Everything Barossa

2010-08-18T14:45:00.004+09:30

We have just received a wonderful recommendation from the Everything Barossa Blog. It is a great website created by Tania Shirgwin on all things in and about the Barossa. So if you are planing a visit to the Barossa or would like to get connected with Barossa businesses you definately need to put this one high on your links.

http://www.loumirandaestate.com.au/

4 stars for Lou Miranda Estate

2010-08-05T13:24:00.004+09:30

The 2011 edition of James Halliday Australia Wine Companion has just been released and Lou Miranda Estate has been awarded 4 stars as a winery, we also received some fantastic results on wines.

Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Old Vine Shiraz - 93 points
Leone 2008 Botrytis Semillon - 93 points
Lou Miranda Estate 2008 Cordon Cut Shiraz - 91 points
Leone 2009 Sauvignon Blanc - 90 points
Lou Miranda Estate Aged Cobweb - 90 points
Leone 2009 Pinot Grigio - 89 points
Leone 2007 'Old Vine' Sparkling Shiraz - 87 points

If you would like futher information on the wines listed above please click on the links provided or email me at victoria@loumirandaestate.com.au

Don't forget if you live in the UK can you purchase these wines from Hard to Find Wines!

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

A taste of the Veneto

2010-07-13T15:40:00.003+09:30

Lou Miranda Estate invites you to join us for a four course dinner on Saturday 28th August 2010.

Time: Bookings available from 6:30 onwards
Cost: $65.00pp (4 courses, not including drinks)
Bookings essential* please call 8524 4537 payment must be made with booking
* limited seating available

Saturday, 28th August 2010, Menu
Starters Affettato Pacentino - Salami, prosciutto, white anchovies with warn torta fritta
Pizza finger with potato, garlic & rosemary
Entree Slow cooked goats ragu with gnocchi grande
Main Quail with roasted fennel & vegetables
Dessert Rhubarb crostata with Aged Muscat mascapone & apple chips

Barossa Valley Way, Rowland Flat
P: 08 8524 4537 Email: Lou@LouMirandaEstate.com.au

Edinburgh Shiraz Tasting 2010

2010-06-22T14:38:00.002+09:30

This weekend we will be showcasing 4 Shiraz wines at the Edinburgh Hotel Great Shiraz Tasting 2010. The Shiraz tasting is open to the public from 11:00 until 4:00 Sunday 27th June 2010.

There will be over 300 shiraz for tasting from all over Australia and entry is $30.00 per person which includes a large souvenir tasting glass.

We will be showcasing the following wines

It should be a great day, we hope to see you there.

Regional Heros

2010-06-16T15:16:00.004+09:30

I have recently discovered this great website produced by the Australian Wine and Brandy corporation to help people better understand wines.

Visit Regional Heros to see information on Tasting Charts, comparing wines and guides to tasting wines. Its a great website which is fun to use - try the Comparing wines sections, as the flavour of the wines float around the page you need to identify which fits the description and catch them if you can.

New Winter Menu at Miranda Restaurant @ Lou Miranda Estate

2010-05-14T14:39:00.002+09:30

Miranda Restaurant in the Barossa Valley will be serving their new winter menu from the weekend of the April 16, 2010.

Situated in beautiful surroundings arched windows which frame the wineries cellar door. The views from the windows are of vines dating back to the start of the 19th century. Miranda Restaurant is sure to impress group of holidaying friends, a family lunch or a casual business meeting.

Now in it's 6th year of changing the menu has become a way for our Restaurant to express changing trends and showcase the availability of fresh produce. The winter menu incorporates home style cooking with an Italian touch You will find Walnut & sage flowerpot loafs baked daily along with Corn bread served with minted peas and heartwarming Beef espresso pie.
By using family recipes (with some modern adjustments by the chef Alison Short) Nonna's beef ragu we are re-creating the homestyle food for our patrons. We have also introduced some new starter dishes to share at the table or to be enjoyed in the lounge area with a glass of vino.
Click here to see the new menu to titillate your taste buds.

Open 7 days a week for lunch from 11:00 to 3:00 please call 8524 4537 to make a booking.

Dust off your running shoes

2010-04-28T15:19:00.004+09:30

The Barossa is hosting a half a marthon on the 16th May 2010.

If you are up for it, you can walk or run 21.2km, 10km or 5km register online today. The race starts and finishes at the Faith Luthern school, you are able to download the course map here.

I am still debating if I will run, the thought of being in constant motion for 5km (or at the pace I run several hours) makes me want to hibinate for winter. My heart rate just started race.

The marathon is hosted by SARRC, check out their website for more deatils www.sarrc.asn.au/barossa.html

Urbanspoon

2010-04-27T14:24:00.004+09:30

Lou Miranda Estate Restaurat now has a listing on Urbanspoon.

Lou Miranda Estate Restaurant on Urbanspoon

I was playing with a friends iPod on the weekend and she has an 'app' called Urbanspoon. I had a lot of fun shaking the phone, yes I did write shaking, to search for different restaurants. It works like a Pokies machine, every time you shake the phone it scrolls through a list of restaurants. It is a cool little program that allows you to search for different restaurants by either region, price range or cusine.

If you get a chance you can click on the link above to vote if you enjoy eating at Lou Miranda Estate Restaurant.

What will they think of next...

Degustation wine dinners in May

2010-04-08T14:46:00.003+09:30

Over two nights the Aqua Dining group of restaurants will host a degustation wine dinner featuring the wines of Lou Miranda Estate. Choose from two picture perfect locations. At each venue the head chef will turn out a perfectly matched multi course menu to accompany the wines. Lou Miranda will speak on the night about each of his wines.

To view the delicious menus please click here

Aqua Dining
Wednesday 5th May 2010
7.00pm- 11.00pm
$125.00 per guest
Bookings essential
Ph 02 9964 9998
reservations@aquadining.com.au

Paul and Northcliff Streets, Milsons Point 2061

Ripples Sydney Wharf
Thursday 6 May 2010
7.00pm- 11.00pm
$95.00 per guest
Bookings essential
Ph 02 9571 1999
sydneywharf@ripplecafe.com.au

Sydney Wharf / Wharf 9, 56 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont 2009

Run with the Law

2010-03-29T14:39:00.001+10:30

On Friday 16th April in the Gawler Main Street the Law Enforcement Torch Run is raising money for Special Olympics Australia and it is coming to our area soon! Run with the Law will see Law Enforcement officers carry the Special Olympics torch 2010 through 43 towns in just 29 days.

If you are in the area you can show your support by cheering on the runnings or if you would like to register to run or consider making a donation go to http://www.runwiththelaw.com.au/

Vintage price list

2010-02-17T15:23:00.005+10:30

Hindsight is one of those things like a phone box that allows time travel. If only you could know the value of something 10 years on. On a trip to Hong Kong last year Lisa and I meet with our distributor Vivacity Enterprises at Oi Man Estate. Bun Lai and Simon have a great bottle shop in the complex which sells wines from all over the world (including our wines). During our visit I admired an old price list Bun Lai had, the beautiful ads, the lovely wines & of course the prices. Veuve Clicquot for $30.00 per bottle amazing.

I'm sure 30 or 40 years ago these wines would have seemed expensive but when you compare them to prices now, some of the wines listed sell for $250 + per bottle.

How beautiful is the lion in the Pmmery ad.

UK calling...

2010-02-11T14:14:00.007+10:30

We are so excited to announce that Hard To Find Wines an online wine store based in the UK has recently started to stock our wines.

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you live in the UK or have relatives in the UK all you need to do is jump online, fill out an order and they will deliver the wine to your door.

This is our first shipment to the UK and we are looking forward to a long term relationship with our English friends.

From the vineyard

2010-02-09T13:10:00.004+10:30

Here we are week 3 of vintage and 2 grape varieties have gone to the crush. Last week we saw the beautiful Pinot Grigio reaching 12 baume and sent to the crusher. The grapes were delicous straight off the vine, their skins are fairly tough and require just a small amount of pressure to release the flesh from within.

We have had a few bunches of grapes from the vineyard in the Cellar Door as we need to monitor their ripeness and most people have commented on the berry and bunch size. For me it is interesting to see some people think the size of table grapes are the same as those used for wine, but they are two completely different specimans. Table grapes grow in larger loose bunches and the berries tend to be a lot bigger, their skins are strong but thin. While grapes used to produce wine are much smaller, the bunches tend to be very tight as though the berries are all holding onto each other.

Today we prepared the Cordon Cut Shiraz for harvest. With the hot weather which is predicted over the next few days we should be going back to pick the grapes this time next week. If you would like to read more about the Cordon Cut process click here.

2010 Harvest has begun

2010-01-28T15:10:00.004+10:30

Well we have survived all the festivities of Christmas and New Years and now our vintage has begun. Last night at 8:00pm we starter to harvest our Chardonnay which come in at 12.5 baume.

Vintage has started early again this year and the Chardonnay is the first to be picked. We took in 4 tonne of grapes which is a good yield from the vineyard. Lou thinks this vintage will be just like the bumper crop we had in 2002.

This year we will be ageing the Chardonnay in oak for a few months are will be looking to release our 2010 Leone Chardonnay in April this year.

Next up Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, we are looking at a hot week which will ripen the grapes and add some fruitiness.

The beautiful leone

2009-08-11T16:16:00.002+09:30

I want to share these beautiful sketches of Lions I found on the web. I believe they are the property of the University of Wisconcin. They capture the qualities of lions perfectly. I would love to have large prints of these on my walls.

These images come from the classic works of the German veterinary anatomists, Wilhelm Ellenberger and Hermann Baum, and medical illustrator, Hermann Dittrich. The texts, from which these illustrations were derived, are works published in 1898 and 1911 through 1925, all entitled ‘Handbuch der Anatomie der Tiere für Künstler‘ which can be translated as “Handbook (or Atlas) of Animal Anatomy for Artists” and are online at the University of Wisconsin – Madison Botany Department Teaching Collection. There are about eighty images in total relating to the lion, goat, horse, deer, dog and cow. (extract from www.roumazeilles.net)

And the results are in

2008-09-25T12:57:00.004+09:30

We have had some very successful results in the past few months for our wines the in following wine shows. Below are the winning results

Boutique Wine Awards of Australia.
Bronze Medal – Leone Botrytis Semillon 2006
Bronze Medal – Leone Pinot Grigio 2008

Perth Royal Wine Show 2008.
Bronze Medal – Leone Pinot Grigio 2008

2008 Cowra Wine Show.
Bronze Medal – Leone Sparkling Shiraz 2006

Barossa Wine Show 2008
Bronze Medal – Leone Pinot Grigio 2008

www.loumirandaestate.com.au

Wine Regions of the World

2008-08-18T11:23:00.003+09:30

A friend of ours recently brought back these amazing “Wine Regions of the World” posters from Argentina. The posters are a unique chart, inspired by the 15^th century cartographers, and captures the current status of the vineyards of the world. I have never seen anything like this before. The detail is beautiful and everything has been hand drawn in Indian ink and pen by internationally accredited and prominent Argentine artist and designer Maggie Moreno.

She has created all the fonts by hand, nothing has been computer generated and it looks exactly like an old world atlas.

We currently have about 8 of these magnificent prints to sell. They are fairly large measureing 100 cm x 70 cm. The high quality 4 colour print only highlights the craftsmanship of the illustration which is printed on 300 gsm Illustration paper.

This is a must have for an avid wine collector or a lover of beautiful things.

They are only $140.00 so if you would like to purchase a print please email me on Victoria@loumirandaestate.com.au

Or alternatively if you visit our cellar door you can see the print in person, we recently had one framed and is on display for everyone to see.

Sorry the photos are for poor quality, the glass was reflecting against the light.

Born 1907

2008-06-01T18:27:00.000+09:30

Until recently the earliest documentation we have had on the Lou Miranda Estate Old Vine Shiraz was from around World War I. Thus we have always assumed that the Old Vine Shiraz on the trinity block (the vineyard which is in between the Lutheran Church and the winery) was planted around about 100 years ago.

We were doing some autumn cleaning the other day and found an official document which states that the vines were planted in 1907. So we have just missed the Old Vines 100 year birthday.

Here are some photos I had taken of the Old Vine Shiraz the other day. The vineyard is beautiful in autumn, the vines are still green with a scattering of yellow and brown leaves, the sky is a bright blue and with all the rain we have had recently the roads are lined with little sprigs of grass.

Italian Heritage pt2

2008-05-25T16:08:00.002+09:30

Here was another article in the Area News.

Italian Heritage

2008-05-23T18:26:00.000+09:30

When my Grandparents Frank and Caterina Miranda migrated to Australia they went to work in Griffith, NSW. Griffith, 700km west of Sydney and 500km north of Melbourne was a small country town founded on returned soliders from WWI being given small allotments for their service. The area became a rich fruit growing region because of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation System, this was a big draw card for the Italian migrants of the time because they were able to set up farms and supply the big cities with fresh fruit and vegetables.

The New South Wales government is putting together an exhibition in June, my grandparents are in the photo above which was published in the Area News (local Griffith newspaper) on 2nd April, 2008.

For more information about the exhibition please visit www.heritage.nsw.gov.au

Manchild's Log

2008-05-19T16:22:00.000+09:30

I was searching the web and found this story about a customers experience (I believe his name is Forrest Rivers) at the winery.

With Lou's 60th coming up in July this story has given me an idea. If you have any stories about Lou Miranda Estate I would love to hear them, please email me at victoria@loumirandaestate.com.au or leave a comment on the blog.

Leone the lion

2008-05-17T15:50:00.001+09:30

After talking about Lisa’s little passion for dust collectors (see article: Vintage Bottles) I thought I would share my dust collectors.

About three years ago when we decided to start the winery again we put together a Company plan. This included the company name, the mission statement, brands, what varieties we would produce, what direction we wanted to go in. One of the hardest things for me in particular was what would the identity of the winery be.

At the time I was working for the graphic design studio called ‘Icarus’ in Adelaide and had access to a great mentor in my boss David Robertson. The work was challenging but at the end of the day it was the client who told me what they needed to achieve for their company. When it’s your own company I think a little more complicated, so I set myself a brief just like a normal job, you have to start somewhere.

I researched our family history, I looked at winemaking and vineyards and processes. What struck me as the most powerful image and something that I kept going back to was the lion. The association of the Lion to my mother’s heritage in Veneto, Italy and my father’s maternal lineage became a logical solution. Once I had decided on the icon I researched again. This time it was a more specific search – I was looking for lions.

In my search I found some amazing images of real lions and stylized lions. I will try in the future to show you more images of the lions that I found and still look for when I am out and about, but to start with, one of my favourites is a lion from Singapore.

If you have any lions you would like to share I would love to seem them, please send them to me at Victoria@LouMirandaEstate.com.au

It’s prune season

2008-05-09T16:57:00.001+09:30

Every year some friends, Amanda & Steve from Griffith come over to Adelaide to visit and they always bring a box a prunes. The gift of food (and wine) are the best gifts to give, they always bring so much job – especially to me. I couldn’t tell you my favourite foods because I’m very happy to try everything but there are a few things I really enjoy, and prunes is on that list.

The prunes we have been given are from the DeRossi’s farm, they dry them after harvesting. I usually marinade them in Leone Tawny Rum Liquor, the prunes absorb the liquor and grow nice and juicy and are absolutely delicious to eat straight from the jar or with ice cream.

If you have more time on your hands maybe you could try this delicious recipe.

Chocolate, prune & pecan torte

4 egg whites
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup pitted prunes, finely chopped
200 ml Leone Tawny Rum Liquor
200g quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons corn flour

Marinade the prunes in the Leone Tawny Rum Liquor overnight, the prunes should be completely covered with the Tawny Rum Liquor.

Preheat oven to 200C. Greases and line the base of a 22cm round spring form tin.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, gradually add the caster sugar, a little at a time, beating until the mixture holds stiff, glossy peaks. Mix the pecans, chocolate and corn flour together. Drain the prunes from the Tawny Rum Liquor, set aside the Tawny Rum Liquor. Gently but thoroughly fold in the pecans and chocolates into the egg whites alternatively mix in the prunes. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smoothing the top evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes until the top is a dark brown colour. Allow the torte to cool in the pan on a wire rack before running a knife around the edge and turning it out onto a cake plate. Cool the torte and serve with whipped cream. If you whip the cream with a few spoonfuls of the left over Tawny Rum Liquor and some icing sugar it will have a really rich and tasty consistency.

New York Times - Where to go in 2008

2008-05-02T10:26:00.004+09:30

Coming in at Number 51 on the New York Times list of destinations in 2008 is the Barossa Valley. On a list that includes romantic holiday destinations, must do shopping trips and names culinary delights from all over the world, its exciting to see that the Barossa Valley rates with the best of them.

51. BAROSSA VALLEY, AUSTRALIA

'The world's love affair with shiraz is bringing wine spectators to Australia's Barossa Valley. The hilly region is home to some of the world's oldest shiraz vines, some dating back to the 1840s. And if the more than 60 wineries aren't enough, Barossa also offers an artisanal cheese trail, and nearby Adelaide is a foodie destination in its own right."

Extract taken from the New York Times.

Stage 1 - Tour Down Under

2008-04-24T15:13:00.001+09:30

Each year the Tour Down Under rides past the winery in a flash. The slow and exciting build up as we wait to watch the cyclists zoom down the hill is heightened by the numerous police cars ringing their sirens and stopping traffic before the race passes us by.

We all stood out the front waving our teams flag to cheer the boys on. Stage 1 of the tour runs a 129km route from Mawsons Lake to Angaston. We are somewhere around the 80km mark of the race just after the Lotteries Sprint in Lyndoch.

The riders came past at 12:30, just in time for lunch and just enough time to take the back roads to Angaston to see the finish line.

Come and join us next year for lunch to cheer on the yellow jersey.

Vintage Bottles

2008-04-24T15:08:00.003+09:30

Lisa has always sporadically collected old bottles and tins. I remember when she came home from Bali after a holiday with some friends, I was eager to see all the gifts she had bought me and she started to pull out soft drink bottles – this was before vintage style glass bottles were popular in Australia - she had collected a whole range of them. I wasn’t too disappointed as the bottles were beautiful but I was hoping for a little Balinese shell bag.

I few years ago we were cleaning out our back shed and we came across one of my grandfathers old suit cases. Inside we found all the beautiful bottles that we see above. We were especially excited to see old Miranda port & muscat bottles.

Some of them are so old that the contents have evaporated.

There was even a bottle from Mum and Dad’s wedding. A tradition at Italian weddings is to give the gift of bonbonniere. Mum and Dad gave each guest a little port bottle. They were married 33 years ago today – Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad!

Winter Menu 2008

2008-03-27T18:14:00.004+10:30

Its a very exciting time at the winery, we are just finishing up vintage (which was fantastic). Now preparing the 2008 whites for bottling and we have just released our new winter menu.

Every six months we review our menu adjusting it according to the season. We keep the old favourites such as gorgonzola gnocchi, caesar pizza and salt & pepper squid, but we also add some new and exciting dishes to tantalise the taste buds. When people ask what are our favourites it's hard to choose! There is the pear and brie stack (pictured above), baked avocado, honey mustard chicken, lamb normandy pie and the classic grilled beef in shiraz glaze with yum mash potato and a baked field mushroom.

This winter we have also explored some traditional Italian pasta dishes with an Australian twist, you can't miss the sweet potato gnocchi, duck ragu or shredded veal salsa.

My mouth is watering as I write this (we are having lamb roast for dinner, lucky its a few minutes off being served). Check out the new menu here.

Trans Glass Vessels

2008-01-31T12:14:00.000+10:30

Tord Boontje is a Dutch product designer that I have admired for sometime now. He creates these whimsical pieces that should be exhibited in art galleries rather than the suburban home.

I found one of his earlier works ‘trans glass vessels’ made from recycled wine bottles, this gives a new spin to the 5 cent refund offered by the South Australian government in an effort to keep SA tidy. I thought I would share with you something that is often thrown away and yet here is an example where it can be beautiful and functional, the vessels could be used as vases or water jugs and glasses.

If you are short on gift ideas look no further than your wine rack! Or maybe visit www.tordboontje.com to own an original.

Hyatt/Advertiser South Australian Wine of the Year Awards

2007-09-25T10:00:00.001+09:30

On Friday 25^th August Mum, Dad, Lisa & I went to the Hyatt/Advertiser SA Wine of the Year Awards. We had a wonderful night, the food was delicious, the wines (all 12 of them) were beautiful & the entertainment (Far from North) exceptional.

It’s always a wonderful opportunity to attend award shows as you are able to taste multiple varieties in one sitting. It is similar to a wine tasting in a cellar door but you have the added advantage (in this case especially) of the wine being accompanied by food prepared by some of the best chef’s in Adelaide. I always find that when buying wine, I tend to stick with a particular variety – however, I was surprised to see from the white wines presented (I usually go for a Riesling) that I enjoyed the Chardonnay & Semillon. Whilst, with the reds (I’m a devoted Cabernet drinker) I finished my glass of Shiraz before any of the other reds.

I thought it was fitting that one of the speakers for the evening said the awards are not about winning but allowing people within the wine industry to set a high standard for their wines showing exceptional quality and varieties. It’s true, we tend to drink our own wine and comment on the flavours we like, but the awards give us the opportunity to compare and set a higher standard for our wines.

For me the stand out of the night was not the wines, but the gorgonzola panna cotta served with pear bread & thinly sliced toffeed pear - To die for!

A glass of bubbles

2007-08-22T13:44:00.000+09:30

As I mentioned in the last post we had enjoyed a bottle of the Franciacorta Brut prior to having dinner. It was a perfect accompaniment to the fatty salamis that were on offer because the sparkling breaks down the fat. It is like serving stewed apples with pork, the acids in the apple help the digestive system break down the pork fat - its good for you, some would even say healthy!

I’m a firm believer in starting a dinner party off on a sparkling – actually this is second by the girls at work, I’m sure if health and safety allowed them they would start a working day off with a glass of bubbles!

Dad must be enjoying the flavour of a Franciacorta at the moment because there has been a new bottle of the brut opened every night for the past few days. One evening we had a friend from Italy over. She said that when visiting a winery in Franciacorta the winemaker told her ‘Don’t ask for a Champagne when you want a sparkling ask for a Franciacorta’.

To give you a brief history on the wine industry, sparkling wine has for centuries been know as Champagne. The French believe that Champagne should only come from the Champagne region in southern France, so other countries who have the same style of wine have different names – an example is the Franciacorta region in Italy call their sparkling Franciacorta.

But I believe if it is in a Champagne bottle with a champagne stopper once that cork pops it doesn’t matter if it’s a sparkling, a champagne, a brut or a Franciacorta – they all taste good chilled.

Something that made me smile is Franciacorta rough translation from Italian to English is Little France.

What is your favorite sparkling wine?

Welcome to the table

2007-08-01T20:10:00.000+09:30

Welcome to the first post for the Lou Miranda Estate blog ‘At the table’. Our family have always shared meals at the dinner table & wine has always been part of round table discussion. It is not unusual for the dinner table to grow from our immediate family of 5 to include extended family and friends. With our door always open Mum has made sure there is plenty of food to go around and that no conversation run dry.

The reason for starting this blog is to extend to our loyal customers the opportunity to have an insight into our family dinners & allow you to comment on your own family dinners. I also invite you to ask questions about wine or food & we will endeavor to answer.

I have been drinking wine for as long as my parents have allowed it – Pop used to give me wine with dinner when I was about 2 or 3 ‘Just to taste’ he would say. I enjoy wine, & I do love to listen to the way people describe the wines. Everybody has a different opinion and their likes and dislikes vary so much.

Today is the first day of VineTech in Adelaide & we have a full table of people tonight. Dad left early this morning for the conference & took the opportunity to invite some people over for dinner.

Guests: Sam & Rachael Miranda, Michael Stevens-Jones & Luis Simeon.

Food: Fresh salami & an assortment of cheese. Chunkey Pasta al ragu. Fennell & avocado salad. Apricot & prune butter cake served with port wine custard. Macaroons & Haighs chocolate truffles just to finish the night off.

Wine: Franciacorta Brut
Cloudy Bay 1991 Sauvignon Blanc
Miranda Rovalley Ridge 1994 Chardonnay
Rieussec 1983 Sauternes
Loredan Gasparini Venegazzu 1997
Chateau Segonnes Margaux 1985
Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1988

The wines this evening were absolutely beautiful. The Cloudy Bay 1991 Sauvignon Blanc had a matured palate and was slightly oxidized. The Miranda Rovalley Ridge 1994 Chardonnay didn’t give away much on the nose and had an acidic taste to the palate, but with its golden legs and buttery flavour on the tongue with the wood and wine well balance, it was still holding up for its age – again with age the wine has become slightly oxidized.

Over the years I have tasted a lot of wines and have grown accustomed to pigeon holing a wine because of certain characteristics. It was interesting to see that the first red to come out was picked to be a Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon but in fact was an Italian 1997 Loredan Gasparini Venegazzu. The second red a French Bordeaux – 1985 Chateau Segonnes Margaux had a stinky nose – age and oxidization with a broad flavour – but to drink was a joy. The final red was in fact a Coonawarra Cab Sauv from Wynns. A beautiful wine, lovely full earthy flavour of tobacco & mint with a full sweet finish – the wood had matured well with the wine.