Lou Miranda Estate
Went for a hike with some mates in a reserve near Tanunda in the Barossa. It was a pleasant walk without making your legs feeling like you've drunk too much. There hadn't been rain for a while so the flora was rather a bore.
By the time we finished it was half past three so places for lunch were hard to come by. We tried the restaurant at the Jacob's Creek winery but it was suprisingly fully packed. We resigned ourselves to getting something closer to home on the way back.
However I remember visiting the Miranda winery back in 2002 so I pulled in just in case. It was now Lou Miranda Estate and we were in luck, the kitchen wasn't yet closed. The proprieter, who else but Lou Miranda, welcomed us in a quaint manner that only a winemaker of Italian heritage could.
It turned out he that in the years since my last visit that Lou had branched out on his own from the Miranda Wines business which has been sold to McGuigan Simeon. Lou's branching out has given the winery a more welcoming and personal touch to what is a warm, charming place. Whilst the building was only built in 1999 it blends in with the buildings nearby that are over a century old, making it feel like an old favourite haunt.
The wines have certainly benefited from Lou's full attention with his Italian heritage evident in the Cordon Cut Shiraz made in the Amarone style wine. Branches of the grapes for this wine are cut from the vine and left to dry. This results in a richer, rounder style of wine with more apparent sweetness.
The Leone Sparkling Shiraz was all that a good Barossa sparkling red should be with a soft, rich body. Its extra touch of fruit sweetness marries it perfectly with so many dishes including asian and seafood. The Leone Chardonnay was a pleasant surprise with about twenty percent oak making it a well balanced white that treads the delicate line between richness and refreshment.
Lou, being a very hospitable proprietor, having found out I was a wine buff from my knowledge of Amarone wine got me to try his just released 2005 Old Vine Shiraz. I must confess at first taste it was a bit underwhelming but that was after having had lunch followed by dessert with glass of his Leone Botrytis Semillon with his compliments. He showed me a glass of corked wine, the smell and taste (I tasted it out of my impulse) was rather recognizable and quite reminiscent of wet cardboard.
However on a visit a few days later with a clean palate I tasted it again and his pride in it was well placed. Made from 90 year old vines it was classic Barossa shiraz with a bit more sense that only a winemaker of Italian heritage can bring. Whilst I may be biased in finding Lou, his daughters and their boutique winery very charming, I have to say this was the most enjoyable shiraz I'd tasted in a while. Other shiraz wines may be up on their pedestal but this one was so moresome for want of a better word, which again could be a result of the Italian influence that favours wines that marry well with food.
We started our late lunch with some pizza fingers, slivers of pizza dough with just the right amount of toppings. The tomato, olive and anchovies was particularly delicious and matched surprisingly well with the sparkling shiraz I got for lunch. The salt and pepper squid that all the boys got had just the right amount of batter and was cooked to perfection. Again the soft richness of the sparkling shiraz went well with the squid.
For dessert we had chocolate lasagne, a decadent dish of chocolate sheets interspersed with such riches that my brain and stomach have conspired to block from my memory. As mentioned before Lou gave us some botrytis with his compliments. The wine was as decadent and delicious as the dessert although drinking it after having a mouthful of chocolate didn't flatter the wine too much.
Our impromptu late lunch at Lou Miranda Estate was a wonderful experience. The winery is quaint and makes you feel so comfortable. Lou and the rest of Miranda were great hosts. The food was elegantly simple and executed perfectly. Throw in the great wine and you have a place that is bound to become one of my favourite country haunts.
By the time we finished it was half past three so places for lunch were hard to come by. We tried the restaurant at the Jacob's Creek winery but it was suprisingly fully packed. We resigned ourselves to getting something closer to home on the way back.
However I remember visiting the Miranda winery back in 2002 so I pulled in just in case. It was now Lou Miranda Estate and we were in luck, the kitchen wasn't yet closed. The proprieter, who else but Lou Miranda, welcomed us in a quaint manner that only a winemaker of Italian heritage could.
It turned out he that in the years since my last visit that Lou had branched out on his own from the Miranda Wines business which has been sold to McGuigan Simeon. Lou's branching out has given the winery a more welcoming and personal touch to what is a warm, charming place. Whilst the building was only built in 1999 it blends in with the buildings nearby that are over a century old, making it feel like an old favourite haunt.
The wines have certainly benefited from Lou's full attention with his Italian heritage evident in the Cordon Cut Shiraz made in the Amarone style wine. Branches of the grapes for this wine are cut from the vine and left to dry. This results in a richer, rounder style of wine with more apparent sweetness.
The Leone Sparkling Shiraz was all that a good Barossa sparkling red should be with a soft, rich body. Its extra touch of fruit sweetness marries it perfectly with so many dishes including asian and seafood. The Leone Chardonnay was a pleasant surprise with about twenty percent oak making it a well balanced white that treads the delicate line between richness and refreshment.
Lou, being a very hospitable proprietor, having found out I was a wine buff from my knowledge of Amarone wine got me to try his just released 2005 Old Vine Shiraz. I must confess at first taste it was a bit underwhelming but that was after having had lunch followed by dessert with glass of his Leone Botrytis Semillon with his compliments. He showed me a glass of corked wine, the smell and taste (I tasted it out of my impulse) was rather recognizable and quite reminiscent of wet cardboard.
However on a visit a few days later with a clean palate I tasted it again and his pride in it was well placed. Made from 90 year old vines it was classic Barossa shiraz with a bit more sense that only a winemaker of Italian heritage can bring. Whilst I may be biased in finding Lou, his daughters and their boutique winery very charming, I have to say this was the most enjoyable shiraz I'd tasted in a while. Other shiraz wines may be up on their pedestal but this one was so moresome for want of a better word, which again could be a result of the Italian influence that favours wines that marry well with food.
We started our late lunch with some pizza fingers, slivers of pizza dough with just the right amount of toppings. The tomato, olive and anchovies was particularly delicious and matched surprisingly well with the sparkling shiraz I got for lunch. The salt and pepper squid that all the boys got had just the right amount of batter and was cooked to perfection. Again the soft richness of the sparkling shiraz went well with the squid.
For dessert we had chocolate lasagne, a decadent dish of chocolate sheets interspersed with such riches that my brain and stomach have conspired to block from my memory. As mentioned before Lou gave us some botrytis with his compliments. The wine was as decadent and delicious as the dessert although drinking it after having a mouthful of chocolate didn't flatter the wine too much.
Our impromptu late lunch at Lou Miranda Estate was a wonderful experience. The winery is quaint and makes you feel so comfortable. Lou and the rest of Miranda were great hosts. The food was elegantly simple and executed perfectly. Throw in the great wine and you have a place that is bound to become one of my favourite country haunts.
Labels: restaurants, wineries, wines
posted by Forrest Rivers at 23:52
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