The winery, located east of Angaston, is slightly out of the way and as we pulled into the car park I wondered, surveying the list of mining-related companies beside the door, whether we’d come to the right place, but once we’d been directed through the door on our left it was obvious that we had.
The Thorn-Clarke core range ($15) comprised wines that were consistently excellent, starting with the 2007 Sandpiper Riesling, a really cool-climate style made from Eden Valley fruit. The 2007 Sandpiper Pinot Gris was, predictably, in the French rather than the Italian style with strong pear flavours and the 2006 Sorriso Rose, a blend of Nebbiolo and Cabernet was a dry, easy-drinking style. Another one for a summer afternoon.
Of the core range reds the 2007 Sandpiper Shiraz ticked all the right boxes and the 2007 Sandpiper Cabernet Sauvignon was an excellent easy-drinking wine, as was the 2005 Sandpiper The Blend (Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc).
Further up the price range in the premium wines, the 2007 Shotfire Chardonnay ($20) was on the buttery side of the spectrum (the style I really like) and the 2007 Pinot Gris ($20) was surprisingly similar despite the fact it hadn’t undergone the malolactic fermentation that usually leads to those characters. Interesting.
From there it was a matter of checking into the night’s accommodation at the Vineyards Motel, an unprepossessing establishment that had the advantage of being directly across the road from Vintners Restaurant, the venue we’d selected for dinner, and the adjacent Saturday morning Farmers’ Markets.
Dinner was a pleasant affair, with the chicken (Madam) and kangaroo versions of the daily specials. I chose a glass of Tin Shed Cabernet Franc ($9) to go with the ‘roo, though the most memorable bit of the evening came after we’d started the walk home, which quickly became a run as we crossed Stockwell Road, closely pursued by the rain that had been threatening to do something more than drizzle all day and had waited till we were on foot in the open to do so.
