20 MARCH 2018 The Great Eastern Mail From the cellar door GIDDAY, let me firstly introduce myself. My name is Phil and I am not your typical wine reviewer. Just a bloke who loves his wine. Idon’tuseorevenunderstand the term “unctuous” and I’m pretty sure I could not tell you the difference between a “gooseberry” nose and a “talcy” finish. I do know what I like and, in my opinion, that certain wines do go better with different types of food. However, don’t be fooled by the supposed “rules “around wine, ... YOU can drink a big fruity Shiraz with fish if that’s what takes your fancy! It’s YOUR preference that’s important, not anyone else’s as our taste in wine are all different. Nobody is more right than anyone else. So, to this month’s wine, it’s a Pikes Traditionale Riesling 2016 vintage, from the Sevenhill region in the Clare Valley in South Australia. This area produces some of the best (and affordable) Rieslings in Australia and Pikes have been around for over a century. This wine was ranked no 7 out of 60 by the renowned wine critic, Huon Hooke in his Riesling ratings last year and is by far the most affordable of his top 10. It has been a favourite of mine for many years and goes especially well with freshly caught and cooked fish of any kind. Riesling is generally a little drier and initially tastes a little more “steely” (technical term!) than a Sav Blanc but, in my opinion is easier to drink either with or without food. Best served chilled and as I mentioned, goes beautifully with fish dishes, as fish generally has a delicate flavour, this wine will complement it, not overpower it. Another food that I particularly like drinking it with is a beef curry. Due to its dry finish, it cuts through the strong curry flavours and cleans your palate for the next mouthful! Not that I keep my wine for long, but if you wanted to, this wine will age really well for up to 5 years plus. This vintage is one of their best and should still be available in most pubs and bottle shops for around the $20-$22 mark. Thanks for reading my review and I hope you get to enjoy this wine like I do. Cheers and see you next month. Phil. Ingredients Method Preheat oven to 220ºC (430ºF) Scatter half the rosemary and half the unpeeled garli cloves over the bottom of a roasting dish. In a bowl combine kefalograviera, crushed garlic, basil and parsley and season with salt & pepper. Set aside. Score the fat of the lamb with a sharp knife. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place lamb on a board, boned-side up, and spread over the stuffing. Roll up and tie in three or four places with string to hold in shape while cooking and place the lamb in the roasting dish on top of the rosemary and garlic. Cover lamb with remaining rosemary and garlic and pour in wine. Cover the lamb with baking paper, then cover dish with a double layer of aluminium foil. Place in the preheated oven and immediately turn temperature down to 160ºC (320ºF). Cook lamb for 3-4 hours. It’s ready when the meat falls apart easily. Serve the lamb sprinkled with fetta cheese and pomegranate seeds (if using). Recipe Vonnie’sFavourites 1 bunch fresh rosemary 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves (unpeeled) 200g kefalograviera cheese, chopped into small pieces 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup chopped fresh basil 1 cup chopped fresh parsley Salt & freshly ground black pepper 1 x 2kg (4 lb) shoulder of lamb, boned cup (60ml) olive oil ½ cup (125ml) dry white wine 150g fetta cheese, crumbled (optional) 1 pomegranate (optional) StuffedRoastedShoulder ofLambSERVES4-6