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If you can't read this email please click here: www.koonara.com/2009april.htm

Harvest is in
Well the grapes are in, and although every winemaker says the current vintage is the best, it's pretty good. The heatwave knocked things around a little, but in all it has been a drawn out vintage, with still a lot of grapes in Coonawarra still to be picked. Shiraz especially is looking top of the wazza. I will put some more vintage shot up next month for you.
                          

Jason McClure & Mary Haynes
Old friend Mary Haynes married Jason McClure in Naracoorte the other day, and I was lucky enough to get dragged into my first real gig as a wedding photographer (bit of fun on the weekends). Once again the weather was a cracker.

Jane French & Mary Haynes

Sarah & Penny

Jason & The rings - note the blisters. No more of those now he's married...

The happy couple...

More photos:

 

Wine Fact:
The oldest datable wine has been an amphora salvaged and drunk by Captain Jacques Cousteau from the wreck of a Greek trader sunk in the Mediterranean circa 230 B.C. Wine jars recovered from the Pompeii eruption of A.D. 79 were found labelled VESUVINUM - The oldest known trade mark.

Wine Deal: The Remix
Mix it up... try a case of mixed reds, or mixed whites, or mixed, mixed. Click here: www.koonara.com/ourwines.html

BONUS: 12th bottle FREE with every mixed case.

Wine Advice:
Regions: There are 74 wine regions in Australia.
 

Bar Joke
Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar.
One says, "I think I've lost an electron." The other says, "Are you sure?"
The first says, "Yes, I'm positive..."

Restaurants we love:
A new restaurant has opened in Port Campbell, along the Great Ocean Road called Room Six. For those in Adelaide, The Chef (Jimmy) used to be at Eros in Rundle Street. A great spot to visit or stop off at while cruising the Great Ocean Road.
 

Word of the day:
Pump over:
To pump wine out from a lower valve of a fermenting tank up onto the top of the fermenting mass in order to keep the solid "cap" of skins wet. This is necessary during fermentation of red wine to achieve complete extraction of colour and flavour from the skins.

Extreme Sport No 1: Caving
Looking for excitement when you visit Coonawarra? Book yourself in for some serious caving 20km up the road at the world heritage Naracoorte Caves (the only other world heritage in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef). See photos here:
www.koonara.com/caving1.html
 

Next month: watch me fall out of a plane.

After Dark Festival 2009
This festival is getting bigger & better every year in Coonawarra, and with daylight saving on our side, record numbers turned out to do all things on offer. Highlights were the DiGiorgio stomp, where contestants have to run down the rows in the vineyard, pick up buckets of grapes, bring them back and be the first team to stomp 2 bottles of grape juice. Also Brand's Laira had their wonderkid back on the slide guitar, as well as super-awesome homemade pies.

The buckets at the ready...

Filling the wine bottles with juice

Big feet help


Music at Brands

Cooking with MacGyver
The Healthy Tomato
There is no need to buy fresh tomatoes to reap the benefits of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Lycopene can withstand the high heat used in processing and cooking, so all canned and bottled tomato products (including tomato paste) offer the health benefits of fresh tomatoes. The body will absorb lycopene better when you eat tomatoes are with a small amount of fat, such as olive oil.







 

OK, you got me - the story was just so I could put this picture in.

Wine Quoteth:
"As the earlier vintages matured in bottle and progressively became less aggressive and more refined, people generally began to take notice, and whereas previously it had been all condemnation, I was now at least receiving some praise for the wine."
                      - Max Schubert Quote on the early days of Grange
 

Wise advice: 
Observation: It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you're in a hurry.
 

Events:
Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival - May 14, 15, 16, 17
Rhonda Burchmore headlines an amazing lineup including Co-Opera doing Pirates of Penzance, Woman's Weekly food editor Lyndey Milan, writer Peter Goldsworthy, and the Koonara Body art challenge. Biggest year yet, so snap up some accommodation here: www.penola.org/stay.htm and book your tickets to events on 08 8737 2855
Photos from the launch & Program:
www.artsfestival.com.au
 

Lamb, chorizo sausage and bean stir-fry

Serves: 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes Ingredients 500 g lamb strips 1 tbsp oil 2 chorizo sausages cut into thin slices 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced 400 g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 200 g green beans, trimmed and cooked until tender juice of one lemon Method 1. Combine the lamb strips with half of the oil. 2. Heat the wok, ensure it is hot. Stir-fry the lamb strips in 3 batches, reserving each cooked batch to rest in a warm bowl. Reheat wok between each batch. 3. Reheat the wok, add remaining oil and heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook until well browned, remove and reserve with the lamb. Add the onion and capsicum to wok, stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the cannellini and green beans and lemon juice, toss to combine. 4. Return the lamb and chorizo to wok, toss to combine. Serve immediately. Tips When you stir-fry meat cook it in batches and set it aside. Return the meat to the pan with sauces once the vegetables are cooked. Stir-fry only to combine – do not reheat meat for too long or it will toughen. Best lamb cuts for stir-frying; lamb stir-fry strips or prepare your own from eye of loin/backstrap, tenderloin/fillet, round or topside leg steaks.

Wine to Match: NEW RELEASE: Bay of Apostles Geelong Pinot Noir 2008 - $20 This is the sort of wine that people will be calling me up in 2 years and pleading for a bottle. Tight and juicy at the moment, this will flesh out over the next 12 months, The last lot sold out in 9 months, so be quick. www.koonara.com/ourwines.html  Dog Ridge: The Pup 2007 ($18) If anyone knows Dan Wright, the viticulturalist for this vineyard then you know why I always picture the pup being a Staffordshire Bull terrier. And like that breed, this is a nuggety wine with lots of muscle, but still gentle. This is very much in the style of the guru winemaker Ben Riggs; rich & smooth - perfect for winter. www.dogridge.com.au