Photos sourced from the Shobbrook Wines website
In October last year an energetic, charming and scruffy young Tom Shobbrook arrived at Urbane with a mixed bag of naturally made wines from the Barossa & Adelaide Hills, some homemade traditional Italian sausage that had been curing in his winery, a sharp knife and a piece of floorboard to slice the meat on while we tasted his wines. By the end of the tasting we had planned this dinner.
At 30 Shobbrook is already a household name, his humble winery on his estate is a key destination for many Australian & international wine journalists and his hospitality to the trade is well known. His wines are not only superbly crafted but are also made without the use of any artificial additives at all (with the exception of a touch up of sulphur at bottling for transport!).
The question of authenticity in wine is in the international spotlight right now. The debate rolls beyond organics and biodynamics challenging chemical-assisted viticulture, into questions of how much intervention is necessary in the winery before the authenticity is obscured or lost. And Tom has accidentally landed right in the middle of the discourse. Not because he is carrying a flag for what he loves, but because the proof is in his puddings, so to speak.
Tom Shobbrook has leapt into the international spotlight within a year of his first Australian release. Winning the prestigious Australian Wine Medal from Gourmet Traveller in 2010 brought attention not only to Tom’s label, but to the movement towards more authentic wine.
Shobbrook learned how to make wine in Italy, making wine for six vintages at biodynamic Chianti Classico producer Riecine. Upon returning to his home at the Barossa a very different man than he was when he left, Shobbrook converted his family estate to biodynamic farming, built a small winery in a shed on the property and started making wine the way he loved: as naturally as possible.
Within two years of his first release of his Barossa Valley wine label, Shobbrook Wines, Tom Shobbrook has become a household name among Australian wine aficionados and international press alike. Unfortunately he makes so little of it that it is soon sold out after release, only adding to the mystery of his artisanal vino (which he bottles, labels and seals by hand).
Shobbrook makes wine like no-one else in Australia: stunning, textural Sauvignon Blanc that looks and tastes like anything but; long skin-contact Riesling that has seen partial barrel ferment; Pinot Noir/Nebbiolo blends and Barossa Valley Syrah that seems closer to Cornas than to the South Australian standard for the variety.
According to Tom, these wines are made to be drunk young with good company, lots of laughter and great food.
Join us on Thursday 16th February at 7pm for a very special wine dinner with Tom. Matched with a sublime five course menu by Kym Machin, you are assured all the ingredients for a memorable night. Tickets are $155 and seats are limited – book now to avoid disappointment! Ph 3229 2271.
