Presenting a series of Sunday's showcasing the stories from Wine, Beer & Spirits of the Fleurieu.

These are reproduced with permission from Soul Publishing and Rojina Duval.

These stories feature prominent farmers, fishermen, producers and chefs – from Port Noarlunga to Cape Jervis – along with their favourite recipes and tips. Enjoy!

Fox Creek is the product of a passion that dates back to 1984 when Dr Jim Watts, a professor of surgery, and wife Helen, a registered nurse, purchased the 32-hectare McLaren Vale property that is now home to Fox Creek Wines.

Jim and Helen were keen to have some land away from the hectic world of medicine and their son Paul was eager to grow grapes and join the wine industry. Together with their three daughters – Kristin, Georgy and Sarah – the Watts went about planting vineyards.

With the very first Fox Creek wine awarded the ‘Bushing Trophy’ for the best wine of the 1995 McLaren Vale Wine Show, their future as winemakers was bright. This achievement has been reached twice since and has been met with Langton’s Classification for the Reserve Shiraz.

McLaren Vale’s climate and regional diversity facilitates a broad range of grape varieties. This enables an extensive portfolio of high-quality wines at Fox Creek, ranging from sparkling white through to shiraz and some alternate varietals also.

“The food producers of the region excel on quality and make for a perfect match to the wine culture,” Helen says, "and having such beautiful beaches just down the road doesn’t hurt either.” 

CELLAR DOOR

“At Fox Creek, we bring a little bit of the past into the future. It’s a fine balance of old and new. The 19th-century stone cottage, home to our cellar door, is just 400 metres away from our state-of-the-art winery.

“The cellar door is surrounded by a cottage garden and vineyards, providing a relaxing atmosphere in which to taste our wines, together with regional produce platters. Visitors can experience the bi-monthly art exhibition, while the kids venture off throughout the gardens to test their treasure-hunting skills.”

PAIRING

Reserve Shiraz is a full-flavoured McLaren Vale shiraz, elegant and balanced, courtesy of a parcel of fruit from 1910-planted vineyards and sympathetic oak use. It showcases flavours of plums, cherries, mulberries, raspberries and dark chocolate, framed by textural tannins and well-integrated oak.

Pair with slow-cooked lamb roast with roasted veggies, or a generous fillet steak

ADDRESS: 90 Malpas Road, McLaren Vale

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