After a late morning tour of the vineyards and a tasting at the Kalleske
Vineyards in Greenock Creek where Tammy's wines are produced.....and some mighty
fine Kalleske wines I might add!!....We returned to the family home overlooking
their beautiful Stonewell Vineyard Estate.
We started with a boil of fresh crayfish from the pond.... And then came the
sliced cured meats, cheeses, salads, breads and condiments. Of course, we were
drinking lovely wines produced from grapes grown just a few feet from our table
under the shade trees. Tammy's father John entertained us with lively "fish"
stories and tales of growing up in the Tanunda area.
For dessert Tammy served a traditional dessert from the region guaranteed to
please any wine lover. She graciously shared it with us and now we pass it along
to you!
Rote Grutze
Ingredients:
- Ripe red wine grapes or red grape juice
- Sago (Small pearl tapioca can be substituted.)
- Water
Method:
Pull berries from washed bunches of red wine grapes. Boil with a
little water until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Drain off liquid through a
sieve and process grapes though a mill as for tomato sauce, or press by hand to
remove as much juice as possible. *
For every cup of juice, add one cup of water. No sugar is
necessary if the grapes are sweet and concentrated, as picked late in the
season. If you are using less sweet grapes, add sugar to taste. Measure the
total liquid volume and put in a large saucepan in which you plan to cook the
desert. For every 500ml of liquid, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of sago. The
Grütze can then be cooked straight away, but to reduce cooking time, allow the
mixture to stand out over night (covered) and cook the following day. Simmer
mixture until sago balls are completely clear, approximately 15-20mins. Cool
completely and serve cold with a puddle of runny cream. This desert will keep
for up to 1 week in the fridge.
* When we make this desert it is a serious undertaking, producing enough
juice to enjoy Gr
ütze all year around. Hence, we cook whole bunches
of grapes, after washing them. The grape mixture is allowed to cool before
separating the juice, leaching even more colour from the skins. It then put
through a small basket press to allow for gentle but effective extraction of the
juice. The juice can then be frozen in batches for use in making the desert
throughout the year. Dark grape juice from the supermarket can be used to make
this process easier, but will not have the same flavour and colour intensity as
the traditional method.
Tammy Schutz-Pfeiffer is the owner of Red Nectar Vineyards and
Wines -
www.rednectar.com.au
For an extra special treat we recommend staying at the
family's award winning accommodations!
http://www.stonewellcottages.com.au/
Premium producer and source of old bush
vine Grenache and Shiraz in the region!
http://www.kalleske.com/
