We love sharing our wines and our favourite parts of our beautiful Kangaroo Island. Our blog shares our team's favourite ways to get the most from your visit when you're exploring Kangaroo Island. And of course we like to share the latest news and wine reviews with you too!
Kangaroo Island is Australia’s only Geographically Indicated small island wine region. Located off the coast of South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula with the wild Southern Ocean to the south, Kangaroo Island combines a mediterranean climate with a strong maritime influence.
The dominating ocean influences moderate the temperature, making it significantly cooler in summer and warmer in winter than other South Australian wine regions. This allows for a long, even growing season and an excellent balance of sugar and acidity in the grapes. Being an Island wine region, these maritime conditions are unique to Kangaroo Island.
Kangaroo Island offers a diverse range of wine styles to explore. This wine region covers an enormous area of 4,400 km2 (10 times the size of McLaren Vale), with just seven wine labels producing across diverse sub-climate zones and soils. Unlike more intensely planted wine regions, vineyards on Kangaroo Island are surrounded by vast tracts of open farmland and native vegetation, each with its unique terroir.
As a young wine region, different approaches and winemaking experiences also drive diversity. Some of the region's labels were established by farming families with generations of agricultural experience on Kangaroo Island, who diversified into wine, learning and experimenting along the way. Other wine labels were established by experienced winemakers bringing their expertise from other regions nationally and internationally.
When Jacques Lurton, a sixth-generation winemaker from the famous Lurton family in Bordeaux, visited Kangaroo Island in 1997, he instantly recognised the conditions similar to both Bordeaux and Languedoc regions where he had grown up in France. He decided Kangaroo Island would be the place to establish his own Australian wine label and found the perfect property to grow and handcraft wine that would put Kangaroo Island on the world wine map.
The first grapes planted on Kangaroo Island were classic Australian varietals, such as shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and chardonnay. As winemakers with different expertise gravitated to the region, more interesting varietals were planted, like savagnin, arinto, albariño and tempranillo.
Having worked with an array of varietals throughout Europe and South America, Jacques chose to introduce varietals like cabernet franc, malbec, semillon, viognier and sangiovese to his vineyards on Kangaroo Island to create unique cool-climate expressions unlike those he has produced elsewhere in the world.
The Islander Estate Vineyards blends European elegance and finesse with Australian creativity. Using European varietals, equipment imported from France and many traditional 'old-world' winemaking techniques, our hallmark is elegant cool-climate wines that take their inspiration from French heritage but are creatively crafted and uniquely Kangaroo Island.
The Kangaroo Island wine region offers a personal wine-tasting experience. There are no "mega" wine complexes. Each cellar door is small, rustic and unique. This allows for a customised experience where you can get to know the winemakers and learn more about the winemaking process.
The Islander Estate Vineyards Tasting Room was designed to be deliberately intimate and pared back. It offers beautiful rural surroundings with decks and lawns to enjoy a platter and a bottle of wine. Our staff's personalised experience and knowledge will ensure that your wine tasting is an unforgettable experience.
One of the best ways to get a feel for a new place is to meet the locals, learn about their stories, and get insider tips on the best spots to visit. A hosted wine-tasting experience is a fantastic way to spend one-on-one time with locals.
Our team at The Islander Estate Vineyards love sharing their favourite spots to enjoy wine on the beach, at sunset, and where to picnic each season.
INGREDIENTS:
Makes approx 24 arancini
Arancini
This recipe is a great way to use leftover risotto if you have it on hand, if not, use the recipe below to make a simple risotto from scratch.
Simple Risotto
1.25 litres (5 cups) hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
20 gm butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
250 gm Arborio rice
150 ml dry white wine
100 gm finely grated parmesan (2/3 cup)
Truffle & Smoked Fontina Filling
100 gm Smoked Fontina Cheese cut into 1cm cubes
15 gm fresh black truffle, finely grated
For Assembly
3 eggs, lightly beaten
75 gm plain flour, seasoned (½ cup)
100 gm fine dried breadcrumbs (1 cup)
Vegetable oil for deep frying
To serve
Aioli (homemade or store bought)
Shaved fresh truffle
METHOD
Simple Risotto
Arancini
To serve
Pipe half a teaspoon of aioli on each arancino & top with a fine shaving of fresh truffle
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as an entree
Gnocchi
1.1 kg floury potatoes (Desiree are a good choice)
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
White Castello & Truffle Sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter, divided
2 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
150g White Castello cheese, cut into small pieces
1 x 45-50 gram
1 x 45-50gm French black truffle (or substitute with preserved truffles in oil)
To assemble
Gnocchi
Sauce
Salt and pepper
Fresh chives, chopped, for garnish
METHOD:
Gnocchi
Sauce
To Assemble
In its second year, the Gutsy Kangaroo Island 2023 festival will take place from June 8 to June 12. A winter celebration of the determination and brilliance of the Island’s producers. With nineteen events scheduled over five days, including the June long weekend, the Island is set to be bustling.
Kangaroo Islanders defy the odds, always, whether that be the distance, the weather, or the isolation, to craft their product, and the stories to be told about how they achieve this, are incredible.”
Join us for a unique experience exploring two of the world's luxury products Cabernet Franc and Truffles, with the beauty of Kangaroo Island as the backdrop.
This intimate event begins at our Tasting Room with an educational masterclass on Cabernet Franc, one of the world's most elegant wine varietals. Enjoy a museum tasting of The Islander Estate Vineyard's flagship wine, The Investigator and discover what inspired Bordeaux winemaker Jacques Lurton to grow it on Kangaroo Island.
Then stroll to Kangaroo Island's first fledgling truffle orchard & meet owner Enzo Di Lalla for an exclusive insight into the dedication required to grow and harvest this coveted luxury food.
To wrap up the event, we will pair the two delicacies with a selection of rustic truffle dishes prepared by Kangaroo Island Source served stand-up fireside at the Tasting Room.
General Public Ticket price is $150.00 per person
Our Discoverer's Wine Club Members are offered a special ticket price of $99.00 for themselves & 1 guest.