Hay Shed Hill Wines, Margaret River
On a cold, grey, rainy (read: typical) London January day, I made my way to the Boxcar Butcher & Grill in Marylebone for a few bottles of Australian sunshine courtesy of Hay Shed Hill Wines.
Owner and winemaker Michael Kerrigan was in town to show off his wines to the lucky ones of us gathered around the dining table. Michael started his winery after working many years for big Australian winerie. He wanted to stretch his wings and make wines that reflected his own personal style and so with a couple of friends, in 2006, Michael bought Hay Shed Hill winery.
The Wine Sleuth and Hay Shed Hill winemaker, Michael Kerrigan
The winery got its name because, well, there was a hay shed on a hill and that’s how the locals referred to the winery. The vineyards are located in Wilyabrup, in the Margaret River region.
The vineyards are only 5 kms from the Indian Ocean so they benefit from the cooling breezes coming off the sea. This cools the grapes down and gives them a more ‘cool climate’ character. The vineyards are situated on hilly terrain which means the chardonnay enjoys steep south facing slopes and the equally steep north facing slopes have cabernet sauvignon. Most of the vineyards are dry grown and the Vineyard Series wines are grown with organically but are not certified.
Over lunch we tasted their Pitchfork and Vineyard Series wines. I particularly enjoyed the chardonnays which had subtle oaky notes but with balanced fruit and acidity. The cabernet sauvignons were full, elegant wines with intense fruit notes and great with the steaks we had for lunch.
Margaret River wines again showing why you should look out for them and why they are great food friendly wines. Hay Shed Hill’s Vineyard Series Cabernet Sauvignon is available at The Grocery Wine Vault in Shoreditch and other independent wine shops.