San Sebástian Style Pintxos And Wine Flights In The Swan Valley
The Travelling Corkscrew was recently invited to Pandemonium Estate to experience their new Pintxos & Wine Flights – thank you very much for inviting us! As it’s a bit far for me to travel from Victoria, Naomi kindly put her hand up to go on my behalf. It looked like incredibly hard work 😉
A Little Bit Of Spain Right On Our Doorstep
I was recently invited to head along and try the newest addition to Pandemonium Estate “Wine and Pintxos Flight” consisting of four Pandemonium Estate Spanish wines matched with Spanish inspired Pintxos.
Where Did Pintxos Originate And What Are They?
You may have heard of Spanish tapas, but have you heard of Pintxos?
Tapas were created sometime around the 16th century (although this can vary from source to source) to stop flies and bugs from getting into drinks by placing a small piece of bread on top. It became a lid of sorts, which is known as a ‘tapa’ in Spanish.
The tapas trend then reached the Spanish Basque Country in the 1930s. Bars in San Sebástian began making miniature versions of their dishes and displayed them along the bar. Customers could then come to the bar and help themselves.
To keep the pintxos (meaning to ‘spear’ or ‘spike’) together, they would spear the dish with a wooden cocktail stick, hence the name.
Why Do Spanish Grape Varieties Suit The Swan Valley So Well?
I reached out to Nicola from Pandemonium Estate who says:
We have a wonderful Mediterranean climate in the Swan Valley with lovely hot summers and hardly any humidity. The Spanish grapes thrive in this kind of environment.”
What We Drank And Ate
Now I’m sure this is what you’re excited to read about and to salivate over!
I headed out to Pandemonium Estate to try their new wine and Pintxos flight, which they’re selling for $20.
I think this is such fantastic value, considering that each glass is a 50ml pour or the equivalent of two glasses of wine, plus a delicious snack paired with each wine. The perfect in-between meal option.
- Savagnin ‘The Verrine’ matched with a garlic aioli, chilli olives and anchovies
- Rosé ‘The Rosier’ matched with a slice of pear, a hard cheese, thyme and honey
- Tempranillo ‘Limited Release’ matched with a bean paste, peppers and chilli chorizo
- Shiraz Grenache ‘The Beast’ matched with prosciutto and a hot banana chilli
My favourites on the day were the Savagnin (far left glass) matched with the garlic aioli, chilli olives and anchovies. The wine and food pairing was absolutely spot on. I’m not a huge sardine lover, but I am willing to give food and wine pairings a go and the saltiness of the olives and sardines was perfectly suited to the garlic mayo, but it was the wine that really made this combination sing! Almost translucent on the eye, the Savagnin was quite light and very easy drinking. A winning Summer drop.
If you do visit the cellar door or if you wish to purchase the ‘The Verrine’ online, please note the 2017 vintage is a mix blend – Savagnin Chenin Blanc, while the 2018 ‘The Verrine’ is a straight Savagnin.
My second favourite was the Tempranillo matched with a bean paste, peppers and mild chilli chorizo. The chilli was a perfect match for the wine and Nicola from Pandemonium Estate agrees,
The 2016 Limited Release Tempranillo is a perfect match with chorizo – and extremely common in Spain too. This medium-bodied wine is jam-packed with dark plum and blueberries, is fruit driven with soft tannins, making it perfect with spicy chorizo.”
Even though I had my standout favourites, I couldn’t fault the matched pairings. and there was not a crumb left on my plate!
After finishing my flight, I popped by the tasting area to reacquaint myself with their wines. I picked up a bottle of the Sparkling Moscato ($18), which I’m looking forward to enjoying on Christmas day, either on its own or paired with the Swan Valley Gin Co Strawberry Gin and a slice of strawberry, as it was presented at the Swan Valley Gin Company launch.
If you were looking for something a little more filling, you may want to try their woodfire pizza and a glass of wine deal ($25), as pictured above. I haven’t had a chance yet, but this will be one to try out when I visit next time.
About Pandemonium Estate
Pandemonium Estate is a small, boutique Swan Valley wine producer of table and fortified wines. After purchasing the property in 2007, the winery was established and producing its first wines in 2008 by owners Martin and Loraine.
The property includes well-established vines of Shiraz, plus Grenache and Pedro Ximenez, two Spanish varieties that inspired the direction of the winery.
If you also enjoy a gin, be sure to check out their new venture – The Swan Valley Gin Company.
Planning A Visit?
I was lucky enough to have my partner drop me off at Pandemonium Estate, as I didn’t want to drink and drive. Once at the venue, I was advised that they now have a stop outside of the venue for the Swan Valley Hop On Hop Off bus. You may not see it on the map, as they only had the stop installed last week, but I will be making sure to make use of the bus for future visits.
Cellar door hours: Friday – Sunday and public holidays (during summer), 11am – 5pm.
Address: 1050 Great Northern Highway, Baskerville, WA (about 30 minutes from the Perth CBD)
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