Australia’s First Families of Wines: Feast with the Henschkes
Words by The Henschke Family on 29 May 2018
Our family has been making wine since Johann Christian Henschke planted his first vineyard in South Australia’s Eden Valley in the early 1860s. His first commercial release was in 1868, marking 150 years of family winemaking this year. Today, fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke and his viticulturist wife Prue are joined in the business by the next generation, Johann, Justine and Andreas. Peggy’s Hill is a local landmark in the Eden Valley wine region that sits in the centre of four long-standing growers’ vineyards, all of which express different regional characteristics from vines up to 50 years old. The Eden Valley region has a continental climate of warm days and cool nights, providing the perfect conditions for Riesling . Our family is very fond of this variety, which we have been making for 150 years this year, often pairing it with oysters, ceviche and other fresh seafood dishes. We love The Flower Drum’s ‘Sautéed Pearl Meat’ as a pairing for this wine. This dish features pearl meat from Broome, Western Australia, thinly sliced and stir-fried with spring onion, asparagus and garlic chives. "We cook Anthony’s pearl meat dish at home, however, pearl meat can be a little hard to source. With enough notice, quality fish mongers will be able to order it on your behalf." Justine Henschke