Wine
Meet Leconfield Winemaker Paul Gordon
Paul Gordon is the Senior Winemaker at Leconfield Wines, having joined this iconic Coonawarra winery in 2001, and is the man responsible for our June Wine of the Month, the Leconfield Cabernet Merlot 2014. We catch up to talk to him about his love of wine and life beyond the vats.
Can you recall the first wine you tried?
Wine was very much a Christmas and Easter drink at our house. I have to admit to having had the odd illicit glass of 'Cold Duck' - which is showing my age - or perhaps a sparkling white. An Aunt indulged in bottles of Yalumba Galway 'Claret', which would have been my first taste of a dry red - I can't recall my reaction to it, but it could well have been the wine that sparked my interest in the industry in my teenage years. Of course, there were also the cooking 'sherries', which slowly evaporated between trifles!
What is your all-time favourite wine memory (other than a wine itself)?
There are many great memories - perhaps vintage Champagne with Chateaubriand steak in Epernay, the La Chapelle at Pic restaurant in the Rhône Valley or a Super Tuscan at one of those never-ending Italian lunches.
Other than your own wine, what is the wine that you like to drink at home?
I enjoy older Riesling or Semillon and am in search of the best Grenache from Spain or Southern France. Luckily, there is always a bottle handy of McLaren Vale Shiraz or Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon when the imported Grenache fails to live up to its promise.
What's your ultimate food + wine match?
The ultimate match for food and wine is good company! I don't have a particular 'go-to' wine, but I would say that I enjoy elegant and fine wines that invite a second or third glass, over something that is too rich. So perhaps a good start would be a fine Riesling with sashimi, Coonawarra Merlot with a steak tartare, then Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon with a rare backstrap of lamb.
What is your favourite…
Book?
It tends to be the one I'm currently reading, which is Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher. A few from this year: Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel.
Movie?
If I was locked in a theatre for a week, I would insist on Krzysztof Kieslowski's ageless trilogy, Three Colours Red White and Blue, and The Double Life of Veronique.
Restaurant?
If I was to define a preferred type of restaurant, then shared plates or degustation is my style. But no steak - our local 'Meek's' butcher is so good that few restaurants can provide meat of the quality that can surpass one locally sourced and cooked at home. Locally, 'Pipers of Penola' has won so many awards for best regional restaurant in South Australia that it is a must place to dine.
Time of day/night - why?
I'm definitely a morning person. However, I do aspire one day to be able to sleep in. I'm notorious for falling asleep at dinner parties and at the theatre.