In this week’s column: A new name and a new chef for a favourite Adelaide Hills restaurant, McLaren Vale gains its first whisky distillery, chestnut season, and flowers and cheese for Mother’s Day.

From strength to strength

Restaurateur Sophie Zervas has already done a great job of bringing new life and recognition to Hahndorf, founding two successful businesses in the highly competitive main street of the Adelaide Hills town.

Now she has joined forces with the “boy next door”, Sid Dinkoudis, and together they have rebranded White House and taken Luke Southwood (formerly of Public CBD) on board as chef.

The back story is this: After establishing the award-winning dessert café Chocolate @ No.5 (under new ownership since 2010), Zervas bought the last acreage property to be sold in Hahndorf’s main street. She transformed the original 1858 wattle and daub cottage owned for 130 years by the Wotzke family into White House – an artistic and provincial-style café serving regional and seasonal food and wine. Mellow live music and outdoor cinema were also an attraction.

Dinkoudis owned the property next door – Hahndorf Pizza House.

“We were both renovating,” says Zervas.

“Sophie always needed tools,” says Dinkoudis.

“We fell in love,” adds Zervas.

Dinkoudis and Zervas share some housemade cherry brandy. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

After four years running food businesses side by side, the pair decided to simplify their lives. “It’s kind of like a distillation of both of our strengths,” says Dinkoudis.

The rebranding of the business means that it now comes under the umbrella name of The Establishment 1858. The restaurant is now called White House [Fortified] Food + Wine and the delightful garden, complete with pear trees and footbridge, is the setting for the weddings which are planned under the name of Blanc Canvas Weddings & Events.

Southwood will cook lunch and dinner on weekends only during the winter months. In the summer months (October to April), it’s Saturday and Sunday lunch only as the evenings are reserved for more celebrations of love.

White House [Fortified] has just opened and Southwood’s influence can be seen in the extended menu, which now features Spanish and Greek flavours. Six-course whisky degustation dinners with new McLaren Vale distiller John Rochfort (see story below) are also planned.

A wee dram with your wine?

McLaren Vale will soon be home to a new kind of drop after distiller John Rochfort and viticulturalist Jock Harvey gained council approval to begin a boutique whisky distillery on Chalk Hill Road.

The pair plan to produce hand-crafted single-malt whisky matured in oak barrels that once contained high-quality South Australian wines. They will be assisted by Rochfort’s brothers, Lachlan and Nick, and father Chris. John previously held a management role at Tasmania’s famous Lark Distillery.

The distillery will be located on the Chalk Hill Wines property which is owned by Harvey’s family.

This week at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market

Roasted chestnuts. Photo: supplied

Chestnuts are different to other nuts in that they have very little protein or fat. After cooking, they have a sweet taste and a texture similar to potatoes.

Adelaide Farmers’ Market stallholder Adelaide Hills Fresh Chestnuts grows four different varieties.  De Coppi Marone and Purton’s Pride are the premium roasting nut varieties, with fresh roasted chestnuts available for sampling at the stall each Sunday. April Gold and Red Spanish are also available and ideal for soups, cakes and desserts.

Prices for fresh chestnuts start from $6 per kilogram and they will be available at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market until late May.

Flowers and cheese for Mother’s Day

Woodsize Cheese Wrights’ Monet. Photo: supplied

When cheesemaker Kris Lloyd began combining goat cheese with fresh flowers she was told it would never work, but today it is Woodside Cheese Wrights most highly awarded cheese.

Monet is handmade in all different shapes and sizes and decorated with edible seasonal organic herbs and flowers for weddings and other special occasions. Lloyd presented Foreign Minister Julie Bishop with a boxed Monet as a gift when she visited South Australia recently.

Taking the concept one step further, Lloyd now produces Artisan Monet Flower Crackers, infused with the same flowers and herbs she uses for making the cheese.

“I am glad I didn’t listen to the skeptics,” she said. “The demand for Monet leading up to Mother’s Day is crazy – some people just don’t know what to get Mum and I guess this is probably the closest thing to a bunch of flowers.”

What’s on

Whisky Live – May 16-17
Whisky aficionados attending this event at Bonython Hall will have the opportunity to taste a pre-release 15-year-old Laphroaig to mark the Scottish distillery’s 200^th birthday this year. It will be one of dozens of whiskies available for sampling at the event, which also includes classes and presentations. Details here.

Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend – May 15-17
A five-course Dinner by the Vines as Skillogalee, a Breakfast, Bubbles and Sax event featuring chef Saskia Beer at Greg Cooley Wines, and an All Day Gourmet Big Brunch at Taylors Wines are among events on the program at this year’s Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend. More than 20 wineries will take part in the weekend, which also includes the Barrel Hall Winemaker Dinner.

Sea and Vines Festival – June 5 to 8
Dozens of parties, degustations, rare tastings, master-classes and other carefully selected celebrations will be held at McLaren Vale’s cellar doors and wineries from June 5-8 in what will be the 23rd year of the Sea and Vines Festival. Relish events include a 10-course Thai banquet at Woodstock; the “Church Block Sunday Service” with Fino at Wirra Wirra; and the Compadres’ Fiesta, which brings together neighbouring wineries d’Arenberg and SC Pannell. Sunday “experiences” include a great day of food, wine and music across three different wineries. And Monday “Zest” events are all family-friendly with free entry. Program details can be found here.