Printhie Wines might be a few hours inland but an innovative tank onsite at the winery in Orange, New South Wales, allows oysters to live in a ‘home away from home’. Fresh water from the Clyde River is brought up regularly to refresh the tank, allowing the oysters to retain a beautiful freshness and salinity.
A member of Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, Printhie offers a sparkling and oyster tasting flight, where guests hand pick four oysters that are shucked and served with vinaigrettes matched to four of its Swift sparkling wines: cuvée, rosé, vintage and blanc de noirs.
Owned by the Swift family, Printhie is located in the high-altitude, cool-climate Orange region, ideal conditions for producing award-winning wines. For six consecutive years, it has taken out the title of Best Australian Sparkling and Best NSW Sparkling at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London.
Printhie’s oyster journey began in 2017 when the first Swift Sparkling Wine and Oyster Picnic was held in Orange and oysters from Bateman’s Bay were driven up and shucked to order. This got the team thinking about how oysters could be on hand to pair with the Swift wines.
Sparkling and oyster tasting flight
The idea to bring the ocean to Orange was ignited and over the next couple of years a plan was developed. It included working with a marine biologist and oyster farmer to build an oyster tank that would hold enough oysters to service a restaurant and wine bar at its new cellar door.
Plans for the cellar door were in progress at the time so the restaurant kitchen was designed around the oyster tank and its requirements. The oyster tank was finished and delivered to Printhie at the end of 2021, in time for the cellar door opening in March 2022. Oysters shucked to order have been on the menu ever since.
Water from the Clyde River is driven up every couple of months to refresh the tank so the Sydney Rock Oysters can live in their home away from home. Printhie’s signature vinaigrette uses banksia nectar, which pairs beautifully with the Swift Sparkling range. The oysters can be enjoyed in both Printhie Dining and the Wine Bar.
For more information, visit Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia.