South Australia’s Maxwell Wines has appointed Michelin-trained Matt Rodgers as its new head chef.
The chef trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including a stint at England’s Restaurant Sat Bains. He has previously worked at South Australia’s d’Arenberg Cube Restaurant and Brisbane’s ARC under Alanna Sapwell-Stone. Rodgers joins the estate from luxury retreat Sequoia Lodge at Mt Lofty House.
“I’m thrilled to have Matt join the team,” says Maxwell Wines Executive Chef Fabian Lehmann. “His creative energy and fresh perspective will allow us to build upon the strong foundation we’ve established.”
Lehmann, who has been with Maxwell Wines since 2016, curated a new cellar door menu to coincide with Rodgers’ appointment. The executive chef designed the selection of bite-sized snacks to pair with Maxwell wines.
“I have chosen my favourite snacks from the current tasting menu to offer cellar door guests a glimpse of the restaurant. The cellar door snacks will be changing with the seasons like our restaurant menu,” says Lehmann.
Highlights include a crisp chicken skin tart, smoked chicken and crisp leek; croustade, kingfish, sesame emulsion, radish, and apple; Abrolhos Island scallop with tomato and yuzu kosho; French toast with caramelized onion, wagyu bresaola; a fried potato terrine, with chive and confit garlic; and, buckwheat blinis, with sour cream and 30g Sturia caviar.
“This new offering is about creating an experience that showcases the harmony between our wines and good food. Guests can enjoy these pairings as part of a wine tasting experience in our cellar door or order them with wines by the glass on the Maxwell Terrace,” says maxwell Wines General Manager Jeremy Maxwell.
The team has also added new dishes to the Maxwell Restaurant tasting menu, including a traditional Danish-style doughnut filled with Section 28 Monforte cheese mousse, topped with a charred capsicum puree, and finished with finely sliced Wagyu bresaola.
Set in McLaren Vale, Mark Maxwell established the family-owned winery in 1979. Maxwell Wines is home to a boutique winery, cellar door, and award winning restaurant. The new cellar door menu is available seven days a week at Maxwell Wines and tasting menu experience Friday to Sunday.
