Shiraz-braised Sausages 🍷✨

This heartwarming Italian favourite is perfect fare for cool Autumn nights.

Be sure to add a splash of spicy Il Briccone Shiraz Sangiovese during sautéing to intensify the dish's tomato and capsicum flavours.

The best part about making this dish? Enjoying a glass of Shiraz while the sausages bake!

Ingredients

• 6 Italian pork sausages
• 1 red capsicum, cut into 1cm wide x 4cm long strips
• 1 yellow capsicum, cut into 1cm wide x 4cm long strips
• 1 onion, chopped
• 200g tomato passata
• 100ml Il Briccone Shiraz Sangiovese
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 handful fresh basil
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. In a pan, pour 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes.

3. Place the sausages in the pan with the onions and brown them over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until a light crust begins to form on the outside. Note - it's ok if the sausages aren't completely cooked at this stage. They'll continue cooking later in the oven.

4. Remove the sausages and onion from the pan into a medium sized baking dish.

5. Without washing the pan used earlier, add another drizzle of olive oil and the chopped capsicums.

6. Sauté the capsicums over medium heat with a little salt and pepper for two minutes. Add the crushed garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.

7. Add the Shiraz Sangiovese and half a glass of water to the pan. Bring to boil then add the tomato passata, fresh basil and a little more salt and pepper to taste.

8. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 6 minutes.

9. Transfer the cooked capsicum mixture over to the baking dish with the sausages and arrange so that the sausages are on top.

10. Place the baking dish into the 180°C oven and cook for another 20 minutes.

11. Finish with a garnish of chopped parsley and an extra drizzle of JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

Serve with a generous glass of Il Briccone Shiraz Sangiovese and your choice of mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty Italian bread.

Buon appetito!

Rigatoni with Crispy Guanciale

We believe that a good plate of pasta has the power to uplift the soul.

This month's recipe is one of those dishes.

It's a delicious combination of crispy guanciale, rich pecorino, and savoury fava beans. 

The result is a vibrant Summer dish that will leave you smiling.

...plus it's spectacular with a glass or two of Merlesco Merlot.

Ingredients

• 400 g rigatoni pasta
• 300 g fresh fava beans (aka broad beans)
• 150 g guanciale, diced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 100 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
• JOSEPH Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, then transfer them to a bowl of cold water to cool. Peel off the tough outer skin of each bean and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the rigatoni pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water.

3. In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced guanciale and cook until it starts to become crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the guanciale from the skillet and set it aside, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.

4. In the same pan, add the chopped onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the cooked rigatoni pasta, fava beans and guanciale to the pan . Toss everything together gently, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

6. Remove the pan from heat and stir in most of the grated pecorino romano cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Plate with a final sprinkle of pecorino and a drizzle of JOSEPH Olive Oil.

Enjoy with a glass of juicy Merlesco Merlot! The wine's fresh berry flavours are the perfect compliment to this savoury pasta.

The 2023 Virginia Vineyard Red is here!

This is my best kept secret – the Virginia Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet Merlot.

This wine offers unbeatable quality at an everyday drinking price.

Each year, it’s released directly to our mailing list and sells out within days.

Today, I have good news – the 2023 vintage has arrived!

The new release is a smooth, generous style with mellow, lingering oak character. It has delicious flavours of plum, blackberry, chocolate, and spice. Click here to see me taste the new vintage.

The Virginia Vineyard Red has over one hundred 5-star reviews on our website. Here are a few:

“Best value for money wine on the market...never disappoints!” – Mark W, South Australia 2023

"This could pass for something 3x the price." - Simon T, Queensland, 2023

Try Virginia Vineyard for yourself today. I guarantee your total satisfaction or your money back.

Because life's too short to drink anything other than great wine!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker