Tuscan Sausage & Leek Stew

This recipe combines the classic Tuscan ingredients of green olives, cannellini beans, and freshly pressed olive oil.

The stewed leeks soak up these rustic flavours, giving them a melt-in-your-mouth softness.

Drizzle with JOSEPH First Run Olive Oil to make this dish truly memorable.

Ingredients

• 4 Italian pork sausages
• JOSEPH First Run Olive Oil
• 2 leeks, chopped into 4 cm pieces
• 2 400 g tins of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
• zest of one lemon
• uice of one lemon
• 100 g Italian green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• sea salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the leek pieces in a baking pan and pour 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt. Mix to coat.

3. Place the baking pan in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

4. Place the sausages in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and brown them over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until a light crust begins to form. Note - it's okay if the sausages aren't completely cooked at this stage. They'll continue cooking later.

5. While the leeks are in the oven, prepare the cannellini beans:

• Add the beans, garlic, vegetable stock, oregano, lemon zest, browned sausages, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan.
• Season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
• Remove the sausages and set them to one side
• Lightly mash the beans with a spatula.

6.  In another small bowl, combine the green olives, 4 tablespoons JOSEPH First Run Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt & pepper.

7. Arrange all the components on a serving tray: start with the cannellini mixture, then place the sausages and leeks on top, and finally, spoon over the green olives.

8. Place the serving tray into the  oven for 10 minutes to warm the dish and allow the flavors to meld.

Remove the dish from the oven and bring to the table while still hot and fragrant.

Serve with plenty of crusty bread and a glass of spicy red like our Il Briccone Shiraz Sangiovese!

 

The 2024 First Run Olive Oil

Once a year, for a limited time, we invite you to experience the freshest, most vibrant extra virgin olive oil that South Australia has to offer.

The 2024 JOSEPH First Run has been made using early-harvested olives to capture the most intense flavours of the new season.

After two cool years, the trees produced only a tiny crop this season, resulting in a pristine oil with concentrated green banana and cut grass aromas. Its crisp, fruit-driven flavours are followed by a clean, peppery finish.

We make the First Run for drizzling over crusty bread, dressing salads, or to enhance dishes once cooking is complete.

It's so exciting to share this seasonal release at peak freshness. Don't miss this chance to taste the oil at its most flavoursome!

We will deliver all straight or mixed dozens with free shipping and a bonus bottle of olive oil.

Here's to living La Dolce Vita!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

The new La Biondina is here! 🍋🍊

Friends and family keep asking me about our La Biondina.

This wine has been sold out for months, and everyone's excited to try the next vintage.

They know that it's incredibly flavourful and fragrant when it's newly released.

Today, I have great news. The 2024 vintage is finally here, and it's delicious.

This is my best effort at making South Australia's greatest food-friendly white wine. Click here to see a tasting of the new vintage.

The 2024 vintage bursts with juicy passionfruit and mango flavours. It's perfect for pairing with simple seafood dishes like my Salt and Pepper Garfish recipe.

Don't miss this chance to taste the wine at its freshest.

As always, we are offering a bonus bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and free shipping with every mixed or straight dozen.

Here's to living la dolce vita!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

Our first 2024 wine

After months of being sold out of all whites, we are finally releasing our 2024 Fiano!

Critics and winemakers are hailing 2024 as a breathtaking vintage for South Australia.

This wine bursts with intense notes of grapefruit, melon, and nashi pear. We love making Fiano because it shines alongside richer seafood dishes like my seafood salad recipe.

Click here to see my son Matteo's excitement as he tries the new wine.

Here's what wine lovers have to say about our Fiano:

"Full of crisp, complex flavours with a slightly spicy finish. Seafood friendly. I would like another dozen." - Milton A., New South Wales 2023

"Loved La Biondina, but this is even better, if possible." - Ian F., Western Australia 2023

As always, we are including a bonus bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and free shipping with every mixed or straight dozen.

Because life is best celebrated with good food and great wine!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

Celebrating 45 years: The Quaranta Cinque

It's been 45 years since Primo Estate's first harvest in 1979.

That vintage was a tiny crush from my father's vineyard, hand made, bottled, and labelled by my siblings and I.

We never dreamed that we would still be going four decades later. I am so grateful for the many years of making wine and celebrating life.

In honour of this incredible journey, we've crafted a limited edition wine: The Quaranta Cinque.

We fused McLaren Vale and Clarendon Shiraz from 2022 with our JOSEPH Sparkling Red 'mother' base wine containing over forty vintages of aged Shiraz.

This special blend was then finished with a touch of our signature red, the JOSEPH Moda, made from dried grapes.

The result is a rich, multi-layered wine with deep flavours of plum and blackberry, complemented by hints of raisin, herb, and spice.

A fitting way to celebrate quarantacinque anni, forty five years, of winemaking at Primo Estate. Cheers!

Joe Grilli
Owner & Winemaker

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