Shoreditch BBQ restaurant launches its own organic wine

Smokestak in Shoreditch has teamed up with Wasted Wine Club to launch its first signature wine, an organic red from Swartland in South Africa.

Smokestak, part of restaurant collective dcco., which also includes Manteca and Oma, serves up low and slow dishes, including beef brisket, pork belly ribs, and coal-roasted aubergines.

dcco.’s head of wine, Emily Acha Derrington worked with Wasted Wine Club founder Angelo van Dyk to source a wine that would complement that would complement these rich, intense, smoky dishes.

They settled on a minimal intervention blend of Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah and Pinotage, all organically cultivated, from Swartland winemaker Jurgen Gouws, of Intellego Wines. Whole bunches underwent semi-carbonic maceration, which softened the tannins of these varieties. The wine was then aged in large old oak barrels for ten months. Tasting notes include redcurrant, raspberry and cherry.

“Our aim was to create a wine that is serious enough to stand up to, and complement, the smoked meats and vibrant dishes on Smokestak menu,” said Acha Derrington. “We can’t think of anything better than a glass of this with a house-made sausage, fresh from the grill.”

“This is the first time that Wasted Wine Club has teamed up with a restaurant to create their own wine,” added Van Dyk, who come from South Africa himself. “It was great to pair Smokestak with a winemaker like Jurgen who really shares the restaurant’s values of letting nature create the best produce, without the use of pesticides, or commercial farming methods, allowing the finished product to speak for itself.”

In Smokestak, a 125ml glass of the wine costs £9, and a whole bottle comes in at £54.

Smokestak is following in the footsteps of Italian restaurant Manteca, also in Shoreditch, which launched its own wine and amaro late last year.