Elevated New Tasting Room Menu + new Head Chef

We're excited to welcome Matt Rodgers as our new Head Chef at Maxwell Restaurant in McLaren Vale, to work alongside Executive Chef Fabian Lehmann. Matt joins Maxwell from Sequoia Lodge at Mt Lofty House and brings experience from Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Ireland, including Restaurant Sat Bains in England’s north as well as ARC in Brisbane and d'Arenberg Cube Restaurant closer to home.

Matt joining the team coincides with the launch of an innovative new menu in the Tasting Room. The new menu aims to elevate the wine experience for guests, with a curated selection of bite-sized snack items to pair with Maxwell wines. These seasonal dishes are available seven days a week, with a wine flight in the Tasting Room or on the Maxwell Terrace where you can enjoy wines by the glass (or bottle), giving you a glimpse into the best McLaren Vale restaurant experience even outside our normal restaurant hours. 

The new Tasting Room menu includes elevated classic dishes focusing on bold flavours, including crispy chicken skin tart, smoked chicken and crispy leek / croustade, kingfish, sesame emulsion, radish and apple / french toast, caramelized onion, wagyu bresaola / Sturia caviar on buckwheat blinis.

Click here to see the Autumn Tasting Room snack menu. 

The Maxwell Wines team continues to strive to be the best McLaren Vale winery for dining and tastings through our commitment to exceptional food and wine pairings, wine experiences and guest service.

Mead Cocktail Recipes

 

SPARKLING MEAD SPRITZ  

With summer approaching, we have mixed up the perfect beverage to suit any summer occasion.

• Fill a white wine glass with ice
• Pour 80ml of Maxwell Sparkling Mead
• Pour 30ml of Maxwell Little Demon Envious Sparkling
• Pour 30ml of Aperol
• Add a splash of Soda Water
• Fresh orange slices & a sprig of rosemary
 

Method

Combine all ingredients in a white wine glass with ice. Garnished with two fresh orange slices & a sprig of rosemary.

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SPICED MEAD MARGARITA  

• 50ml Maxwell Spiced Mead
• 30ml Tequila
• Juice of 2 limes

Method

Add Maxwell Spiced Mead, tequila, lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Use a lime wedge to rub generously around the rim of the glass and dip it into the salt. Strain and pour the cocktail into the glass and garnish with lime.

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NECTAR OF KINGS

Ingredients 

• 30ml Maxwell Honey Mead
• 15ml Drambuie
• 10ml Cinnamon-infused Vodka
• 30ml Cold Steep Chamomile Tea
• Cup Ice Cubes

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake.
Serve in a chilled martini glass with an orange wedge.

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MAXWELLS NO.1

Ingredients 

• 80-100ml Maxwell Spiced Mead
• 30ml Canadian Club
• 1 Teaspoon Berry Coulis*
• 6 Mint Leaves
• Squeeze Lemon Shake
• Soda Water
• Ginger Ale

Method  

Place Spiced Mead, Canadian Club, berry coulis, lemon shake and mint leaves into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
Serve in a tall glass (unstrained) and top with even amounts of soda water and ginger ale.
* Berry coulis can be substituted with a good quality dark berry jam.

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GINGERBREAD 

Ingredients 

• 30ml Maxwell Liqueur Mead 
• 30ml Kraken Black Spiced Rum
• 45ml Monin Gingerbread Syrup
• 1/2 Gingerbread Man
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
• 15ml Sugar Syrup
• 1 Scoop Ice

Method 

Place crushed ice in a martini glass. Mix all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker & pour into a glass.
Garnish with lime leaf & a slice of golden peach or nectarine. Add a slice of lime to the glass.