F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo on his favourite wines and new project with St Hugo

Australian F1 superstar

DANIEL RICCIARDO has partnered with St Hugo to create a new series of wine. Here, he shares his passions and the connections he sees between racing and winemaking.

Was there a moment or particular bottle that made you fall in love with wine?

I think it was an accumulation of time with my family, particularly my dad, being very much into wine; I grew up around it. It wasn’t until my early 20s that I really acquired a taste for it. I was gifted a bottle and I remember opening it with a couple of friends one night, and it was beautiful. That was a moment when I felt I could really start to enjoy it in the company of friends.

Having travelled so much, where have you made your best wine discoveries?

That’s one of the beauties of wine – there are so many different regions and places that have great wine. I spend a lot of time in California and I do really like the wines from there. Back home in Australia is great too, especially the wineries in Margaret

River, which isn’t far from where I grew up.

How important is wine for you when it comes to dining?

I certainly love a glass of wine and like to appreciate it in the right setting, but I’m also trying to be an athlete for 11 months of the year, so it’s not something I do every night. Maybe that makes it more special. It’s normally in a bit of a setting or for an occasion, so if I can look forward to one of those moments once a month, then I’m pretty content with that.

What’s your all-time favourite wine and food experience?

My family came out to California a few years ago and I’d rented a house where we had a big dinner with my cousin, who also lives in California. It was a nice occasion – it was summer, and we were all celebrating being together, so I suppose it’s not a massively significant moment, but one I remember and treasure. What are your favourite wine regions?

Definitely Barossa and Coonawarra, and closer to home on the west coast in Margaret River. In California, anything from the Napa is pretty good.

And your go-to wine styles?

I love shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. If I’m ever unsure what to choose, I pick those types of wines.

How would you describe your collection?

In the making! It’s all pretty full-bodied – I’m not really into the lighter wines like pinot noir, but I should probably get some for variety. I also have some Italian wines because I’m trying to learn more about them.

Is there a wine you always celebrate your wins with?

There’s not one in particular, but I’d normally go for a slightly more expensive bottle. Nothing crazy, but maybe over $100. What’s the oldest wine you’ve tried?

For my sister’s 30th birthday, my dad opened a bottle of wine from her birth year – it was a 1986.

Do you have a favourite food and wine match?

A hearty steak is my favourite, or a traditional Italian high-carb dinner, with a great bottle of shiraz. Knowing my body a bit better these days, I’d say the red meat balances the wine a bit better than the carb overload.

How does it feel to be involved on the other side of wine?

It’s fascinating for me. I’m quite a curious kid in a way. I always love learning things, especially those I have an interest in and want to know more about, so it’s been really cool to understand wine a little more. My dad is really passionate about wine, but he probably doesn’t have a whole lot of insight, so this is knowledge that I can pass on to him and then we can have more conversations about it and spend more time together because of it.

What’s been your biggest surprise in the winemaking process? Like all things, it takes time. It’s similar to success; there’s no such thing as quick success. No bottle tastes great after a week, it takes years – not only for the maturing process, but also getting it to the product that’s in the bottle. I’m still learning, but that’s the main take-out – anything of craft takes time and dedication.

Have you found any unexpected similarities between racing and winemaking?

Patience, for sure. Good things come to those who wait.

Also, the detail. It’s a lot like engineering with a race car.

Every last detail makes a difference and that goes down to the vines, the growing, and then the final product and the visual – how nice the bottle looks to sell and attract the market. Every little bit counts.

Is there a wine that your parents loved?

As a kid, I remember Chianti being a very common word and I didn’t even realise it was a wine. I heard it so much I thought it was just a drink in itself. Dad is certainly a full-bodied wine guy. Has there been a wine that’s taught you a lesson?

There was a wine we poured and drank straight away that didn’t taste particularly good, so we put it in a decanter, let it air and do its thing, and it tasted completely different – for the better. It showed that you can’t rush it. Take the time and let it sit.

What food and drinks would you serve for your ultimate meal? I’d start with a Negroni and then enjoy some wine during the meal, and finish with a nice Cognac. I’ve been having quite a bit of St Hugo lately and enjoying our new 2014 Barossa Shiraz, so that would be my choice. As for the meal, maybe we’d have some Italian to start, antipasti-style and small little pasta starters – and for mains, it would be mostly meat, like a nice tomahawk steak.

I CERTAINLY LOVE A

GLASS OF WINE AND LIKE TO APPRECIATE IT IN THE RIGHT SETTING, BUT I’M ALSO TRYING TO BE AN ATHLETE FOR 11 MONTHS OF THE YEAR, SO IT’S NOT SOMETHING

I DO EVERY NIGHT.