Way out West

A late entry but very welcome is the meaty goodness prepared by Ben Gould from Blind Corner wines in Margaret River. Ole Benny boy does things a little differently with his home block wines; biodynamic principles, some ripasso and amarone-style action with his reds, fermenting on skins for his sauv blanc and decided that his chenin parcel could do with life as a sparkling. Noice. Meanwhile, he also has nice hair. Oh, and he decided at the 11th hour that he would enter WISS, which makes him heaps cooler. 

See how the animal comes to pieces. 

See how the animal is knifed and strung.

Animal, just hanging around. Nice shed. 

Couple of snags. Sensitive new age girths. Magical sausages.

Ahh, and the beef and venison biltong! See how it dehydrates into beef chewing gum! 

The flaming pit of hell. I mean, the biltong making thing. 

Stop press - Casella [yellowtail] entry for WISS arrives

After an enthusiastic conversation with John Casella, the lord of all things Casella and [yellowtail], an eager entry to the finest smallgoods competition in the known kingdom of Australian wine was hastily entered. Sadly, the first entry was lost by Australian post, but the second entry has arrived in one delicious piece. It's a solid endorsement on WISS that we have had such a big name entry, and one who commands such international attention. Thanks for joining in [yellowtail]ians. 

We are please to have had contact with Casella headquarters for this competition...

John Casella's office is third on the right

Touching base with Syrahmi Salami

So nice to see Adam Foster in all his cherubic glory at the ex-Randalls, now VC in Albert Park over the weekend past. Adam is known for his oompa loompa good looks and general nice guy demeanour, so tasting his wares was a joy. Geewhiz that sausage tasted good. 

Here is Adam in full flight last weekend... note the salami in foreground... 

Pocket billiards helps sell wine

WISS - just over a week or so to go...

It's been busy times at WISS headquarters. We've been hard at fine tuning the details for the competition, collating meat stuffs and even doing an interview with the Canberra Times about our intentions with winemaker meat. There's been some pre-judgement tasting sessions, including a run in with a dodgy Csabai and a spell in the toot longer than a Geoffrey Boycott innings. But we have to be made of stern stuff... therefore we've done some research into bacteria in sausages! Hey, salmonella can be fun!

Anyway, we've nailed down our final categories for judging. Here is the list as it stands... 

Salami

Air Dried Products

Sausages

Cooked products

General smallgoods (terrines, blood puddings etc)

Most bucolic

Hottest salami

The Dirk Diggler/John Holmes Memorial Trophy for sausage with most girth and width

The salmonella award for worst smallgood of show

The trophy for Best Smallgood Of WISS (all categories in champions round)

An update from the Barrys

Deep within the Jim Barry wines meat works lies some very sinister yet delicious things... I was lucky enough to be given an escorted tour through the facility to see how their WISS entries come together... These are the only surviving pictures after Barry security forces destroyed all evidence of my visit....

This is Princess Diana. Yes, it really is. Meanwhile, it is also the mother to all the crispy skinned, fatty bellied delicious younglings that are taken to pieces by the Barrys. She is pregnant again at the time of photo, gestating more BBQ pork for the ever-burning, roasting fires powered by the Barry family. 

Atrocities happen here. Delicious atrocities. Note the cool, clinical feel to the butchery. A hook swings idly in the brisk, still air. A sluice bucket a reminder of butchery past. Chilling. Deliciously chilling. 

Pete Barry and his 'friend'. His smile says it all... 

The photographer thought this was the roasted pig's best angle... Reminiscent of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover: 'try the anus, we hear it's a delicacy'... 

And to the WISS entries. Maturing for our tasting pleasures. 

A big thanks for the hospitality at the Barry home! 

Yendan attack

We're pretty excited to be getting entries from all round Australia now. We thought the Capulet versus Montague of King Valley against Barossa might all get a little too much, but the WISS gear has been coming in from all over. Due to arrive shortly is the Yarran Wines submission all the way from Yenda in New South Wales. They breed their pigs as big as their vineyards down in the Riverina, so we're expecting some mighty entries from winemaker Sam Brewer and his pig mincing team.

Sam says his 'tribe of salami makers' comes from all over, with mates from Griffith to Sydney chipping in during the two day pig fiesta. Sam's butcher was met via a neighbour over the paddock fence - his name is Mumbly 'because that's what he does after a few ales', but Mumbly's butcher mate is 'just named plain old Hendo'. Just to get things straight... 

Meanwhile, we've heard of centaurs, but we're not sure what kind of animal this is... Looks tasty though. Seems to be smiling too. 

Riverina pigs walk themselves to their own slaughter 

Nothing like a friend and family get together over bits of dead animal. Brings out the best in all of us. 

Bits of pig, lots of bits of pig

After the pig is pulled apart into its various bits, it is reassembled into smaller, more interesting portions. Just like postmodernism. 

Tooheys Extra Dry powers the meat handling

Then, a magician ties the sausages. Why is it when you put your earphone cables into a bag they always come out in inexplicable knots? So too sausages it seems. 

Fella did good at scouts tying knots

Whoa! Look out Johnny Holmes! Packing some serious length and girth here. 

Intimidating...

We're looking forward to Yarran Wines entry...

Final judge update.

WISS HQ received a quick email from Richard 'The Only Judge With Credibility' Cornish saying that his 'image was very important to his career' and supplied an actual photograph of himself rather than the likeness we posted earlier. His sombrero adds much needed gravitas too... 

What's this about legs and pulling? 

Arlewood Estate assisted by Cat Sharland. Tradition meets meat.

Cat Sharland has worked as a viticulturist at Arlewood in fits 'n' starts (and elsewhere) but has become an adopted member of the ruling Gosatti family. The ritual mincing of the pig was started by the father of current vigneron, Garry Gosatti and a mysteriously named 'Uncle Frankie' over 50 years ago and continues to this day. And while the pigs at Arlewood are pretty shit scared having seen the slaying and eating that goes on around the Arlewood Estate, tradition continues with a fiesta of pig that involves such traditional Italian activities as yelling at each other, gesticulating wildly, drinking home made wine even if they make nice wine in the winery and having Nona pinch your cheeks.

For WISS 2011 two types of sausages were produced. Allegedly. When questioned on the chopping, mincing and flavouring section of the production the secret ingredient was revealed by Garry as 'salt'. We wait with baited breath for the result of this magical inclusion. By all reports it seems there is a northern Italian salami sausage curing at the moment, along with a second snag that has beef in it for hitting the BBQs. Northern Italian music blares from speakers, according to Cat-the-insider, which allows for a noble death and reconstruction of the pig. According to Cat, 'Garry has agreed to this entry based on the fact that we may well win a gold sausage on a plinth'. There may be a few casualties from holding one's breath.

Let us gaze upon Arlewood's WISS making fiesta...

FBI profiling suggests this may be 'Uncle Frankie'

Using the 'Superman' to mince the meat - generational learning

Another generation watches on, I think

A pig in post modern deconstruction

The Cirillos' pig. The tale of a sausage.

The storyboard of the Cirillos' oinker as it goes from chrysalis to beautiful butterfly. 

A Cirillo does the dance of the sow

Look Ma, no hands!

Cirillo Grenache gets you legless

BBQ ribs

Mince bits

Bloody big rissoles

Meat rails

Sausages emerge triumphant

Zema Estate update

A portent to the future. Demetrio Zema checks his WISS entry for the 2012 competition... already produced. A menacing presence and a serious indication of intent. 2012? You got it. These bad boys are going to enjoy their hang time...

Hangin' with Demetrio