When Shayne and Jeanette Jaenisch took over sprawling Ashwood Estate, home to the historic Malcolm Creek Wines earlier this year, they had a few things in mind. More estate-grown wines and tastings of vintages past were both part of the plan. But easily the most unique new addition is an English manor-esque clay pigeon shooting experience coupled with wine tastings throughout the day.
You’re probably quite rightly wondering how on earth you’re allowed to drink while handling a firearm. Here’s how: although the rifles have fully authentic wood and metal bodies, sourced from the United Kingdom no less, instead of bullets, the guns use an infrared laser which tracks hits and misses, and produces accurate firing sounds.
“It’s basically exactly the same as normal clay target shooting you do with the shotgun, except you’re not using real shotguns,” Shayne says. “Five shooters line up at once. They’re connected to a scoreboard, and we launch a clay target into the air.”
The first time Shayne witnessed laser clay target shooting, he was sitting on a yacht in Darling Harbour. All of a sudden his friend presented what he initially suspected were five fully operational shotguns. A quick set of instructions was uttered, and then, from the boat’s stern, launched a series of clay-look fibreglass discs. The five participants shot their infrared beams out to the ocean, and a tinnie raced out to collect the discs so they could do it all again. The game was a hit, and Shayne knew he had to have it at Malcolm Creek.
Despite the challenge of getting faux rifles through customs, all the equipment has now arrived, and Malcolm Creek is offering bookings for groups of a minimum of five and up to as many as 30. It’s a perfect corporate retreat, celebration day out, or just a completely unique activity to call up your mates for.
Since it’s been at the estate, it’s proved a hit too. “A lot of laughter, a lot of fun, a lot of competitiveness. At first, a lot of people struggle to hit the target, but the determination people have is huge. And when they finally do, the enjoyment and support from their friends is amazing. It’s very boisterous, very fun, very competitive,” Shayne says.
“Some people take it very seriously, because obviously their skill levels are different, but if we have people there that have got an extremely high skill level, we can adjust the clay target launcher to Olympic standards to make it very interesting for them.”
“We really encourage you to get into the atmosphere. Even come dressed as a bushranger, come dressed in your RMs and your Drizabones and really have fun.”
This is how the day looks: “People come out and meet us at the cellar door, they do a standard tasting of our champagne, chardonnay and rosé. Then they move through five different vintages of our cabernet,” Shayne says. This is the vertical tasting, where guests sample Malcolm Creek cabernet from vintages 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2017. “Once they’ve done that, they’ll select their favourite cabernet out of the group and they’ll get a top up. Then we walk out to our range, for about 45 minutes to an hour where they have a competitive shoot-off with their friends.”
Once the wine tasting and laser shooting are finished, guests can grab a bottle and head into the vast gardens.
Malcolm Creek Wines is a boutique single-vineyard estate with deep roots in the Adelaide Hills. Established in the early 1990s by the Tolley family, the vineyard became well-known for its stunning gardens and cool-climate wines. Over the years, ownership passed through the Pedersens, before this year when Shayne and Jeanette took over.
“We stumbled across this vineyard about 10 years ago,” Shayne said. “We very much love cabernet wines, and cabernet is not a very strong vintage through the Adelaide Hills, but this winery is right on the edge of the Barossa, right on the edge of the Adelaide Hills, so we’ve got a unique soil and unique weather profile compared to other vineyards.”
Shayne says there’s a lot of pressure within the industry to remove the cabernet vines and replace them with a more popular variety, but credit to his and his wife’s love of the variety, that’s not going to happen.
He stands by the quality of Malcolm Creek’s cabernet, too. “I believe we make one of the best cabernets in Adelaide Hills, but I would also go on to say in Australia.” The winery’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon received a 95 point Gold Medal status in March this year.
“The estate is very much like an English manor with the trees, lawns, and gardens. We’ve kind of gone for that high corporate luxury sort of feel in regards to the clay shooting.”
For those who have ever dreamed of a Succession-esque lifestyle, or just appreciate the appeal of a grassy, wide-open estate where you can share laughter, fine wine, and have the time of your lives shooting lasers at airborne targets, this one’s for you.
Laser Clay Target Shooting & Vertical Tasting at Malcolm Creek
Where: Malcolm Creek Vineyard & Cellar Door, 33 Bonython Rd, Kersbrook
When: Check booking availability
For more information, click here.
More News
