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Taste
Australian Oyster and Wine Pairings for New Year's Eve with Appellation Oysters
29 December, 2023
Learn
20 August, 2023
Learn how to identify a great Rock Oyster
There are several factors involved in identifying a great Rock Oyster. Given how heavily influenced a Rock Oyster is by its merroir, a great Rock Oyster is the direct result of the amount of food an oyster sees through its lifecycle.
Conversely, the amount the Rock Oyster is worked by the farmer makes a lot of difference – thinning, grading, flipping of bags and altering the growing methods at the right times all have an impact on the result of a Rock Oyster.
The condition of the oyster and yield within the shell is a key indicator of the combination of the perfect growing environment and the farming methods used.
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A great Rock Oyster should have a:
High meat to shell ratio
Full reproductive gland
Deep cup
Broad fan shape
Bulging lid
Our Oyster Sommelier looks for oysters with a convex or flat lid and a deep-cupped shell. This usually means the oysters are in peak condition. If, when opened, the oysters have good condition, then the weight of an oyster will be a great guide for picking the best oysters from that batch.
We avoid oysters that are light in weight, with concave lids, shallow cupped, irregularly shaped and of poor condition.
Oysters need to be at 80%+ condition and be mature enough to meet our required criteria to make Appellation grade.
Once harvested, oysters are handled as gently as possible to maximise longevity.
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