Andrew Clancey, restauranteur
Shane Clancey, winemaker
It is a long way from the Mediterranean to Port Fairy, but that distance all but disappears at one of the most celebrated restaurants in the region, Portofino on Bank. Chef Andrew Clancey serves dishes imbued with ideas from Italy, Morocco and Turkey, and created with Western Victorian ingredients. Brother Shane takes a similar approach to making wine at Basalt Wines, a windswept vineyard that is starting to turn out quality vintages of Riesling, pinot and tempranillo.
Andrew and Shane Clancey grew up in Warrnambool, in a family with a long involvement in hospitality. The boys' culinary education came at home. They caught rabbit, duck, abalone, lobster, fish, quail and snipe, all of which would be cooked promptly and skilfully.
The Clancey boys are burly redheads, quick with a quip but serious about their vocations. Andrew was a qualified chef by the age of 18 and spent the next decade in restaurants locally, as well as in Melbourne, Perth, and London. Shane worked as an automotive technician for eight years. Working in Adelaide he became immersed in the local wine industry, which led to a dramatic career change. He travelled to vineyards in France and Spain, before moving to assist his older brother in Port Fairy.
Portofino on Bank has been a celebrated restaurant since it first opened.
'To work out what we will serve at Portofino, I watch nature,' Andrew says. 'You know that in three weeks time there will be a feast of mushrooms, so you prepare for that. You know there has been lots of rain, so lots of fish will be caught soon. That's how we work.'
