I spent last weekend in the Hunter Valley enjoying the carefully crafted wines of a couple of splendid vineyards with one of my friends. Being autumn, we enjoyed crisp, but sunny days.
Pepper Tree Wines
We learnt an interesting new fact at the Pepper Tree Wines Estate Cellar Door while tasting their Tempranillo wine. Apparently their crop of grapes is quite small and they don’t produce many bottles. “Why is that?” I asked, expecting the answer to relate to climatic conditions. The surprising response was that the kangaroos really like these grapes and help themselves directly from the vines and so, Tempranillo and Kangaroos do not mix! Tempranillo is a premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja Region in Spain and is a relatively new variety for the wine regions of Australia. It produces wines with a good colour and the middle palate provides interesting fruit flavours and easy drinking with a range of foods.
Leaves and Fishes
Next stop was a delightful, and very filling, lunch at the Leaves and Fishes restaurant, Lovedale. It was a timely stop, as here we experienced our only rain of the weekend and were able to enjoy lunch on the covered deck. The focus of the menu is seafood, with an Asian kick, but there are non-seafood options too.
There was a minimum order of 2 courses while we were there, which both my friend and I struggled to complete, due to the generous portions size. However, the food was full of exquisite flavours and we both enjoyed our choices of:
- grilled blue eye cod, king prawns, baby clams, roast spring onions, crustacean bisque
- seared pork fillet, hazelnut and pistachio romesco, roasted baby carrots, goats curd
Leaves and Fishes Restaurant Lovedale
Cockfighters Ghost
Our next choice of cellar door was Cockfighters Ghost which has some 120 year old vines and produces some incredible reds. The hosts at all the cellar doors we visited were very informative and were knowledgeable about their wines. Here we learned that 2014 was the best year for the Shiraz grape in the Hunter Valley since 1965, although 2012 was a very decent year too. The reason for this superb vintage was apparently that there was no rain and the grapes had excellent sugar content . Their Pooles Rock 2014 Shiraz was very flavoursome and smooth, and, whilst not inexpensive at $60 a bottle, it was worth every cent. Ideally it should be laid down for 1o years – but I am not sure it will last that long in my household without a lock and key!
The legend of the vineyard is regaled on their website and “states that in 1835, Governor Macquarie directed explorers to find routes to open up the Hunter Valley. One wild and windy night, as the explorers attempted to cross a flooded creek, their strongest horse – Cockfighter – drowned bravely trying to get his rider across the raging waters. When convict gangs were later sent to construct a bridge over what was now known as Cockfighter’s Creek, they swore that on stormy nights you would see Cockfighter’s Ghost galloping free across the countryside. To this day it is still reported that Cockfighter’s Ghost still haunts the vineyards planted on the bank of the creek.”
Breakfast at Oscars, HunterValley Gardens
On the Sunday we had a leisurely brunch at Oscars Cafe in the middle of the shops at the Hunter Valley Gardens in Polkolbin. A good, hearty breakfast and the coffee fix for the day were accompanied by live music and people watching. A great way to start the day.
Thomas Allen Wines
This was our favourite spot of the weekend, situated on a hilltop location at Moon Mountain Vineyard, with incredible vistas. Thomas Allen Wines opened in 2009 and is a small boutique vineyard with a family feel. We received a very warm welcome both from the owners and, the cosy, roaring log fire! It was recommended by a host at another cellar door, which was refreshing as there appeared to be no pressure to buy at any cellar door we visited and no obvious rivalry, although I am sure it exists.
Whilst the winery is relatively new the vines were planted in 1969 and all the fruit used in their Estate Wines are form these vines. Their wines have names uniquely and intimately linked to the team, namely ‘Mango Tree’ Chardonnay, ‘The Doctor’ Cabernet Sauvignon and the ‘Alasdair’ Shiraz, named in memory of a friend.
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We arrived feeling slightly jaded from the sip and go experience that wine tasting requires and decided that this Sunday stop would be our only venue of the day. We sampled just one chardonnay focusing mainly on the reds which were all significant quality, so much so that we both signed up as members of Club 1733, named after their street address. The philosophy of this vineyard is to eventually only sell to their members and once they reach 2000 they will close membership. Whilst not purporting to be wine experts ourselves we particularly loved the 2013 Old School Shiraz Cabernet and the 2014 Alasdair Shiraz. The Alasdair is only produced in exceptional vintage years and, as mentioned earlier this is the best since 1965!
We asked John,”the Boss”, if we could enjoy a full glass of the Old School on their verandah, which has spectacular views across rolling vineyards to the mountains beyond. We sat revelling in the peacefulness and savouring the wine. Once satiated, we then pushed our luck and asked if we might walk along the tracks by the vines across the property and were delighted to have our request granted, although John was unable to guarantee the neighbouring vineyards wouldn’t take a pot shot at us! Please note that walking among vines and across vineyards is forbidden without express permission as the vintners do not want disease introduced or the vines damaged.
The walk was one of the highlights of the weekend! An hour of ambling along the trails, amongst pruned vineyards replete with the most beautiful birds. We passed dams and bogs with bullrushes that swayed and rustled in the biting breeze and the panoramic views and light were a photographers dream. Returning safely to the cellar door to collect our purchases we learned we were the first visitors to make such a request, making it a truly unique experience.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Hunter Valley, Crowne Plaza in Polkolbin, which will allow bookings for one night and has a range of rooms and villas with up to 3 bedrooms.
© Wanderers Dreams All content and photographs
Wanderers Dreams 