PART 1
A road trip along East Coast of Australia, we start with a wine tasting and unforgettable culinary experiences in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley NSW.
After a 30 hour door to door journey from Merseyside to Sydney we jumped in the rental car and began our near 3000-mile road trip from Sydney, New South Wales to Bundaberg, Queensland and back. On the way, we stopped by the Terrigal, The Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley Wine Region, Mullumbimby, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay & Noosa Heads.
Our first stop had to be the birthplace of Australian wine ‘The Hunter Valley, Wine Region’ NSW. In the first of the series, I will be highlighting some of the most compelling vineyards and restaurants we found amongst the rolling hills of the oldest known wine region in Australia. With over 150 wineries it is safe to say you can only really scratch the surface of the 3,537 hectares of scattered Semillon and shiraz. We found the region to be exceptionally refined with careful attention to the quality of produce in both its food and wine that are cultivated and served amongst breathtaking landscapes and a ‘few’ kangaroos.
Cafe Enzo, Peppers Creek Village.
Cafe Enzo offers a casual but very refined dining experience within its ambient, rustic setting & 1700’s courtyard. Lucky enough to secure a table for the lunch menu, we got to experience the outstanding dishes and local produce of this Tuscan inspired village.
Cafe Enzo achieve textural excellence in their Gnocchi dish with fresh garden greens, burnt sage butter, and a large covering of parmesan shavings. The burnt sage butter was beyond exceptional, thick enough to encase the homemade Gnocchi yet subtle enough to softly elevate the natural delicacy of sugar snaps, peas, leeks and spinach. Also featured; Roasted Lamb Rump.
Muse Kitchen at Keith Tulloch Winery
Sitting by the vineyards within the grounds of the family-owned and orientated cellar door of Keith Tulloch Winery lives Muse Kitchen. The attention to detail, aesthetic and charm that can be experienced within the rooms and barn houses here are echoed throughout the menu that is clearly driven by seasonal offerings and the confident creativity of its chefs.
We started off with a wine tasting on the balcony of Keith Tulloch Wines where we were led through a journey of hunter valley Chardonnay and Semillon, with lots of bright peach notes & perfumed acidity. After working up an appetite we pulled up a seat at Muse Kitchen and were presented with small considered dishes that were as pleasing visually as they were on the palette. Muse are forward-thinking and keen to embrace the element of change in their menu. Clean, sophisticated with a contemporary aesthetic. Featured here are the Cod main and White Rabbit Gnocchi (we had a thing for Gnocchi at the time so it was an attractive choice).
Usher Tinkler Wines
This 1905 converted roadside church surrounded by acres of undulating Pokolbin vine rows is home to one of the most intriguing and stirring young winemakers in the region. A hybrid of tradition and innovation, the Usher Tinkler church space stands out from any other winery in the region with its simplistic contemporary design, considered concept led branding and a sense of breaking the mold. As you enter the church you are greeted by a large open space with windows elegantly framing the vineyards outside, the perfect compliment for a few wines, cheese boards and salumi.
After an incredible tasting in by far my favourite winery of the region, I took away a bottle of two of The Pig – Nose to Tail Rosé, a shiraz & merlot Blend: This is, in my opinion, an impossibly soft, light and fun Rosé, but not the run to the beach kind, more the type to give life back to plate of cured meats with bright alluring strawberry, energetic florality and just enough depth from the merlot. With a long road ahead to our next destination, Usher Tinkler was a perfect hunter valley send-off.
