Visit the Hunter Valley | intouch Magazine Feature

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The HUNTER VALLEY

Wine + Food Festival - May + June

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Hunter Valley WINE COUNTRY

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Australia’s oldest wine region offers more than just premium fine wines, gourmet delights and a beautiful vineyard setting.

In Hunter Valley Wine Country, there is so much to explore and experience.

Tour the famous Hunter Valley Gardens (and Shopping Village), hand feed animals at the zoo, unwind with a round of golf, and indulge in cheese or chocolate tasting. Relax and be pampered in a spa or seek out the galleries and local artisans products. For the adventurous, cycle or go horse riding at sunset, take to the air in a hot air balloon, skydive or enjoy the thrill of a hot lap in a rally car.

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Wine & Dine Gourmet Food Tastings Craft Beer and Distillery Tours & Classes Shopping & Galleries Markets Entertainment & Events Drive-in Cinema Aqua & Putt Putt Golf Electric Bike Hire Scenic & Acrobatic Flights Helicopter Flights Go Karting Golf, Driving Range & Lessons Horse & Pony Riding Hot Air Ballooning Segways Skydiving Hunter Valley Zoo Heritage, Culture & Nature Beauty & Wellbeing Hunter Valley Gardens

Hunter Valley Wine Country is surrounded by untouched natural landscape and beautiful scenery where you can go bushwalking, four-wheel driving, or mountain biking.

Explore our rich heritage by visiting convict relics and remnants of our coal mining past.

Visit the Hunter Valley Visitor Information Centre on Wine Country Drive at Pokolbin to book your accommodation and plan your personalised Hunter Valley Experience!

455 Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin | PH 4993 6700 | vic@cessnock.nsw.gov.au Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm; Sunday & Public Holidays 9am to 4pm /HunterValleyVisitorInformationCentre

www.huntervalleyvisitorcentre.com.au

HUNTER VALLEY VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

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Kirkton Park

The ultimate tasting experience at Hungerford Hill

A Festival to Delight all the Senses New additions this year include Viva Verdelho at Tulloch Wines, Magnum Madness at Hart & Hunter Cellar Door and Cheeses of the World at Two Fat Blokes, while festival favourites such as the Hunter Valley Wine Festival, Tyrrell’s On any given weekend, it’s a tough ask to even scratch the Winemaker’s Luncheon and the Meet the Farmer Dinner at surface on all the fabulous wining and dining experiences on offer in the Hunter Valley vineyards. But during May and June, Margan are sure to be as popular as always.

Jo said the diversity of the activities on offer – and the there will be even more reasons for tourists to stay a little chance to take part in the more intimate atmosphere of longer, with over 40 special events being held as part of the smaller events – were key to the festival’s success.

Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival.

“Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival provides you with Local winemakers and restaurateurs will throw open the chance to wine and dine with leading Hunter Valley their doors to showcase everything the region is known winemakers and chefs, take part in an array of fun and for, including premium wines, fine food and locally-sourced interactive classes to fine-tune your culinary skills or, if you’re produce. after a relaxing experience, simply curl up beside an open Helping to bring it all together and promote it to potential fire with a glass of premium Hunter Valley wine and a cheese visitors across the Hunter and beyond is the Hunter Valley plate,” she said.

Wine & Tourism Association.

“One of the things about the Hunter Valley Wine and Food While food and wine festivals have been held in the Hunter for more than a decade, Tourism Association General Manager Festival is that you can have an intimate experience. While there are some major events; there are also smaller more General Manager Jo Thomas said the need to expand the intimate ones that you can be part of, and those tend to sell concept beyond its traditional month-long celebration was out quickly as well, they’re really popular. identified a few years ago.

“Wine and food festivals in the Hunter Valley have been running over May and June for over 12 years,” she said.

“Over time it has evolved to become Hunter Valley Wine “There a real opportunity to meet the people and Food Festival, which has been running as a two-month long festival since 2016. behind the wines and the food. You’re “The Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association, along with getting to meet with the winemakers and industry, recognised the need to expand the events over May chefs and people behind the scenes, so I and June, showcasing the region’s diverse wine and food culture with two months of themed activities. think that’s where those events really do “It is such an incredible time to be in the Hunter Valley, with appeal to a lot of people. perfect temperatures of warm sunny days and cool nights around the fire experiencing local food and wine.”

The 2018 festival boasts its biggest line-up to date, with “It’s that paddock to plate kind of experience, learning the addition of 15 new events to an already packed program about where the produce comes from, where the wines come of epicurean experiences. from, with the experts.

The diverse calendar includes everything from delicious “There’s a real trend for understanding what you’re putting gourmet dinners at award-winning restaurants to wine and cocktail master classes, as well as food and wine trails, hands- into your body and where it comes from, especially with that 25-35 year age group, the Millennials, even Gen Y, they’re all on cooking classes and long lunches.

WORDS MICHELLE MEEHAN - Features Writer

Burning of the Barrel, Glandore Estate

looking for that explanation of where the produce is coming from.

“And when they’re here in the Hunter Valley they want to eat local, drink local, that’s really important, so these events under this Hunter Valley Wine and Food umbrella really showcase what we do here and our local produce.

“In terms of our agricultural area here in the Hunter Valley it’s one of the largest in the country, we grow a lot of our own produce on our back doorstep in the greater Hunter Region, not necessarily just Wine Country, and our chefs and our winemakers source what they need locally, we’re really lucky in that respect.”

The festival events attract more than 35,000 people to the region during the two months, with a mix of locals and visitors from further afield.

Jo said it was impossible to understate the importance of events such as the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival to the Hunter’s visitor economy.

“Local events drive visitation to our region and have a huge impact on the local economy,” she said.

“In fact, the Hunter Valley wine sector contributes $502 million to the local economy and supports 2800 jobs.

“We market the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival, along with our other events during the year, to local and international audiences to help build awareness of the Hunter Valley as a key destination and to encourage visitation.

“Outside of our local area, Sydney’s our biggest market, and then also regional NSW and Brisbane.

“Now that we’ve got the new airport link between Adelaide and Newcastle we’re actually just peppering the South Australian audience as well and really targeting those food and wine lovers. It’s opened up a whole new world for us.

“The Hunter Valley is the most visited wine region in Australia by wine enthusiasts. It is also the oldest grape growing region in Australia, with the first plantings here dated back in 1828.

“Events give people a reason to come, and then it gives them a reason to come back if they’ve had a great experience.”

To find out more about this year’s Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival visit www.winecountry.com.au www.intouchmagazine.com.au | 21

Local WINES That will Define 2018

Champagne and sparkling wines? It seems we love different styles of fizz and especially that from other parts of the world with Champagne sales achieving double-digit growth since 2016. Australian sparkling wines are also extremely popular, and the Hunter Valley has some top drops to compare with the best.

ORGANIC, NATURAL AND SUSTAINABLE? The interest surrounding wines produced biodynamically or organically is heading toward unprecedented heights as consumers increasingly turn to wines that reflect their raising consciousnesses, drinking more sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines from winemakers who have embraced these values in their winemaking philosophies.

Expect to see retailers having separate shelves reserved for WORDS QUENTIN VON ESSEN these wines, restaurant and bar wine lists devoting a section to organic and biodynamic wines and others balancing their offerings with traditional wines.

From Dry Rosé to Orange Wines and Young Reds, this month Here in the Hunter, leading producers include Tamburlaine intouch magazine rounds up the wine styles that will define this Organic Wines, Krinklewood Biodynamic Wines, Ascella Organic year.

Wines and Macquariedale Organic Wines.

Much like fashion, food and music, wine styles can define an era. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, we were drinking big, buttery ORANGE WINES and oaky Chardonnay and lighter Cabernets. In the 2000’s The wine industry is known for its reds and its whites – but tastes turned towards lighter wines such as Pinot Grigio and what about its oranges? Obviously, we’re not referring to the the crisp cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc. citrus fruit or even the fertile wine region in the central west of We wanted Chardonnay to be lighter, more subtle and of course with a little less oak. We wanted reds that were big and NSW. We’re talking about orange wine - an increasingly popular bold, and we (reluctantly) started to accept the move away from style that is making its way into cellar doors and onto wine lists cork closures to screw-caps. So, what are we drinking now that around the world.

Of course, there is no such thing as an orange grape. is so different from 10 years ago?

Instead, the name refers to the distinctive hue of the product, which can vary greatly from a soft pinkish apricot to a golden IT’S ALL SPARK, FIZZLE AND POP! honey colour.

Who doesn’t love a bit of fizzle – especially high-quality

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VERMOUTH One of the most exciting wine trends in 2018 is the growing number of producers making Vermouth - an aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with various herbs, roots, bark, flowers and other botanicals and now also one of the hippest - and most soughtafter mixers behind the bar. Vermouth gives winemakers enormous creative freedom,and us the consumer, a whole new range of flavours, to experiment with and enjoy.

YOUNG LIGHTER REDS Long gone are the days when you needed to cellar red wine for years before it was ready to be drunk. Now we want our reds mediumbodied, full of freshness and fruit - wines made from grapes such as Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and lighter interpretations of the traditionally fuller bodied varieties like Shiraz. Pinot Noir is one of the fastest growing varieties in the red wine category in Australia.

The wine itself is made using white wine grapes, however, instead of following the standard process where the grapes skins are discarded once the juice has been extracted, winemakers leave the two together for an extended period.

As is the case when making red wine, the extended contact – also known as maceration - allows the juice to take on some of the colour pigments and tannins contained in the skins, seeds and stems of the fruit.

While orange wines have been popping up across Australia for the past few years, the practice itself is an ancient one, dating back hundreds of years in European regions such as Slovenia, and possibly even thousands of years in the Eurasian region of Georgia.

In the Hunter Valley, orange wines have been on the radar of certain winemakers for quite some time. Tamburlaine Organic Wines Senior Winemaker Aaron Mercer told intouch magazine that a skin-contact Pinot Gris was on the horizon at the Pokolbin winery, while he said Brokenwood Wines had also been working on an orange varietal using Semillon grapes.

While it’s unlikely orange wine will ever replace white or red as a mainstay of any wine producer, it’s clear the amber-coloured drop will be on the menu for a few more years to come.

VARIETAL REVIVAL The landscape of Australian wines has changed significantly over the past decade with wine lovers eagerly searching for something new, and increasingly drinking wines made from alternative grape varietals, in particular, the Italian and Spanish varieties that tend to suit Australia’s warmer climate regions.

While the varieties of Negroamaro, Barbera, Montepulciano, Fiano, Nero d’Avola, Nebbiolo and even Grenache are hardly unknown varieties in Australia, the term “alternative variety” encapsulates those varieties that stand outside the mainstream and are not widely planted.

This rise of ‘alternative’ varieties in Australia is becoming an increasingly important topic for the country’s winemakers which has been largely driven by an increased awareness that the ‘traditional’ varieties planted in Australia – Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Chardonnay, don’t always suit the sites or regions they currently occupy.

A growing number of Hunter Valley Wineries have adopted some alternative varieties that include Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Durif, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Chambourcin amongst the reds and Vermentino, Savignin, Fiano, Pinot Gris/ Grigio and Viognier amongst the whites – and with fantastic results. Over the next few DRY ROSÉ years, you can expect many of these wines to The world has fallen hopelessly in love with become increasingly known and popular with Rosé, with imports from France booming wine drinkers and close the gap on some of as well as local sales of this quintessential the mainstream varieties. summer wine. Today, there is a new surge These newbies add another dimension in the popularity, and the number of Rosés to our wine drinking enjoyment, giving the on the market continues to grow, seemingly unabated. In fact, the demand for traditional consumer a touch of the exotic, new tastes dry Rosé is so widespread that across France, and also provoking debate. Enjoy wine, enjoy friends and most importantly enjoy yourself Rosé outsells white wine and outside of (and drink responsibly!) ■ France, rosé is experiencing a rebirth.

VIVA VERDELHO

There’s no better time to take in the delights of Australia’s premium wine-growing region than the 2018 Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival.

Tulloch will be participating this year with our popular Viva Verdelho tasting.

In the Hunter Valley, the Verdelho variety produces wines that are lively, tropical and vibrant which is perfectly suited to the Australian way of life. As the pioneering family of Verdelho, we produce five different styles of this crowd pleasing variety from the fun celebratory low alcohol ‘Verscato’ to the luscious fortified Creme de Vin and various styles in-between.

Take the journey with Tulloch as we show you our five styles and the versatility of Verdelho matched with five food accompaniments.

Daily in May and June by appointment, $18pp | Tulloch Wines, corner of McDonalds & DeBeyers Road, Pokolbin | Ph (02) 4998 7580 E cellardoor@tullochwines.com | www.tullochwines.com

Hunter Valley

Chocolate Company EST. 1999

Located in the heart of Pokolbin, Hunter Valley Chocolate Company has been a family owned and operated Hunter Valley gem for the last 19 years.

Indulge in the ultimate chocolate experience, with a tantalising range of premium hand-made chocolate and chocolate products plus more than 30 flavours of freshly made fudge!

Open 7 Days 9am – 5pm. Ph 4998 6999 Three Great Locations in Pokolbin: Twenty-3-Twenty – 2320 Broke Road Peterson House – Broke Road Hunter Valley Gardens – Shop 5, Broke Road

www.hvchocolate.com.au | admin@hvchocolate.com.au www.intouchmagazine.com.au | 23

19+20

May!

MAGNUM MADNESS

Join Hart & Hunter for the annual Magnum Madness over the weekends of the 5th & 6th and 26th & 27th of May as we celebrate everything Magnum.

We love big bottles!!! Each year we produce a selection of magnums from those wines destined for greatness and longevity and at Magnum Madness you get the opportunity to taste these wines, paired with some great local produce. Magnums not only look impressive but scream celebration! They are a great way to share that special bottle with a group of friends, as one bottle is often never enough, and ultimately, they are just really fun to drink from! Each of these wines are made in limited quantities, and the Hart & Hunter Magnum range come with an engraved label and a gorgeously packaged gift box and will be available for purchase throughout the weekend. We are also thrilled to have The Cellar Restaurant on board again this year, creating five canapés to match the five wines on pour. Tastings are offered between our opening hours of 10am and 4pm, with last reservations taken at 3pm.

Sat 5th & Sun 6th May + Sat 26th & Sun 27th May 10am - 4pm, $30pp, bookings essential Hart & Hunter Cellar Door 463 Deasys Rd Pokolbin | Ph (02) 4998 7645 E cellardoor@hartandhunter.com.au | www.hartandhunter.com.au

HANDS ON GNOCCHI COOKING CLASS AND LUNCH

Hermitage Lodge’s award-winning restaurant ‘Il Cacciatore’ specialises in Northern Italian inspired cuisine. Il Cacciatore has long been a favourite with visitors and locals alike with its relaxed and casual ambience and professional, friendly service.

You will be lead through a step by step hands on gnocchi making class, followed by demonstrations of two different gnocchi dishes and a two course lunch.

May 5, May 19, June 9 and June 23 at 11am, $125pp Il Cacciatore Restaurant, 609 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin | Ph (02) 4998 7639 www.hermitagelodge.com.au/ilcacciatore

RIDGEVIEW CHEF’S PLATE

Ridgeview Restaurant’s executive Chef Donna Hollis and her team use fresh award winning (Sydney Royal Easter show 2018) homegrown and local produce to create seasonal Mediterranean-style menus. For $39 per person indulge in a main and a dessert paired with a glass of their estate-made wine all while drinking in the stunning vineyard views.

Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in May and June. From 12pm to 5.30pm | RidgeView, 273 Sweetwater Road, Pokolbin | Ph (02) 6574 7332 www.ridgeview.com.au

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Long-Lunching at

lovely sparkling Gewürztraminer at Allandale that smells of rose petals. If you love a bit of sparkle, Sandalyn is the place to go with their Traditional Methode Cuvee and Sparkling Fuchsia presented in a beautiful array of glitter bottles. Tatler has given the classic Hunter Semillon a "Carmen Miranda" look and a light sparkle that will pop your lid. At Gartelmann, Janette has put her name to a slightly sweeter style of Moscato with just a little bit of fizz. If a classically The Lovedale Long Lunch is celebrating 25 aged Methode Traditionelle is what you love, years on the 19th & 20th May with seven Saltire has you covered. Lastly, Wandin has of Lovedale’s best boutique cellar doors a surprise new sparkling which is currently and vineyards paired up to celebrated local under wraps! restaurants and great live entertainment.

Now, did someone say lunch! Once The iconic progressive-style lunch is like again, the chefs have outdone themselves. no other – celebrating the food and wine Light or hearty, there is something for treasures of the Hunter Valley. everyone, and vegetarians and vegans are Saturday is the big day, lots of fun and also catered for. The fabulous restaurants enjoyment with many loyal long lunchers – joining “Long Lunch” for 2018 are Tatler groups of family and friends, big and small.

Tapas, Wandin Café, The Deck Café at The weekend sees everything from themed attire to elegant day wear - such as the girls Gartelmann, Amanda’s on the Edge at who come every year in a different coloured Emma’s Cottage, The Cellar at Allandale.

We will welcome back Emerson’s at Saltire, tutu, or the boys in striped business shirts and for the first time, Hunter’s Quarter at and moleskins. And then there are the Sandalyn. Check out the website for food ladies who would not be out of place at the polo. No matter what you wear, or your style, and wine matches for each venue to get your taste buds going! we want you to look your best.

Different beats for different feet. From For those of you that like your days smooth jazz vibes, classic rock, eighties to tasting wine and food a bit more chilled noughties, contemporary pop rock, oldand laid back, the LLL Sunday Session is school rock and soul, funk and blues – get the way to go. Grab your ticket, spend a your best dance floor moves in gear! Groove, relaxing day visiting your favourite Lovedale rock or just chill, to the great music from Long Lunch destinations, take advantage bands which have become venue favourites of the tasting tents, sample the extensive for the Lovedale Long Lunch. range of wonderful wines and sit back For the sake of your fellow long-lunchers, and enjoy a drink with your friends. You’ll experience casual al fresco dining with food please remember to check entry conditions, from the best and enjoy the laid-back music, bring your ID and ticket, leave your alcohol at home and arrive at your last venue before reminiscent of days past of the Lovedale Long Lunch. Fewer people, great wine, great 3pm as there will be an event-wide lock-out. food and great music make Sunday Session As always – there will be no exceptions and no tolerance for disorderly or aggressive the best day for Novocastrians and locals. behaviour.

Let’s toast a great milestone of 25 Save the date – it’s the third weekend years of Lovedale Long Lunches with a of May! Then gather your friends and book glass of bubbles. Come along to the 2018 your tickets and transport. Help celebrate Lovedale Long Lunch to sample the great 25 years of great wine and food at the choice of sparkling wines available. Try the iconic Lovedale Long Lunch. For more info sassy and slightly sweet sparkling red at please visit www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au Emma’s Cottage - it’s like no other - or the

LOVEDALE!

ELBOURNE WINES - 2014 Single Vineyard Shiraz // RRP $55 A 2014 single vineyard, hand picked Hunter Valley Shiraz. 96 Points James Halliday wine companion, with only 200 cases produced.

TASTING Generous spice, pepper and ripe fruit nose.

Exceptionally well balanced wine rolling beautifully across the palate from front to back. Quality french oak frames high quality red and black fruits.

FOOD MATCH A perfect accompaniment to venison, medium-rare with caramelised fig.

CELLARING Up to 20 years.

WYNWOOD ESTATE - Old Jack Muscat // RRP $40 An average of 8 year old, barrel aged Rutherglen Muscat.

TASTING Caramel, toffee and maple syrup characters.

FOOD MATCH Perfect with a square of dark chocolate; soak dried fruits and add them to a pudding or ice cream; or bite the corners off a Tim Tam and use it as a straw.

CELLARING It doesn’t matter because you won’t be able to resist opening it!

KEVIN SOBELS - 2013 Petit Verdot // RRP $25 Kevin Sobels Wines is a family owned business producing 100% Hunter Valley wines with a 170 year tradition of making wine in Australia. Petit Verdot – meaning "little green one" in French, is a late ripening grape, which thrives in regions with long days and lots of sun and ideal for the warmer conditions of the Hunter Valley.

TASTING This is a wonderfully deep coloured and bold wine, with a full-bodied structure and soft tannins in the middle palate.

FOOD MATCH Grilled steak, spicy pork, veal, lamb and all types of game.

CELLARING This wine will age beautifully. Cellar for up to 10 years or more.

TOP Drops...

LOCAL GEMS

EMMAS COTTAGE VINEYARD - 2015 Shiraz // RRP $30 TASTING This classic Hunter Valley Shiraz is aged in old American oak, has a light fresh medium body and is very fruit driven, with dark berry flavours and light peppery notes with a lovely savoury tannin finish.

This wine recently won a bronze medal at the 2017 NSW Small Winemakers Show.

FOOD MATCH Slow cooked lamb shoulder or aged beef. The wine is light enough to drink on its own without food, and if you do not manage to finish the bottle save it to put into tomorrow’s casserole – it does the most wonderful things to big tasty casseroles!

CELLARING Drink now or cellar for 10 years or more.

MISTLETOE WINERY - 2016 “Rosso” // RRP $25 “Rosso” is Italian for Red. This wine is a blend of Hunter Valley grown Tempranillo and a very small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon.

TASTING It is medium bodied, much like a Pinot Noir.

The bouquet is vibrant and spicy with dark cherry, tobacco leaf characters. It has lovely balance, and a clean palate showing dark cherry fruit, and smooth tannins from the use of older French oak puncheons and a long soft finish.

FOOD MATCH This is an eminently quaffable red wine and teams beautifully with Mediterranean cuisine, especially pasta, pizza and paella!

CELLARING Drink now to 2025.

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NOW TASTINéG2018 Ros

Hunter

wine Cracking ing ack from a cr a t vin ge!

MISTLETOE is a small family owned and run winery that was established by the current owners in 1989. Now in its 29th year, Mistletoe’s “no-compromise” approach to producing small quan��es of “true to origin” premium quality wine has seen it rewarded with many, many hundreds of awards and accolades.

With over 20 different wines, including Sparkling, Whites, Reds, Rosés, For�fied and Dessert styles on tas�ng, Mistletoe has one of the most comprehensive ranges of wines to be seen in the Hunter.

• All wines are made in our onsite winery • Winery tas�ngs available for larger groups – bookings essen�al!

• Mistletoe Wines are only available for purchase from the Winery Cellar Door • Knowledgeable and friendly staff to make you welcome • On most occasions you will be looked a�er by one of the Mistletoe Family

QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE With three genera�ons now ac�vely engaged in the day to day opera�on of Mistletoe, it is truly a unique family winery.

When visi�ng Mistletoe be sure to take �me to visit POKOLBIN GALLERY and MISTLETOE SCULPTURE GARDEN also in the grounds of the Cellar Door.

Mistletoe is now just 35 minutes from Newcastle – take the Hunter Expressway M15 which becomes the A15 (New England Highway) at Branxton and then take the Hermitage Road exit.

Open 10am until 6pm daily | 771 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin 2320 PH 1800 055 080 FAX 02 4998 7792 E office@mistletoewines.com.au | W www.mistletoewines.com.au