Reds, Whites And Views

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday March 11, 2008

Bruce Elder

This relaxed and elegant region is one of the most appealing wine areas in NSW, writes Bruce Elder.

WITH more than 40 wineries in the valley, Mudgee has its fair share of cellar doors designed for tasting and purchasing but there are some where the accompanying attractions are so interesting the wines actually take a back seat.

Your first stop should be Logan Wines (www.loganwines.com.au), a cellar door that could hold its own in California's Napa Valley. It is all understated class - polished timber and gleaming steel - with glorious views across the valley and large areas where, along with the outstanding 2006 Vintage M Cuvee (one of the best sparkling wines you'll taste anywhere in Australia), there is excellent coffee made from Di Lorenzo beans. It is a perfect introductionto the region. The sense of relaxation and elegance at the cellar door is a reminder that Mudgee is arguably the most appealing ofall the NSW wine regions.

Many regions now have a "music in the vines" experience but with the involvement of world-class musicians such as Richard Tognetti, the Huntington Estate (www.huntingtonestate.com.au) has always provided something extra. Since Mudgee stalwart Bob Roberts sold the business to his next-door neighbour, winemaker Tim Stevens, the Tognetti connection has been broken but Stevens has maintained the music by forging a special relationship with Musica Viva.

This year the estate promises to mix its superb reds (it still makes the best shiraz in the valley) with impressive musical talents such as Teddy Tahu Rhodes and the Australian String Quartet.

If you prefer environmentalism to fine music, then a visit to the Lowe Family Wine Company (www.lowewines.com.au) makes for an interesting journey into the wonderful world of the sculptor and the organic winemaker.

This is a rare opportunity to chat with people committed to producing genuinely organic wines. The great joy of the winery is the winemakers, David Lowe and Jane Wilson, are passionate about the organic purity of their products. They're happy to take you through the vineyard to show you how they create their natural fertilisers, fight against disease and insects and grow their vines naturally, without pesticides.

The area around the cellar door has some remarkable works by the artist, letter cutter and sculptor Ian Marr, whose distinctive works include short poems and aphorisms cut into stone blocks. You can buy his Mintaro slate-and-sandstone bench with James Brown's It's A Man's Man's Man's World carved into it for $8800.

Mudgee's warm summer days and cool evenings tend to produce quality reds (especially cabernet sauvignons) but it also has some respectable whites. Prince Hill Wines, called Simon Gilbert Wines until a recent change of ownership, has produced some outstanding chardonnays. Its 2005 vintage won best chardonnay at the Mudgee Wine Show in 2006.

If I have a favourite vineyard in the Mudgee Valley, it is that little piece of Italy known as the di Lusso Estate (www.dilusso.com.au). What happens when a former merchant banker falls in love with Italy? He spends every cent he has made on recreating the area he loves. This is precisely what happened to Robert Fairall, who not only produces a range of Italian-style wines at the estate (try the sangiovese or the Mudgee rosso) but has a delightful alfresco dining area outside the cellar door. He also shows Italian movies at his Cinema di Lusso.

In keeping with the Italian theme the cellar door also sells mosto cotto (cooked grape juice), olive oil and, in season, figs and fig products. It also has a wood-fired pizza oven so you can sit in the garden, gaze across the Mudgee valley and dream of Tuscany.

There are numerous wineries around Mudgee that have fine food but none quite matches the award-winning cuisine of Tricia Hennessy. She recently arrived at Craigmoor Cellar Door (www.oatleywines.com.au) trailing an impressive reputation from her restaurants in Victoria. She has now established the excellent Wild Oats Cafe as a reasonably priced fine dining experience in the valley.

Craigmoor, established in 1858, is one of the genuinely historic vineyards in the Mudgee region. The Oatley family is restoring the old Poet's Corner site to its former glory, complete with glorious gardens, a huge oval (with cricket pitch) and its own museum.

The sheer luxury of enjoying an Oatley wine while savouring something like the Robert Oatley Shiraz Viognier beef-and-field-mushroom pie at the Wild Oats Cafe is one of Craigmoor's great experiences.

Best known for cabernet sauvignon

Getting there 31/2 hours north-west of Sydney via the Great Western Highway.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home