Wine Tasting Yarra Valley, Victoria

“This pinot noir rose tastes a bit like my sense of humour.
It is dry but sharp with a clean finish.”

~ Chopinand, co-author of ChopinandMysaucepan

~~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~~

What are the elements that make a wine tasting escapade so enticing to wine lovers? Obviously the prospect of twirling, sniffing and tasting a seemingly endless amount of that red and white elixir is one.

A shiraz may be music to a wine buff. But it is hardly razzamatazz when it looks and tastes as boring as fermented grape juice to the uninitiated.

Of all the major wine growing regions in Australia, Victoria’s Yarra Valley is the closest to the state’s capital city of Melbourne. Indeed, Melburnians can hit the wine trail and taste wine within a mere 45-minute drive from the city.

So, as I head off from Ivanhoe in Melbourne’s north with my friends Molly and KC at 8 o’clock on this cold and windy Sunday morning, we find ourselves wandering around the vineyards in Yarra Valley shortly before nine o’clock.

(You can download a an official copy of Yarra Valley map to guide you through this wine tasting.)

~~~~~

Music with wine

Symphony No.2 in E minor Opus 27  by Sergei Rachmaninoff

(Listening tip: Use a set of good headphones)

Rachmaninoff‘s beautiful Symphony No. 2 in E minor Opus 27 reminds me of the unpredictable and often whimsical climate of Victoria state in Australia.

The music is serene as it begins with a beautiful clarinet solo that eventually leads the piece into dark and mysterious passages.

Throughout our day-long trip to the Yarra Valley, there were sunny periods with glorious blue skies, strong winds with threatening grey clouds and rain. Similarly in this beautiful symphony, there are stormy and tumultuous periods that alternate with glimpses of sunlight and tranquility. It was indeed the colours I saw and sounds I heard as I wandered through the beautiful vineyards of the Yarra.

So put on a set of good headphones, pour yourself a glass of wine and let me take you across this beautiful wine-growing region in Australia.

~~~~~

De Bortoli Wines

I first visited  the Yarra Valley in 1998 and De Bortoli Wines was among the vineyards that I saw.

This is a third generation vineyard which was established by Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli in 1928.

The couple emigrated to Australia from the mountain villages at the foothills of the Italian Alps, near the historic town of Asolo.

Their son, Deen De Bortoli (1936 – 2003) expanded the business created by his parents. Deen’s children established De Bortoli’s reputation for premium wine including the iconic Noble One dessert wine.

It is still only nine o’clock this Sunday morning and too early to taste wine. In any case, the cellar door is not opened yet and we happily wander around the vineyards to enjoy its breath-taking views.

The winery also has a restaurant, Locale, which serves modern Italian food.

Yering Station

Set in the historical winery building (circa 1859), the cellar door at Yering Station encapsulates the synergy between wine and food.

The winery produces fifteen styles of wine under six distinctive labels that include single and mixed varietals of chardonnay, marsanne viognier, pinot gris, fume blanc, rose, pinot noir, shiraz viognier, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

The Wine Bar Restaurant has a modern setting with panoramic views of the vast rural landscape and mountains beyond.

The menu is French-inspired with roasted quail coq au vin, bouillabaisse and slow-cooked beef cheeks as the flavour of the month.

A 2012 Yering Station Pinot Noir Rose smells of Turkish delight rose water with peachy undertones. This wine has a distinctively dry finish which I like.

Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery

The Yarra Valley is not only about wine as there is a host of other activities that would appeal to those other than wine lovers.

The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery  produces a wide range of chocolates and ice cream and has a cafe and restaurant that is open all year round.

This place is an ideal spot to visit where there is a playground for the kids and childrens’ birthday parties are often held in the cafe which is filled with all kinds of chocolates and sweets.

Yarra Valley Regional Farmers Market

Founded nine years ago, the Yarra Valley Regional Farmers Market is the longest runnung market in Victoria.

It is held on the third Sunday of each month in the Historic Barn at Yering Station winery.

Local producers gather in a cosy barn to sell fresh seasonal fruit, vegetables, locally baked bread, biscuits and pies.

There is also an array of jams, chutneys, cheeses, olive oil, honey, meats and eggs.

Jam Lady Jam

In 1995 whilst recovering from tonsillitis, ex-opera singer Lisa O’Connor‘s friend kept bringing her fruit to help her recuperate.

Fruit was the last thing she wanted to eat so she started making jam from her little bungalow kitchen and Jam Lady Jam was born.

Lisa made so much jam that she started giving it away to friends who owned cafes and who later encouraged her to supply them with her delicious product. From opera singing to jam making is indeed an interesting career change.

“The audience don’t need to be listening because they are half asleep. And I love the fact that people are waking up to a little bit of me in the morning” she says.

In 2001, Lisa came to Healesville in the Yarra Valley for the weekend at the invitation of chef Richard Hauptmann. They fell in love and she never returned to Melbourne.

In 2003, their daughter Carmen was born and Lisa has no doubt their little girl is the best thing they have ever cooked.

Lisa invited chef Alan Harding to join their business in 2006 and together with Richard, the three of them have started their second label Handmade in Healesville.

Lunch at Greenpoint Brasserie, Chandon Winery

In the 1960’s, Moët & Chandon began exploring the potential of making world class sparkling wines outside of France.

They have already established successful Chandon Estates in Argentina, Brazil and California and saw the opportunity to make a premium quality sparkling wine in Australia.

During the mid-1980s, a group of Australian wine experts were engaged to find an ideal site for growing traditional cool climate champagne grape varieties.

Nestling in the Yarra Valley, they found an old diary farm named ‘Green Point’ with the perfect combination of cool climate and great soil. Since 1986, this has been the site of Domaine Chandon.

Chandon sparkling wines are made with the same grape varieties used in Champagne ~ chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier while the sparkling pinot shiraz also features shiraz.

All of Chandon’s sparkling wines are aged in their bottles for a minimum of 18 months, an essential part of the ‘methode traditionnelle’ from France that adds complexity and texture to the wine.

I nurse a glass of 2011 Chandon Pinot Noir as we admire the view of beautiful vineyards from the Greenpoint Brasserie.

There is delicate hints of cherry on the nose and I taste velvety cinnamon. It has good length for a relatively young pinot noir.

“The Charcuterie Platter sounds good and we can share different items on the plate” Molly suggests.

The platter is a delighful mix of soft green olives, chorizo, sourdough, rocket leaves, porcini onion jam, artichoke, liver parfait, pork rilettes and chicken terrine.

The skin of the pan roasted snapper fillet is very crispy and the fish and roast potatoes are tasty having soaked up all the dill butter sauce.

I seldom order snapper but this one I will as it is definitely a dish for all seasons.

The chicken salad is a little disappointing though.

Slices of chicken breast come with cumin and curry flavours but when mixed with fresh basil leaves, black turtle beans, avocado and the coarse texture of endive leaves, I’m not quite sure where this salad is heading. The spicy red chilli dressing adds more confusion.

A cauliflower and smoked trout soup is light, tasty and keeps us cosy on a winter day.

Tangy baby capers give more attitude and another serve of sourdough bread is good idea for this soup too.

The sourdough is soft and good quality olive oil for dipping is always key in complementing fresh bread.

On the menu of the Greenpoint Brasserie, there is some history about the land upon which the winery was built:

Your destination is a magical spur of land, steeped in history and rich in tradition with historic tales dating back to early European settlement.

The very first vines were planted in this region in the early 1800s.  Picturesque mountain ranges, green pastures and flowing streams inspired the Scottish-born Ryrie brothers to carry 600 vine cuttings from New South Wales to the Yarra Valley and chart a unique identity for the region.

They observed that each year as the dry summer months moved in, this land, now home to Domaine Chandon Australia, was and still remains, the last point in the Yarra Valley to maintain its lush green landscape.

Greenpoint’s ancient alluvial soils run deep, retaining moisture from the winter months well into summer. These soils combined with the Yarra Valley’s cool climate terroir, make the very point at which we sit, the greenest in the Valley.

Our winemakers take advantage of the cool, slow-ripening climate of this region to craft wines with a variety of flavours and classic Chandon expression ~ elegant, subtle, complex, exclusive and lingering.

More wine tasting

After lunch, we continue our wine tasting escapade in search of more pinot noir the Yarra Valley is so renown for.

We drive towards Tokar Estate in Coldstream and although it is cold, windy and dry, we see beautiful rain falling in the distant horizon.

Tokar Estate

As we approach Tokar Estate, dark clouds are looming but it is a beautiful sight as the winery comes into view, the buildings perched on elevated land with the vineyards planted on its foregrounds.

Even though I enjoy bright and sunny blue skies,  grey clouds that look ominous add darker tones of colour, volatility and character to the landscape.

Just like music, it is an easy task listening to happy and cheerful tunes that are composed in major keys.

However, so many famous operas, ballets, symphonies and piano concerti by the great classical and romantic composers are composed in minor keys which can better convey sadness and tragedy.

It is these elements which bring greatness to these works because dramatic melodies which are full of colour and vigour fuel the passion in our hearts and keep us engaged.

There is a small and cosy restaurant at the Tokar Estate winery and the cellar door is located within the restaurant which is in full swing during this Sunday lunch hour.

Both KC and I like the 2011 Tokar Estate Pinot Noir.

It is vibrant crimson with aromas of ripe cherries and hints of star anise. I would drink this wine on its own or pair it with a slow-cooked pork belly in apple cider.

Luscious and velvety, it’s a versatile wine with food and pretty good value at $28 per bottle.

Coldstream Hills

The brainchild of Australian wine luminary James Halliday, the winery at Coldstream Hills is most famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir wines.

Since its first vintage in 1985, the winery has gradually demonstrated the ideal conditions for growing pinot noir grapes that Yarra Valley is famous for.

The Upper Yarra Chardonnay is generally citrusy while the Lower Yarra is bolder with stonefruit characters. Coldstream Hills Chardonnay is barrel fermented and matured in French oak barrels for nine months prior to blending and bottling.

I smell nutty almond and peach in the 2012 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay and it feels soft and velvety in my mouth. I don’t believe in drinking unwooded chardonnays and this wine is testament that French oak adds beautiful layers of complexity and character to an otherwise one-dimensional white wine.

KC prefers the Yering Station Pinot Noir over the Coldstream Hills one. Personally, I find dark berries and cherry in the 2012 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir. As I swirl this lusicous red in my mouth, it is plummy, jammy, aniseedy and five spicy. I’m no wine expert so in layman’s terms, it’s a bloody good drop of pinot noir.

“We should check out Soumah” KC says.

“This winery is a consecutive winner in the Federation Square wine show” he adds.

Soumah of Yarra Valley

Located at the Warramate foothills of the Yarra Valley, Soumah is an acronym for the dress circle location of “South of Maroondah Highway”.

The Butcher family’s passion for fine wine making is the driving force for a single vineyard range with varietal and regional character.

The first two vintages attracted many accolades where the Savarro won consecutive trophies at the 2011 and 2012 Federation Square Wine Showcase and gathering no less than 14 medals and trophies.

Cellar Door Manager, Cherryl Butcher tells us the vines on the estate are about fifteen years old and Soumah is focused on making cool climate and dry styles of wine.

The Savarro story at Soumah opens in the Northern Italian region of Bolzano where the green-skinned, tight bunched grape was first recorded in the 10th century. Over the millennia, it travelled to all corners of Europe taking on many names including Savagnin, Heidaand Bo Blanc to name a few.

The cool climate of the valley provides excellent conditions for the late ripening Savarro grapes which are hand-picked before being pressed and fermented on lees to give the wine its aromatic qualities.

A 2012 Soumah Savarro has a pale straw colour and is citrusy. It is minerally on the palate with good acidic balance and dry on the finish.

The Yarra Valley is a quick and easy escape from the busy city life of Melbourne. Its vast and expansive rural landscape is the perfect setting for quiet solitude.

The natural beauty of its grassland and hills are matched by the elegance of its wines.

So dear readers, what is your favourite wine to drink and do you have a favourite wine region in Australia?

(You can download a an official copy of Yarra Valley map to guide you through this wine tasting.)

De Bortoli Wines
58 Pinnacle Lane
Dixons Creek, Victoria

Tel: +61 3 5963 2271

Opening hours: Thursdays – Mondays lunch from 12pm, Saturday lunch from 12pm and dinner from 630pm.

Yering Station
39 Melba Highway
Yarra Glen, Victoria

Tel: +61 3 9730 0100

Cellar Door opening hours: Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Weekend & Public Holiday 10am – 6pm.

Wine Bar Restaurant

Tel: +61 3 9730 0100

Opening hours: Monday – Friday 10am to 5pm, Weekend & Public Holiday 10am – 6pm.

Tokar Estate Winery
6 Maddens Lane
Coldstream, Victoria

Tel: +61 3 5964 9585

Restaurant hours: Lunch 7 days a week from 12pm, Dinner Saturday from 630pm, Sunday to Friday evenings for bookings of 20 or more by prior arrangement.

Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
35 Old Healesville road (cnr Melba Highway)
Yarra Glen, Victoria

Tel: +61 3 9730 2777

Opening hours: 9am – 5pm (Except Christmas Day)

Chandon
727 Maroondah Highway
Coldstream, Victoria

Reception +61 3 9738 9200
Greenpoint Brasserie & Bar +61 3 9738 9245

Opening hours: 10.30am – 4.30pm daily except Christmas Day

Jam Lady Jam
Lisa O’Connor, Rchard Hauptmann, Alan Harding
Tel: +61 3 5962 2481 during business hours
Email: jamlady@tpg.com.au

Soumah of Yarra Valley
18 Hexham road
Gruyere, Victoria

Tel: +61 3 5962 4716

Opening hours: 11am – 4pm weekdays, 10am – 5pm weekends. Open on Public Holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

*For 6 or more in one party, there is a $5 tasting charge per person refundable on purchase of a bottle of wine.

Enter your email address to subscribe to chopinandmysaucepan.com … Delivered by FeedBurner

comments