A race through Hunter Valley - part 3

It had already been a massive day in the Hunter Valley - we'd been through vineyards and cellar doors; into wineries and into the air; and ate and drank until we could no more. It was finally time to determine the winners of the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race'.

I think we were all winners at this point, especially anyone who managed a nap before the final official event of the weekend. A bumpy ride to Broke (from Pokolbin) brought us out to a chilly night and into a stunning setting for dinner.

The Barrel Hall at Margan Restaurant, Milbrodale Road, Broke, Hunter Valley

Past the restaurant reception area and normal dining room, doors open to the breathtaking Barrel Room at highly rated Margan Restaurant. With soft lighting illuminating the wine barrel-lined room; two long, white clothed tables created a celebratory ambience for the excited race teams.

The Barrel Hall at Margan Restaurant

The room is cool in temparature as I suppose the barrels aren't just there for display. The length of the room, and the ingenuity of turning it into events and dining space, makes it ideal for large private dinners, weddings and celebration in general.

Barrels in the Barrel Hall at Margan Restaurant

We mull the day over with Margan wines - a Shiraz Rose and a lightly bubbly Semillon Frizzante - and canapes, including unforgettable natural oysters with a blackberry vinaigrette and prawns with a sparky harissa sauce.
 

Crusty ciabatta with fresh pressed olive oil and aged balsamic,
and local marinated olives

Not long after we take our seats, pillows come out. Pillows of ciabatta, that is. The most plump looking loaves of ciabatta bread are served with olive oil and sweet aged balsamic vinegar, alongside somewhat shrivelled, marinated black olives.

It keeps us quiet as we hear from Andrew Margan, winemaker and founder of Margan Wines, who talks about the Margan winery and restaurant. Most of the vegetables we'll dine on at dinner come from their very own one-acre fruit and vegie garden, whilst other produce is selected from local producers in most cases.

Jerusalem artichoke soup, seared scallop, apple salad, lobster oil

The three courses was an alternate drop, but we all knew there'd be swapsies in between. I was happy to land the jerusalem artichoke soup entree, as it was definitely soup weather outside.

Amid the creamy and nourishing soup, the sweet diced apple salad was a surprise in the bottom centre of the bowl. The three scallops were still nice and juicy while the Manjimup truffle shavings were just the luxurious icing on the cake.

Venison carpaccio with fried goat's cheese ravioli and spicy beetroot

There was a lot happening on the other entree, in terms of ingredients and colours. Thin rounds of venison circled the centre of the plate where a puffy, golden fried ravioli sat, all encircled with a herb oil, shavings of parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons.

The venison was surprisingly delicate and almost too thin to even pick up from the plate. The combination with goat's cheese was definitely a winner, however, for quite the innovative dish.

There was plenty of wine at the table, and I mean plenty. There would have been four different whites down one end of our table alone (I vaguely remember a Scarborough Semillon), which were changed out for several bottles of red wine as we got to mains (having too good a time to remember them all, sorry).

Slow braised lamb shoulder, parmesan cavalo nero, eggplant and oregano

We were well and truly on the winter menu with two braised meats featuring on the mains. In front of me was a generous serving of braised lamb shoulder atop a dark pile of cavalo nero and spiced eggplant.

The vegetable component seemed to have some Middle Eastern flavours, including cumin, that was near overpowering the more delicately flavoured lamb. The meat was, as expected, able to be eaten by spoon; so tender and fall-apart soft it was.

Braised wagyu shin with baby veg from the garden, horseradish and cauliflower cream

The prettier braised wagyu dish featured carrots, peas and leaves from the Margan vegetable garden, and the taste proves they're worth the effort. The cauliflower cream is the perfect foil for the rich, buttery beef, which seems to have been pulled and reformed into shin-like cylinders, while the jus was exquisite.

No meal is complete without dessert, some say (and indeed, it seems no meal is complete without three courses in the Hunter Valley). At this point, the Margan Botrytis Semillon comes out of hiding, along with the Scarborough Late Harvest Semillon (and possibly other sticky wines too).

It's hard not to fall in love with anything late harvest, but especially so the Scarborough sticky which tastes of many tropical fruits having a late harvest party on my palate.

Poached rhubarb, toasted almond cream, and mint

The toasted almond cream resembled a panna cotta, with similar textures and flavours. The feature was definitely the soft cooked pieces of rhubarb, which along with the biscuit crumble, made for a comforting, homely dessert.

Chocolate marquise with caramel and salted hazelnuts

I had my full attention on the chocolate dessert - a narrow helping of gooey, creamy, pure chocolate decadence. Despite the richness, I couldn't say no to the halo of caramel nor the extra lines of chocolate.

Surprisingly, the big star of this dessert was actually the hazelnuts: perfect crunch, perfect roast flavour and without doubt, the best hazelnuts I've ever had.

Lights and ceiling in the Barrel Room

Food aside, I should mention that our team didn't perform so well in the race, landing in a not-so valiant third place. Nonetheless, we all had a fantastic time and were even rewarded for the bronze placing.

We all probably would have stayed in the charming Barrel Room all night (and probably would have drank all the wine too) if not for our homeward bound transport awaiting us, returning us all to our accommodation with warm thoughts of food, wine and the adventure-filled day in Hunter Valley.

So sad to leave Margan Restaurant

With the end of the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race', some of us still had the next day to revel in more of the Hunter Valley, and in my case, particularly wineries in the Polkolbin region and a necessary stop in at the Smelly Cheese Shop. See photos here on my Facebook page (and Like me while you're there!).

The Hunter Valley is easily a favourite weekend getaway for me: the proximity to Sydney and the quality focus of the food and wine make compelling enough arguments. But add a dash of bike riding, a dusting of helicopter rides, perhaps even a middy of boutique beer - and I think the race is on to get back as soon as permitted and possible.

Food, booze and shoes and guest attended the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race' famil courtesy of Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism and the fabulous girls at Agent99 PR.

A race through Hunter Valley - part 2

It was a cool winter's morning on the day of the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race', following the previous night's welcome dinner. It was the kind of morning that as soon as we arrived at Briar Ridge, we barged towards the smell of bacon.

Briar Grillade at Briar Ridge Vineyard, Mount View Road, Mount View

Briar Grillade is the casual dining restaurant on site at Briar Ridge Vineyard; one of the few lovely vineyards and cellar doors in the picturesque Mount View area of the Hunter Valley.

Outdoor seating at Briar Grillade

Cappuccino at Briar Grillade

Here, we were gathering sustenance for a big 'Amazing Race' day ahead, with coffees being the first order of the day.

Bacon and eggs at Briar Grillade

There may have been some drooling at the sight of the bacon and eggs share platter, featuring nicely crispened bacon and eggs three ways (poached, scrambled and sunny side up).

Grilled tomato, mushrooms and hash browns at Briar Grillade

Pan fried field mushrooms, roma tomatoes and crunchy hash browns rounded out the big breakfast platters, with fruit and muffins following. And as if polishing all that off wasn't enough, the organisers decided that putting our creative and dramatic skills to test first thing in the morning was a good idea.

Breakfast, wine label advertisements and the first Amazing Race style clue then lead us to a mostly leisurely bicycle ride/race from the Brokenwood cellar door to Tulloch's vineyard.

The ride was fine when we weren't on the open roads where cars were also hurtling through as we wrestled cameras and other social media necessities.

Tulloch's vineyard, Corner McDonalds & DeBeyers Road, Pokolbin

We managed to get our bikes through the vineyard, although the uphill ride to Tulloch's cellar door just about killed me. It took several deep breaths and sips of water before I could think about wine, let alone wine and food matching.

Food and wine flight at Tulloch Wines

The challenge in this part of the morning was to match food items to three Tulloch wine varietals (left to right): a Tulloch 2010 Viognier, an E.M. 2010 Limited Release Chardonnay and the Hector 2007 Limited Release Shiraz.

Food for the wine flight at Tulloch Wines

Although breakfast wasn't all that long ago, I was pretty excited to see the plate of Binnorie Dairy's Branxton brie and black wax aged cheddar, as too the pork and pistachio terrine from nearby Cellar Restaurant.

The fruity viognier seemed to go especially well with the spice-heavy terrine (although the correct match was supposedly the brie - all subjective, I say). I thought the lightly oaked chardonnay matched well with everything but it was meant to go with the terrine, while the full bodied shiraz was simply superb with the flavoursome cheddar.

My team didn't score too well on the matching front, but we certainly enjoyed the food and wine flight, which is available daily at the Tulloch cellar door (with matches normally revealed).

Inside Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin

The next clue lead us to Hunter Valley Gardens; the biggest display gardens in the Southern hemisphere. Even in winter, the gardens are meticulously kept, and still bright and vibrant in many parts.

Lunch in the Oriental Garden, Hunter Valley Gardens

We headed to the serenely pretty Oriental Gardens for lunch of some of the region's beautiful produce, with further catering by Hunter Valley Gardens head chef Nick Vivian. Luckily we were set up in the pagoda, as bits of sprinkling rain thought they'd join in on our fun.

The long lunch table in the Oriental Garden, Hunter Valley Gardens

Every time I'm in the Hunter Valley I seem to eat exceptionally well; which is a result of the stunning produce and restaurants in the region. But then again, personally I find it hard to go wrong with a great cheese and crackers, so perhaps I'm easy.

Smoked and cured goods from Lovedale Smokehouse

We started with a platter of smoked ocean trout, salami and duck prosciutto from local Lovedale Smokehouse, and it got pretty quite at the long lunch table aside from appreciative murmurings and nods.

Marinated ricotta from The Smelly Cheese Shop

There was also bread and plenty of cheese, including a marinated ricotta style cheese with sundried tomato and garlic which is made for smearing (liberally) on crusty bread.

Chorizo risotto

Produce from Lovedale Smokehouse made another appearance in the chorizo risotto; a crowd favourite that was perfectly seasoned, none too rich nor creamy and fantastic inspiration for my next risotto dinner.

Arancini

By the time the golden balls of arancini came out (with sandwich wraps and generous caesar salads too), I was approaching the oh-so-stuffed stage rather too quickly. I hear the arancini were delicious.

Quail Scotch eggs

However, I had to make room for at least half of the quail Scotch egg which was also golden crumbed and looking all too tempting.

Quail Scotch egg cross section

I managed to score a perfectly cooked half with a still gooey yolk. The mince around the quail egg was unexpectedly a little like chicken nuggets in flavour (which was fine for me considering chicken nuggets are near the top of my list of guilty pleasures - sorry, Anthony Bourdain).

Chocolate mousse with cream and strawberry

And there was wine, as one might expect, and even a little dessert to finish, which pretty much finished me off for the afternoon. A nap wouldn't have gone astray, but we still had some racing to do - and this time, literally, within the themed Hunter Valley Gardens.

Manicured hedges and trees in Hunter Valley Gardens

Running around after a massive lunch wasn't ideal, as we raced/strolled through the Indian, Chinese and Storybook gardens looking for clues and pretty photo opportunities.

In the Hunter Valley Gardens

The Sunken Garden, Hunter Valley Gardens

Pretty flowers in Hunter Valley Gardens

The end point of that part of the race actually took us outside of the Hunter Valley Gardens to the oval, where a very exciting prospect was waiting.

Slattery Helicopters - we're going to fly!

The slick black helicopters could take three passengers at a time to a 'mystery' destination, so we lolled about on the oval with the teams as we waited our turn.

Although it's not necessary, a few of us couldn't help but duck our heads as we approached the chopper and its powerful propellors - just like in the movies!

Helicopter cockpit - I'm flying shotgun

I thought that the take-off would be a lot scarier than it was. For my first time in a chopper, I think my freak-out levels were fairly well maintained, as my wonderment at being in a helicopter quickly outweighed any fears or doubts.

View from the helicopter

Being winter, the vineyard views weren't nearly as green or lush as they will be in a couple more months, but the views were breathtaking nonetheless.

Coming in to land the helicopter at Bimbadgen Estate, McDonalds Road, Pokolbin

Our ride ended as we headed lower towards Bimbadgen Estate and their spacious lawn for landing. My joy ride had come to an end but I think the short chopper rides are actually surprisingly affordable - so I will be keeping this experience in mind for my next trip.

We'd landed and headed into the on site winery, where the temperatures were cool and what was laid out on tables for us even cooler.

Wine blending challenge at Bimbadgen Estate

Tastes of wines and rather scientific looking bottles of labelled red wines awaited our attention in a wine blending challenge with Bimbadgen senior wine maker, Sarah Crowe, who is also a professional wine judge.

Cabernet for blending

In this team challenge, we were to taste the merlot, cabernet and shiraz seperately, and then devise a blend using the wines.

On its own, I found the merlot quite mellow and subdued, and the cabernet somewhat dry (or "doughnut-y" which is the term winos - thanks Lisa - use to describe the sensation when the wine feels like it drys out the palate at the edges but not the centre). The shiraz was my favourite solo taste, with significantly more body and bouquet than the others.

Tasting before blending

We ended up using a majority shiraz blend with some cabernet and minimal merlot to arrive at something we kind of liked in the timeframe. Crowe was to judge based on look, smell and taste - with half the potential points allocated to the latter as they do in professional judging.

Crowe deliberated slowly, tasting and spitting very professionally, saying the three team blends were all surprisingly decent. But sadly, our blend - described as being aniseed-y -  didn't make the winner's cut. Oh well, back to the day job.

With one last clue and last chance at race points, we headed to end the day with a different sort of beverage for the Hunter Valley.

Microbrewery at Potters Brewery, Wine Country Drive, Nulkaba

We got a bit of microbrewery education in Potters Brewery, along with a refreshing sample of their Hunter Kolsch, which is an easy drinking, golden ale style of beer.

Hunter Kolsch

Given I could down a few of these over a hot summer's lunch, it's apt that this - and all the other beers on offer - is available by the wine-sized bottle as well as 1.5 litre magnums. I went for one of the latter in Hunter Witbier (or Belgian-style white beer), which is brewed with coriander and orange peel for a complexity of flavour.

And with that last flourish of downing a beer, we ended the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race' only slightly exhausted from all the eating and drinking.

There were certainly surprises throughout the day - who knew that riding a bike or flying in a chopper were transport options from cellar door to cellar door; or that fatty cheeses could accompany "oily" wines. But points were yet to be calculated and winners yet to be awarded at a later dinner - so more surprises to come.

Food, booze and shoes and guest attended the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race' famil courtesy of Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism and the fabulous girls at Agent99 PR.

A race through Hunter Valley - part 1

After the last month of life seeming like a race of sorts, I admit I felt due for a weekend away when I got an email about Hunter Valley. Not only did it encapsulate the 'weekend away' idea, but it also involved an exciting invitation to an 'Amazing Race' concept to see Australia's oldest wine region in new light.

Hunter Valley vineyards in winter

I've mostly been to the Hunter Valley in winter, and believe it's more than ideal. Think log fires, red wine and hearty fare - what more perfect way to end a day's full of wine tasting.

But, as the new-look tourism campaign and weekend were to show, there's a lot more going on in the Hunter Valley in winter than just wine and bald vines.

Seasoned butter stick at The Mill Restaurant, Tuscany Wine Estate Resort, Pokolbin

We started the weekend and proceedings for the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race' with dinner on Friday night at new-ish The Mill Restaurant at Tuscany Wine Estate Resort where the Binnorie Dairy cheese factory also resides.

Here, we met our fellow team mates and competitors (among others) wine and canapes, as well as notable local industry people, such as winemaker David Hook of his eponymous wine label and Ian Burgess of Moorebank Wines.

To start the meal we had creamy sticks of butter that were rolled in a medley cracked black pepper, salt flakes and other delightful, dukkah-like crunchy bits that made bread and butter that much more special.

Amuse bouche - carrot with a sweet pea foam

The palate hardly needed amusement after sparkling wine, canapes and chatting to new and old faces; nonetheless, the shooter of carrot soup with a pale green pea foam was a positive sign of things to come.

The carrot soup was unexpectedly garden sweet and a tad creamy, while the foam was more whimsy than anything of substance.

Tequila prawns, tomato concasse, basil and lemon zest with garlic butter

I haven't had the best past experiences with tequila in my life, but these prawns heralded change. Four varying-sized, tail-on prawns featured with diced tomato, microherbs, lots of lemon zest and garlic butter.

The combination of firmly textured prawns, soft tomato and smooth butter sauce was impeccable while the tequila was mostly unnoticeable. Each bite of prawn was savoured slowly and now that I think of it, I should have requested a recipe.

Beef filet mignon, pomme puree, pickled mushrooms, seasonal baby vegetables
with borderlaise sauce

The main was a safe play on meat and veg, but executed extremely well. A thick cut filet mignon was the star, cuicily medium-rare in the centre and so impossibly tender that teeth were barely required.

The delightful surprise was the pickled enoki mushrooms which maintained their texture but cut nicely through the creamy potato puree and rich sauce. The bright baby carrot and asparagus were also cooked to perfection. Ticks all round.

Amid all this eating, there was plenty of wine going around - at least three or four different labels per course. Standout was a David Hook shiraz with the mains while a ginseng-infused moscato with entrees was definitely a first.

Semifreddo chocolate with orange strawberry coulis

It was time for dessert when the several bottles of dessert wines and liqueurs hit the table, followed by chocolate semifreddo. The very consistent chocolate whiskers and balls filled with cream added great texture, while the citrus addition to the strawberry coulis was inspired.

The ice cream was butterscotch, I think; tasting delightfully similar to the crunchy bits you get in hokey pokey ice cream. It was a winning combination with the biscuit crumbs, but just a little too sweet together with the creamy semifreddo.

So, tummies full and teams met, we were to embark on a massive day on Saturday, kind of literally racing through the Hunter Valley - but only after a good restful nights' sleep after all that wine.

Our twin room at the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens

Our twin room at the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens

Keep an eye out for more posts on the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race', to come shortly.

Food, booze and shoes and guest attended the 'Amazing Hunter Valley Race' famil and stayed at the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens courtesy of Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism and the fabulous girls at Agent99 PR.