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.

Flavour Hunter

After a leisurely, sunny long weekend in the Hunter Valley, it’s a touch difficult to get back into the routine of not having a buffet breakfast prepared for me, of not wine tasting at 10.30 in the morning, of not taking a dirt track to a winery restaurant for lunch or dinner. It’s a tough life.

In one of the best long weekends in (personal) recent history, I feel I’ve eaten and drunk so much good food and wine that detox may well be in order. Except that I now have a fridge shelf full of cheese that needs to be eaten, and the few boxes of wine are really made for drinking now rather than cellaring.

FlavourFest at Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin

The weekend started with an easy 2.5 hour morning drive north; excitement coming at the first sighting of a horse or cow, and then the first brown tourist street sign indicating ‘Vineyards’. The plan was to head straight to FlavourFest – a three-day wine and food festival in the picturesque Hunter Valley Gardens in Pokolbin.

There was a slight chill in the air, not helped with the gusts from the slick black helicopter taking off in the football field, but we were prepared with all manner of clothing and accessories, and then armed with a couple of FlavourFest tasting glasses.

Australian Flairing Masters, hosted by Twisted Liquid

Passing the bongo beats of the concert stage near the entry, we’re initially attracted to the cocktail flairing prowess at the seminar stage; not even thinking for a moment that cocktails and the Hunter region don’t naturally go hand in hand. It’s all about showmanship, and while it’s fun and impressive to watch, I think it’s just adding to the time it takes to get a drink in my hands.

Cocktail flairing

Main stage

The festival was spread throughout the front section of the Hunter Valley Gardens, the stalls in a seemingly uncategorised fashion, with the main stage on a floating barge in a lake. Saturday’s main stage programme featured the curly-headed Tobie Puttock of Fifteen restaurant and Jamie Oliver-associated fame, and was hosted by Janelle Bloom, food writer and apparent ‘Ready Steady Cook’ extraordinaire.

Tobie Puttock demo with Janelle Bloom (right)

For the session we managed to catch, Tobie deboned an organic chicken from nearby Nulkaba Hatchery and cooked half in a pan flattened beneath a foil-wrapped brick, the skin stuffed with mascarpone, prosciutto, marjoram and lemon, and the aroma heavenly even from our viewing distance. He then proceeded with a dessert of deep fried quenelles of Binnorie Dairy ricotta with lemon and sultanas, coated in cinnamon sugar – so tempting and hunger-inspiring that a visit to the food stalls was immediately required following.

Eat Street & Flavours of the World

A rather small smattering of food stalls were serving hot food – deliberate, I think – as our automatic choice was the stall of the on-site eatery, The Cellar Restaurant. Believe it or not, there was also the festival mainstay of Turkish gozleme among German sausages; Japanese/Thai of Oishii from the Tempus Two complex; Red Belly Gourmet; wood fired pizzas; pasta; and empanadas.

Red Belly Gourmet tarts

Retro Manna wood fired pizzas

Venison burger with beetfoot relish and horeradish sour cream from The Cellar Restaurant

Both savoury options were appetising on The Cellar Restaurant's chalkboard, and so we make away with one of each. The burger featured a chunky pattie of minced venison, full of flavour and a touch of gaminess, sweetened with the beetroot relish on a soft bun. Wild rocket leaves and a horeradish sour cream top it off, though I struggled to find the flavour of horeradish. In all, a very satisfying burger.

Rare breed black pig sausage with apple compote from The Cellar Restaurant

If we thought the burger was delectable, the sausage was surprisingly even better. Made of a local black pig, the flavour and texture was like no other sausage: almost crumbly and clearly without a filler or gluten binder; not oozing with fatty oils, but lightly pink with near visible small chunks of meat. Served on another soft white bun with a dark, caramelly apple compote, this was as sophisticated as a banger on a roll is ever going to be, and what I’ll be dreaming of at my next sausage sizzle.

Small Winemakers Centre stall

With the wine, beer and cocktail hall a major feature of the festival, it would have been remiss to not spend a bit of time in there and I didn’t need much convincing. Tasting vouchers, at $2.50 each, would buy a 60ml taste of wine or a 200ml ‘taste’ of beer – not bad value really. I’d started small at the Small Winemakers Centre stall with The Little Wine Company Gerwurz – a sprightly sweet and fruity white with a slightly dry finish; actually pairing very well with the pork sausage.

Hunter Beer Company stall

We’d also collected a sample (which is really a middy less a mouthful) of the Hunter Beer Company’s Kolsch – a light but bitter refreshing beverage ideal for sitting in the gradually warming noon sun.

Drinks in hand it was time to explore the rest of the festival stalls and indeed the gardens themselves. Thankfully, it had turned into a beautiful winter’s day with fluffy, non-threatening clouds in the mostly blue sky, making stall perusing enjoyable, and the gardens endlessly pretty and restful.

Tar 10 stall

Moorebank stall - where I purchased a delish Spicy Grape Sauce

Home made jams stall

High tops cupcake stall

The Japanese Garden

The Story Book Garden

Which fairy tale or nursey rhyme has mushrooms and toadstools?

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...

Plant sculptures

Gigantic koi in the lake

Following fairly extensive exploration of the gardens, we headed back to the festival area for a little more tasting as the afternoon was still kind of young. The crowds were still out in force although the queues for food had died down considerably, although the opposite was true for the tent of alcohol.

Organic beef skewers with sweet chilli sauce

The Red Belly Gourmet truck had been dishing out gorgeous looking dishes all day long, even in the late afternoon as we sat down to snack on organic beef skewers cooked before us. With an Asian-dressed fresh mixed leaf salad on the side and a sweet and spicy dark chilli sauce, this was the perfect lead into an after-meal treat of a Hunter Valley Cheese Company semi soft blue – part of the platter we’d bought earlier from the stall.

Prime seats by the lake

Sitting in the sun with cheese and crackers, I felt a little something missing. A quick walk to the big tent of bottled goodies and handover of a couple of vouchers solved that in good time, with a taster of Allandale’s late harvest Semillon Sauvignon Blanc – a standout favourite of mine in the sticky varieties, not quite as saccharine as the rich, deep sweetness of the Margan Botrytis Semillon.

Clowning around

There was a lovely relaxed feel as stallholders came out to take in the gorgeous afternoon sunshine by the water, and of course, taste each others’ wines and food. It was just so nice to see everyone – young and old, locals and tourists, foodies and winos – just doing the very simplest things in life and enjoying it so much.

The Martini stand

Feeling the warming rays of the sun starting to ease by the water, we thought we’d head off in search of warmth in other forms and find it back at the seminar stage – full afternoon sun exposure and a Martini cocktail demonstration. The warmest part was probably the generous sampling of cocktails, all made with a Martini brand mixer – Bianco with apple juice; mint and limes; Rosso with orange juice and the favourite, Rosato with a good helping of Grey Goose vodka, pineapple juice and limes.

La dolce vita - with Martini Rosato

FanJAZZtic at the Concert Stage

After a few sun-drenched cocktails, a sparkling white finds its way to my grasp with the last of the vouchers, which I finish to the sounds of a beautiful, slow jazzy rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’ at the concert stage. It’s the dying hours of the festival and everyone has a smile on their faces and bellies full of goodness, surrounded by reviving greenery. The first day of the festival (and my only day there) has ended on a stunning note and I’m sure it’s not just the wine talking.

Thanks to Sharon at Agent99 PR and Hunter Valley Gardens for a great day.