The Yarra Valley

Alright I ate kangaroo for dinner tonight.  I had a filet - pan seared with a red wine sauce.  Kangaroo is said to be the most healthy red meat you can eat - hi in protein and very low fat.  So I bought a couple of filets at the store prepared them for Graham and I.  Susan won't touch it.  It was quite good, tender, mild, and full of flavor.

On a less adventourous note (or perhaps more adventure, I'm not sure) this past weekend we spent a couple of days in the Yarra Valley - yet another wine region.  This is the best known in Victoria and best of all it is a 40 minute drive from our apartment.  For my money it may be the best area in Australia.  This is the 4th we have visited (Barossa, Hunter Valley, Heathcote).  There are still a couple more I hope to get to (King Valley & Mornington Peninsula) but this area was by far the most attractive, the vineyards and cellar doors weree beautiful and the wines some of the best I have tasted.  It was alot like being in northern California - Sanoma in particular - except did I mention it is only 40 minutes from my front door!!

The Yarra Valley is a cold climate region and is known for spectacular Chardoneys but also some great Pinots and Cab.  They also do some great things with Sauv Blanc - more like a fume blanc where they oak a small percentage of the wine.  There are also some Italian varieties grown there like Sangeovese and Nebiolo.  I tasted a cab/sangeovese blend that was spectacular.  To top it all off they do some great sparkeling and fortified wines.  They also do alot of hard cider here so ontop of the beautiful vineyards (made that much more colorful by the onset of Autumn colors) you have huge orchards full of apples and pears.

The valley is at the base of the Dandenong mountain range and is a beautiful rolling landscape.  One immage that will stay with me from Australia is the roses.  The most spectacular roses I have ever seen and they are everywhere.  This is particularly striking in the wine country where they have a rose bush at the end of each row of grape vines. They are the "canarie in the coal mine" for the vineyard.  If there are problems in the soil it will show up as problems form the roses first.

Coldstream Hills was started by James Halliday - he is the Dean of Australian wine - his books are what everyone goes to for info and ratings of the vineyards & wines. He lives in the Yarra Valley.

 

Di Bartoli Wines is a bigger operation but an absolutely beautiful vineyard and has a great cheese shop as well.

 

 

 

Domaine Chandon chose the Yarra Valley to locate a vineyard.  Some of the most beautiful grounds anywhere.  A good example of the roses.

 

 

Dominique Portet is a small operation but the 10th generation of wine makers.

 

 

 

Mandala is a newer operation but doing some great things.  We had a Chardoney here that was amazing.  They were also tasting a couple of new releases that my mouth loved but my bank account - not so much.

 

Oakridge had one of the most impressive views from the tasting bar.  It reminded us of Chandon in California

 

 

 

Punt Road was an imtimate and fun cellar door.  They also had great orchards along the road.

 

 

We stopped for a picnic on the grounds of St. Huberts.

 

 

Tarra Warra had magnificant views and some of the best Pinot you could imagine

 

Going into the cellar door at Yarra Yering was like walking into someone's home.  A marvelous, very expensive home mind you but very intimate.  And I tasted perhaps some of the best wines I have ever had anywhere.  All grapes are grown on the property most of the wines are single vineyard.  Just amazing.

 

Yerring station was as much an art museum as it was a cellar door.  Except you got to taste some great wines while you looked at the art.  They had several Itallian varieties which were wonderful.