Alfresco Wine

Enjoying a glass of Firetail 2005 in the alfresco area

Hayshed Hill

Went to Hayshed Hill for lunch yesterday. It is a lovely relaxed setting with a great view over the vineyard.  Their wines are very pleasant. Pam really liked their chardonnays, especially from Block 6. This surprised her very much as she for a long time hated chardonnays as they were too oaky. I enjoyed a Shiraz Tempranillo so much that I bought an extra couple of bottles.

Pam had a French Onion Soup and I had a pizza from a menu designed to be light. Both serves were excellent. The place was quite busy but still very relaxed. So relaxed in fact that we went back to the cellar door, bought our wines, and then left without paying our bill for the meal. Fortunately they had remembered we were from Loaring Place B&B and called me later and I was able to apologise and give them my card details over the phone.

Also went to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory as that was close by to Hayshed Hill.  Very decadent and seductive. They have tastings of their chocolates but they still made a handsome profit as Pam bought some macadamias coated in chocolate (of course) and she bought me some Buderim ginger coated in dark chocolate (also very nice).  A great day. Not so for Bella as she got car sick and had to sit on Pam's lap on the way back.

Peacetree Pineau to die for

Jane Tucker from Peacetree Estate produces some marvelous preservative-free wines that we all love. We bought 1 1/2 cases of SSB, a case of 05 Cab Merlot, a case of 04 Shiraz and a case of 2008 Tempranillo. The Tempranillo has just been released, and she reluctantly let me have a case, as that represented 1/30th of her stock. It was only on the promise that I would put most of it down for a few years, that she let me have it. It is a beautifully complex wine with the characteristic fruity flavour that I so love.

But she has just bottled a Pineau, A white wine with 2 year old brandy and aged in oak. It is real heaven in a glass. We could only have a taste as the bottles had not been labelled, but as soon as they are ready, we are going to get a couple of bottles. The wine makes a beautiful apperitif (22% alcohol) and has an amazing balance of sweetness and acidity, with a subtle butterscotch flavour.

Jane, Pam and Jo, with Jo carrying her stock of SSB

The empty barrel and two demijohns filled to the top with Pineau. These will be placed in a sunny spot to "mature" in a "traditional" way for a year. Seems an awful lot of good liquer to go to waste if the experiment fails?

Jane in her winery is an absolutely enthusiastic wine maker. Their 2009 stock is rapidly running out, so you better get in quick if you want any. The entire bottling of the 09 Pineau is on the right, waiting to be labelled and boxed. That definitely will not last long. Order at www.peacetreeestate.com.

Faboulous Stay

Thanks so much again - we had a fabulous stay. See you again soon. Anne and Brian, Perth, WA. 19/11/09

Anne and Brian spent 3 nights here with their NZ guests Mike and Barb.  They really enjoyed driving through the Boranup Forest with the roof of their convertible down.  They visited many wineries and took home a great stock of wines. A new winery they visited and really enjoyed was Cavalier Crest.

Providore Garden Greens

Lunch spoilt by a few garden greens. Went to the Providore on Harmans Rd South today. Beautiful day and a good crowd there as usual. Jill, Brian, Pam and myself. Jill had a pie, Brian a good feed of snapper, Pam had a lamb curry and I had 12 hour shin. Described as cooked for 12 hours, with mashed potatoes and garden greens. 


I was feeling quite hungry as I had missed dinner by going to bed at 6.30 the previous night after the Nicols garden party at Karridale and nursing a headache that would not go away. So the thought of some mashed potatoes and garden greens with tender beef swayed my decision.  When the meal came, there was a good serving of beef stew with some onions and carrots, and a good serving of mashed potatoes, and sitting on top were four little leaves of Italian parsley (like celery leaves). The ridiculous thought crossed my mind that these must be the "garden greens" but I immediately dismissed that as being impossible - not 4 miserable little leaves.


So I said to the waitress that the meal was missing the garden greens, and she blithely said no, they were there, the bits of parsley. She then went off in a huff.  Now the Providore prides itself as having an organic vegetable garden which they use for their kitchen.  This garden was right in our view, and although largely for show (it is not nearly large enough for the kitchen), it does look good and it had a large range of garden greens. Lettuce and a whole range of other vegetables that could have made my lunch complete. All it needed was a bit of lettuce, some sprigs of parsley and perhaps a bit of cucumber or peas.


Although the stew was good, wanting some greens and not getting them really took the edge off my lunch. Even half a bottle of lovely rose' and baked cheescake could not lift my spirits. I asked the waitress to tell the chef that I was not happy with the lack of garden greens, which she grudgingly said she would do, but I doubt in fact that she did.  Last time that we were at the Providore, Pam asked for the salad, which was a bowl of lettuce and some tomato and a bit of dressing. She complained that there was no cheese or bacon or anything substantial in it, and that she felt like a rabbit. The response she got from that complaint also left her wondering if anybody was listening.


Every breakfast we serve to our guests at the Bed and Breakfast, we put a garnish on the side of the plate. This consists of a large sprig of Italian parsley, and either some garlic chive, or a sprig of crinkle parsley or lately a sprig of mizuna lettuce and some of its flowers.  Thus to have 4 leaves of Italian parsley masquerading as "garden greens" made me quite angry.


I guess if I go there again, I will have to remember to bring my own parsley and fetta.

Winery Tours

A guest who has booked in for later this month asked the following:

Hi Dirk

Do you have any suggestions of local Margaret River winery tours. My Boyfriend and I would love to explore the regions wineries and local cuisines. Can't wait to come down. Warmest Regards,

Kelly

My brief reply was as follows:

Hi Kelly,

There are quite a lot to choose from although as the season gets quieter, not all the tour groups operate every day.

Wine for Dudes	www.winefordudes.com	0427774994	Smaller buses and younger clientelle.
Margaret River Tours	www.margaretrivertours.com	0419917166	Well known
Bush Tucker Tours	www.bushtuckertours.com	97579084	Popular and a bit different
Margaret River with Neil McLeod	www.toursmargaretriver.com.au	97572747	Local personality who gives the history and context of the places he visits.
Others	http://www.margaretriver.com/tour_result.asp	Margaret Visitors Centre	Quite a range and can book through them as well

All the tours will pick you up from here and drop you off again. Usually about 10.30 to 4.30 or so.

The tours are great and give you the opportunity to drink a fair amount, and not have to worry about driving. Also you quickly make new friends on the buses as after a few tastings, everyone becomes a bit more chatty.

An alternative, if you just want to do some tasting, and also see a bit of the region, a drive south from Margaret River to Augusta and back makes a good day out and you will be able to visit several wineries on the way. As long as one of you doesn’t drink too much, it is not a problem.

My suggested tour is to go down Caves Road, drive through the Boranup Forest, perhaps visit a cave (or all three), have a look at Hamelin Bay, go to the Leeuwin Lighthouse climbing to the top if enthusiastic. Lunch in Augusta (maybe the old bakehouse), then Brockman Highway to Warner Glen Road and up to the Berry Farm for afternoon tea and a taste of their wines, jams and chutneys. Along the way are several wineries and a meadery. You will then be back in town in time to look at some of the shops in the main street and check out where you want to go for dinner.

You could also decide to have a good lunch at some of our top class winery restaurants. A short list starts with Voyager Estate and includes Leeuwin, Watershed, Cullens, Vasse Felix, Saracen, Woody Nook, Swings and Roundabouts, Amberley, Driftwood, Lawrence, Flutes, Providore and many more. Plus the breweries do great lunches also (Bootleg, Colonial, Cowaramup and Duckstein). Along the way to any of these you will pass many other wineries to visit.

There is a service in Margaret River called Designated Drivers who will go to the restaurant or winery where your car is, and drive you back to here in your car. Cost is about $25 and is good if you have opened up that second bottle of wine and suddenly realise you shouldn’t be driving yourself anymore.

Don’t forget, that on your way down to here from Perth, if you leave in the morning, there are plenty of wineries and things such as the chocolate factory and cheese factory to visit in the afternoon. Most things close 4.30 to 5.00, and although check-in at our B&B is from 3.00pm, you can come in any time after that, even after dinner.

And you can also visit some more attractions on your way back to Perth the following day as the wineries open again at 10.30am (usually).

I hope this has given you some options to ponder on and I look forward to meeting you and your boyfriend.

Regards,

Dirk Hos

Tracey and David from Adelaide spent two nights here, after a few days in Perth. This was their first visit to the west and as they are serious wine lovers, Margaret River was high on their agenda.

They visited a large number of wineries, and really enjoyed Swallows Welcome, where Pat Negus showed them around the garden and their lovely mud brick chapel. Tracey said some of the wines from Watershed were really great and they also enjoyed a Voyager Estate Cab-Merlot, especially with the duck from Ze Arc of Iris restaurant in Margaret River.