Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL COMES TO THE HILLS
THE MELBOURNE
FOOD AND WINE
FESTIVAL IS HEADING
FOR THE HILLS TO
SHOWCASE LOCAL
WINES THAT ARE
AMONG MELBOURNE’S
BEST KEPT SECRETS.
For visitors to the region, this is a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in wines handpicked from vineyards across the Eastern Dandenong Ranges, against a backdrop providing spectacular vistas of autumn colour and Puffing Billy chugging by.
The Yarra Valley is world-renowned as a fertile ground for some of the finest wines Australia has to offer . But south of the Warburton Highway, enjoying the cool climate of the Dandenong Ranges, are a number of vineyards quietly producing outstanding wines.
Mark Protheroe, AWARD WINNING SOMMELIER and co-owner of the Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis, is putting the region’s winemakers in the spotlight as part of Melbourne’s Food and Wine Festival. On March 23rd, wine enthusiasts are invited to the Upper Yarra Wine Celebration to sample the best that the ranges have to offer in viticulture.
The ticketed event provides for all levels of winey interest. At least 10 wineries will be represented, with tasting booths arranged in the Hotel’s sun-dappled beer garden. The event presents a rare opportunity to sample delicious local wines from vineyards that don’t have a cellar door for regular tastings. The smaller local wineries in the region are run and managed by their owners who look forward to meeting and sharing their knowledge at the event.
General admission includes wine tastings and live music, with delicious foods made with locally sourced produce also available for purchase. For lovers and aficionados of pinots, chardonnays and cocktails, tickets are also available to experience a one-hour masterclass, limited to 20 people
for each class being held over the day.
Chardonnay and pinot noir are specialities of the area, which Mark describes as “elegant” wines with “poise and presence”. He adds that local vineyards have an advantage being in a cooler subzone well-placed to cope with rising temperatures should the trend continue.
Gembrook Hill was the first winery established in the hills region back in 1983 and made a name for itself with these varieties, as well its sauvignon blanc. Wine critic Mike Bennie praises the winery as “a genuine unsung Australian wine hero”. The vines were originally planted by husband
and wife duo Ian and June Marks. When Ian passed away in 2017, son Andrew, an experienced wine-maker, teamed up with June to continue his father’s legacy.
Down the road, Hoddles Creek Estate has an award-winning range of wines crafted onsite from homegrown chardonnay and pinot varieties. By using natural cultivation and harvesting methods where possible and limiting the need to buy in grapes from the Yarra Valley, the D’ Anna family produce excellent value wines that are clean and vibrant.
In leafy Emerald, you’ll find boutique winery Emersleigh Estate. They produce fine sparkling chardonnay, pinot noir and brut style wines, all produced with grapes handpicked from the estate’s vineyards. Off The Wall is their table wine brand, showcasing a range of interesting and unusual wines with a focus on craftsmanship and technique.
Paternoster Wines has been delivering exceptional quality wines for nearly four decades as one of the founding vineyards of the Cardinia wine scene. Vines are cultivated by hand using organic farming principles; grapes are gently crushed and the juice is barrelled and bottled with a minimum of intervention. The result is very fine pinot and chardonnay varieties that have drawn comparison with some of France’s best offerings.