A short drive to Helen’s Hill winery in Coldstream, located within the Yarra Valley, on Easter Saturday. View from the carpark. The cellar door in the distance.
the vehicle
heading towards the Cellar Door for tasting
Gumtrees, which the koalas feed on.
Looking back towards the carpark and The Vines Restaurant
The alternative to barrel fermentation – stainless steel tanks
Inside the cellar door
The barrel room. These barrels, which cost approximately AUD$1500 each, is imported from France and gets thrown out after about 5 years of use.
What i learnt from the tasting: Legally, Champagne that is not produced in Champagne can no longer be labelled as Champagne. It should be known as Brut. Sauvignon Blanc is the sweetest and wettest of all white wine (Australia & New Zealand). It is generally fermented in stainless steel tanks (a few pics above). Since there are no barrels used, there is no oak taste in Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay is fermented in the barrels.
After the whites, the reds. Pinot Noir is the lightest of the red wine. Described as somewhat like cherries and ‘to achieve iron fist in a velvet glove’. Shiraz is the strongest red. Described as plum-like with a little bit of spice. Helen’s Hill’s special mix called Cinq (pronounced as ‘senk’ meaning 5 in French) is similar to the Bordeaux of France. It is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
the purchase
the vineyard
an olive tree
Lunch at the Vines Restaurant
the menu
waiting
the view from the Restaurant
entrée was Vines platter. Clockwise from top – zucchini in batter, some kind of salmon mixture, some kind of sausage, forgotten, some kind of bacon with onion slices, fetta cheese, mushroom and crispbread in the middle
Thai calamari
Grilled eye fillet steak
Lamb tagine
Rhubard and Strawberry Strudel
Bread and butter pudding
Food was better looking than tasting
Hay rolls
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