Hunter Valley Secrets Part One

Friday, 6 April 2012

What do you do for a living? Ever been asked this question and wanted to say “I’m an astronaut/lion tamer/lolly maker”? Well this year I’m a Hunter Valley Ambassador Blogger and I’m telling it to anyone who’s asking, even those that aren’t. Billy Law www.atablefortwo.com.au and Siobhan Curran www.cookingfromtheheart.com.au are my co-workers in what has to be the world’s greatest office. We’ll spend 2012 popping up to the Hunter Valley, with the tough gig of ferreting out some the region’s secrets. You’ll be able to follow our adventures on our blogs, the Hunter Valley Wine Country blog www.winecountry.com.au and the twitter #hvsecrets.

Heading to the Hunter is a bit of a right of passage

for Sydneysiders. Just 160km and one long freeway

away, it’s the place you go if you’re stressed,

extremely thirsty, about to get married, just married,

celebrating an anniversary, got some free time…

So basically it’s got something for everyone.

For my weekend getaway we’re wining and dining,

which isn’t anything out of ordinary but at our first

stop, Scarborough Wine Co., we’re given a sneak peak

behind the scenes. The Scarborough family has been

in the wine business since 1987 and their property

on Gillards Rd has a quaint tasting cottage draped

in plum-coloured vines. We’re halfway through the

whites before realising we’re meant to be at the

new tasting rooms. Luckily everything in the Hunter

is close so within minutes we’ve zipped over to

Hermitage Rd and Ian Scarborough is giving

us a behind the scenes tour of where the magic all

happens. He leads us past barrels upon barrels of

wine all just waiting for their time in the sun, well

shelves. There’s a huge industrial grape crusher

that’s about two stories high – definitely no feet in

the barrel here.

The Hunter is famous for its Semillon, which is where we start at Scarborough. The White Label 2010 has great citrus tones – watch this space though because Scarborough and a lot of wineries in the area are encouraging people to age their whites. If you want something to drink now, the 2011 Green Label Semillon goes down a treat – especially with platter of small goods from The Beltree Restaurant. Pickled Dutch carrots, crunchy lavosh, radish, prosciutto, cheese and house made salami gave us the fortitude to make our way through Scarborough’s scrumptious older museum wines. A 2006 Shiraz with a medium body was probably my pick and I’ll be putting the 2009 Shiraz aside with high hopes.

Our next stop for the day is Chateau Elan,

where we’re whisked into a Hydrolounge suite.

The rooms look out across the sprawling resort

and have chaise lounges, fireplace and a scary

looking “detox box” inside. We head straight to

the plunge pools outside. Totally ignoring the

cold plunge pool (because I’m a bit of a chicken),

we spend some time pruning up in the hot plunge

pool before our massages. My other half has a

traditional stress-relieving Swedish massage

but I go all out with a Tibetan hot stone massage.

It’s exactly as it sounds – hot stones are used

to massage your body. I’ve been scalded by hot

rocks before but at Chateau Elan they’re warm

and do wonders for my neck knots.

After tea and cookies in the spa’s relaxation area,

we’re back on the road with our backs in much

better shape.

Spa sessions always seem to make me hungry – I like to think it’s all the toxins leaving my body – and it’s a good thing we’ve somehow worked up an appetite because dinner is at Il Cacciatore. I’ve heard a lot

about The Hermitage Lodge’s award winning Italian restaurant but no one mentioned the view. If you can, grab a table outside by the reed-ringed billabong. We’ve got candlelight, a water fountain and a few

tadpoles for company. Warm crusty ciabatta is a great way to start any Italian meal, which revs up

with a hearty veal saltimbocca. Perched on crispy kipfler potatoes, it’s seared nicely, with crunchy

prosciutto sealing in the flavour. The char-grilled lamb fillet is given punch by red capsicum pesto

and dressed up with green pea mash but dessert is where the chef really shines. We try two thick slabs of frozen hazelnut, chocolate and meringue torte. Dense hazelnut cake is layered between a creamy chocolate ganache – crème anglaise on the side cuts the chocolate and a scattering of mini meringues and praline add crunch.

If you’d asked me a few years back what I thought of Hunter Valley accommodation, I probably would have mentioned ugly wallpaper and paisley bedspreads. Those days are long gone and there’s no better evidence than The Longhouse. As the name suggests, this is one long house at the end of a long driveway just off Palmers Lane in Pokolbin. Up close it looks more like a converted shed and that’s where the inspiration came from. The house is actually three units, each with two king bedrooms, kitchen and living area, connected by a long deck. Sliding across what looks like a large shed door, I’m not sure what to expect but am blown away by the floor to ceiling windows, recycled wood bookshelves and a chalkboard. Hanging pendant lights are from Rockett St George in the UK and the timber chairs from old Indonesian boats. This is one chic shed.

Fluffy pillows, ensuites, fireplace, Foxtel, DVD’s, Trivial Pursuit – they’ve pretty much thought of everything. And one of the most impressive things is “they” are actually University students. The Longhouse is the first project by EgresStudio, a design collaborative formed by Newcastle University architectural students and open to students from around the world. All the profits from a stay at The Longhouse go back into more architectural educational experiences. So basically by staying here, you’re supporting the education of young architects – guilt free holidaying!