Nillumbik is our local council area. It calls itself 'The Green Wedge Shire' - because over 90% of it's 431.94 square kilometres of land is indeed 'green wedge' - very rural, semi-rural, forest, hills, grasslands and small country townships dotted here and there and very hilly. It's one of the larger Melbourne council areas, but not very densely populated which must be a major problem for the council - not much income from rates. It's also very beautiful in a messy Australian bush kind of way, with breathtaking vistas around every corner.
We live down in the bottom corner - a suburban kind of area, almost on the River Yarra - the river that flows through the centre of Melbourne to the sea. And yet it is only 25km from the centre of Melbourne. Nillumbik is the name that the Aboriginal Wurundjeri-willam (White-gum tree dwellers) people gave to it. Apparently it means 'shallow earth' - or even worse -' bad earth'. Which doesn't really sound very complimentary. And yet there are farmers out there and several vineyards amongst them, hence the Open Cellars program during which over a weekend, the small - some very small - vineyards of Nillumbik open their doors to the public. This happens three times a year - I think it's three - maybe it's four - and we often take the opportunity to boost our supplies of wine, maybe enjoy a bite to eat and certainly enjoy the company of our friends who join us for a day out.
Over time we have zeroed in on our favourite vineyards - Yarrambat (shown here), Shaws Road, and Kings of Kangaroo Ground, although this year we visited two others as well that were new to us - more later. They are mostly very small, although some buy in grapes from elsewhere to boost their production. And most of them are set in stunningly beautiful environments - as you can see from the photograph of the Yarrambat Estate vineyard that I took last year. But it's tiny - the cellar door - not normally open - is the kitchen area of the owner's house, and the vines cover just 2.6 hectares.
His chardonnay, however is gorgeous - a deep golden yellow in colour and with a honeyed taste. David likes the pinot too, so we always buy a box or two.
This was our first stop and then on to Shaws Road vineyard. And this is when we start to get into the wilds of Nillumbik although in a relatively mild way at first, and not through much forested land, until Shaws Road itself.
We have been visiting this vineyard for a few years now and it has been interesting to note the changes it has gone through over the years. Initially it was called Eltham Hills, and one of the two partners who make the wine, had a tiny vineyard in Eltham itself, which yesterday he told us he was going to tear out. When we first went there the 'cellar door' was rudimentary, and I don't think there was any food available. Then they had a few tables in what had been an outside terrace which was enclosed with that thick clear plastic on colder days. Food was of the coffee and cake variety. Gradually this area was spruced up, enlarged, glassed in and the food changed accordingly. Last year the wine tasting area was demoted down to the basement, now it has been returned to its original home in front of the restaurant. I call it that, for it sort of is - and indeed last year we had a really lovely 'gourmet' lunch there. This year the food was back to more basic stuff - platters, and fancy pork or beef rolls with slaw - and chips. Very nicely prepared nevertheless. The owner told us that the posher food had been too expensive to continue. So having tasted their wine - also a wonderful chardonnay - several bottles of something were bought - we decided to indulge in a platter to soak up the wine we had tasted - before moving on. The sun shone, the place was full of families and large groups of friends - there were 19 on one long table. Outside a singer sat on a stool, strummed a guitar and entertained us all, and the children ran around. In fact I had the feeling that more people had come for the lunch and the fun than the wine.
This vineyard has expanded its operations - they now do weddings - a very Yarra Valley vineyard thing - and there are also three apartments that you can hire for a weekend away. Which might make it sound like a huge kind of operation, but it isn't. It's really low-key, quietly professional but with a very friendly, homely touch. And they are only open at the weekends too. But it is interesting how it has changed over time. One of the partners is standing for our local council this year, and as they are both aging - very gracefully - I wonder whether they are readying themselves for retirement and handing over to a younger generation. They make very fine wine though and I also nabbed a bottle of my favourite olive oil, made by a friend. For there are an increasing number of olive trees being planted here and there in the Yarra Valley.
But it was time to move on and this time we decided to try two vineyards we had never visited before. The first of these took us on a rather more adventurous journey down roads a bit like this - well initially - for we had taken a wrong turn and so went a long way round. This, is no hardship of course and part of the fun of touring somewhere you don't know and off the beaten track.
It reminded us of hairy roads in France and Italy, and as we got closer to Butterman's Track Vineyard, the forest closed in around us - even more than this - leading us to wonder where on earth they planted their vines. But at last, having climbed yet another hill we emerged in a small clearing with a cleared slope full of vines below. The cellar door was rudimentary, and alas, they wanted to charge us $15.00 per person to try their wines - which is not the tradition for this 'open' weekend, and so we left. Sad. We felt they would not get many visitors because of this.
But onwards - along more messy and fairly thick forest. Our next call was to be Watson's Creek Wines, and we did eventually get there, but only after the GPS took us down the wrong road to a cul de sac - so that we then had to retrace our steps and go a long way round. More narrow roads, with some wider ones in between, although at St. Andrews we found there seemed to be a bikie convention going on. We had seen a few bikies en route.
Watson's Creek was a delight however - although not for the wine which I didn't try because it was all red. The men didn't buy any so I suppose it was no good. It was such a quirky little place however, - just a shed really, filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful things - and secondhand books, amongst which I found a book by Nigella and one by Kylie Kwong. More treasure for me.
But time to go home, via the obligatory stop at Kings of Kangaroo Ground - another long-time favourite where these two men Ken King and Chris Ramsay make world class wine in a small shed next to the local post office that Ken King - on the left - also runs. Ken wasn't there this time - his son was getting married in Adelaide, but Chris was there with daughter and another helper or two. Because this is a popular stop for the Open Cellars visitors. The wine is excellent and some is always added to our collection, the owners and friends are warm, friendly and very entertaining. It's also almost the closest vineyard to us - there is just one more -Swipers Gully which is part of Eltham College, and which we have yet to visit.
We have been visiting here as long as we have been visiting Shaws Road and it is interesting to see how the two vineyards have developed. Well Ken and Chris have just concentrated on their wine - there is no food here, just good wine and good company. No weddings, no B&Bs. Shaws have diversified - maybe via other parts of the family, or maybe with friends.
Time to go home - to a delicious dinner. Entrée - a stunning asparagus quiche provided by Monika, Nigel Slater's equally stunning Chicken with vermouth, tarragon and cream and Ottolenghi's Apricot and almond ensaimada. I of course forgot to take any photographs, so the chicken is from one of Nigel's fans but my sauce was a little darker - I had cooked it a bit more, and my tarragon was chopped. I did serve it with a baguette though - and a very few sugar snap peas, plus a salad of Monika's home-grown lettuce. I must plant some myself. Do have a go at Nigel's recipe it will take you a mere 10 minutes or so to prepare and about half an hour to cook and is pretty special. Ottolenghi's impressive looking dessert is also pretty easy - not quite as easy or quick as the chicken, but very definitely doable. I even made it with apricots from a jar. The size of each of the two in the picture is big enough for four people.
A perfect end to a pretty perfect day. We all agreed we would not like to live out in the fire-prone bush country that we travelled through, in the summer and that our shire is a glorious patch of Victorian countryside to visit. What I can't understand is why the Open Cellars weekends are not promoted either in The Age, by delicous. or in the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - the Victorian Tourist Office or whatever it's called, as well, come to that. I would have thought it was just the kind of thing they would love. Maybe it's all too homely for them. The Yarra Valley proper is much posher - and expensive.
BACK THEN
October 21
2021 - Do I stop eating salmon?
2018 - The food of love
2017 - Broccoli
2016 - A word from Elizabeth David
Had a great trip with our firnds Craig and Monuka. Including the narrow bendy roads to some of the mor3e remote wineries. We had an aged Shaws Road 2020 Chadonnay with the delicious food when we got home. Greatb afternoon! 🤣
Our French reacher had a little cottage out past Cottles Bridge and hosted us for French Weekends where we were not allowed to speak English. We had croissants and chocolate for breakfast and German vegetables to accompany our evening meal (peas, carrots and corn in a white sauce)