LIFESTYLE FOOD
GOURMET WITH KERRY HEANEY
A TASTE OF MACKAY
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Sweet treat at Espresso Garden
ASK A LOCAL WINEMAKER AFTER A CAREER as an academic, Susan Mercer has returned to the land and her passion for fine wine as Managing Director of one of Queensland’s leading wineries and olive growers, Clovely Estate Clovely is the only Queensland winery with a city cellar door at Red Hill, Brisbane. What made you take that step? We’re three hours from Brisbane and we thought bringing our South Burnett vineyard to the city would show people what there is to discover not so far from the capital! What’s the best way to explore South Burnett wineries? Follow the South Burnett Wine Trail with a designated driver. I really like the area around Moffatvale. 16
THE ROAD AHEAD DEC 2016/JAN 2017
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What is your favourite Clovely wine? Our semillon would be my favourite and it pairs so well with Hervey Bay scallops and Mooloolaba prawns. James Halliday gave Clovely a 5 Star Winery rating in 2015. What does that mean? The 5 Star Winery Rating acknowledges that we’ve reached a certain standard of wine making. Given that the South Burnett is one of the newest wine regions, it shows that we can do it just as well as better known Australian wine regions. People often think that Queensland vineyards can’t make good wine, but this rating shows we can. What else do you produce apart from wine?
HE MINING RECESSION’S gift to Mackay has been a resurgence in local food, with enterprising locals bucking the downturn by making the most of the sugar city’s edible bounty. BURP.eat.drink and The Dispensary in Wood Street is where you’ll find some of Mackay’s cutting-edge food. Owner Adrian Connors’ menu includes delights such as vodka soaked salmon, miso steak and organic duck breast. Tucked away in a CBD laneway, 9th Lane Grind (facebook.com/9thlanegrind) is another new venture on Wood Street that’s set to expand Mackay waistlines with an amazing array of baked delights. It’s the third venture for Kristy Borg and Clovely wines.
We have seven varieties of olives and a range of olive oils that we sell at our city cellar door. What’s the biggest challenge the Queensland’s wine industry faces? Often local wines are not offered in Queensland so people don’t try them. For example, in McLaren Vale, chances are you’ll drink a South Australian wine. Wine lists are put together by large companies and they don’t generally put Queensland wines on them. This is changing slowly. RACQLIVING.COM.AU
16/11/2016 06:31