The Right Altitude by Wine Companion

THE RIGHT ALTITUDE In Victoria’s stunning north-east, some of the state’s most enticing wine, food, scenery and heritage awaits. Long-time local Campbell Mattinson shares the inside scoop on this special part of the world.

OCT / NOV 2014

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arlier this year I jumped on my bike and cycled via the safety of a dedicated bike path from Bright to Wangaratta and then, on the road, over Taminick Gap to the wineries near the ‘town’ of Taminick. I was knackered when I got there and had to be picked up for the return trip, but even with modest bike fitness, I’d ridden from the heart of the Alpine Valleys wine region through parts of Beechworth, across the top end of the King Valley and into Glenrowan. Four distinct wine regions with only pedal power as a motor, all before lunch. If I’d had any energy left – which I tried to gain via a couple of glasses of Baileys of Glenrowan Shiraz – it would have taken less than two hours to bike it over to Rutherglen. The point is that I’m stubborn, but I’m not a super cyclist. All these regions are deliciously close. Better still, each region offers something distinctly different: hot flatlands, rocky outcrops, forested national parks, steep-sided valleys and high-alpine altitude. The vast differences in terrain mean that what’s growing here are high-quality examples of everything from pristine sparkling wine to perfumed whites to rich reds and the

luscious lovelies that we hold an umbrella over and call fortifieds. Sweet, rich, dry, delicate, fizzy and still; it’s all overflowing here. For diversity of wine style and proximity of various regions, the north-east of Victoria arguably offers the best wine-touring feast in Australia. If you can’t find a wine you adore here – and food to match – then not only must you not really like wine, but I also don’t think I want to know you. A confession: I like these regions so much that I bought the company – or the next best thing. In late 2003, I visited the Alpine Valleys on a week’s holiday and signed up for a house there and then; the deal was inked before I’d even gone home. I’ve since lived the life of a north-east Victorian. I’m a wine lover, food lover and lover of mountains and streams; I couldn’t resist the place. North-east Victoria has a grand, compelling charm – this is mountain country after all, with the Victorian snowfields dominating the landscape. But I can add another tempter: in terms of the quality of food and wine on offer, the region is experiencing a historic high point. Wangaratta – arguably one of the world’s least sexy towns, but the natural centre to any exploration of the region’s wares – is slowly reinventing itself. As are other regional towns. More importantly, there are more wineries and wine labels than ever before of modern, delicious appeal.

GLENROWAN AND BEYOND

MUST-STOPS

Just 10 minutes out of Wangaratta lies Glenrowan, renowned for being where infamous bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang were caught, way back in 1880. Rich reds are generally the name of the game here.

PICTURED

Photography // Chris Groenhout / Visions of Victoria (David Hannah, Robyn Lea) / courtesy Eldorado Road / courtesy Cafe Derailleur

(above, left to right) Baileys of Glenrowan; in the vines at Booth’s Taminick; Eldorado Road; increasingly cosmopolitan Wangaratta. (below) Pedal to Produce bike trails offer a fun way to explore the region.

Baileys of Glenrowan

The vineyards are grown organically these days, but more importantly, the wines are in fresh, modern, tip-top form. The cellar door is immaculate, it serves good coffee, all the wines are there and history is all around. Essential.

Booth’s Taminick

It’s down a dirt road and the wines are rich, rustic, idiosyncratic, and often ridiculously well-priced. There are no airs or graces, but I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to visit.

Eldorado Road

There’s no cellar door, but the wines are terrific. All reds, all stylish, all grown in the Rutherglen, Glenrowan and – as the name suggests – Eldorado areas, the latter just outside Wangaratta. A new producer, but with heart and soul all over it. Keep your eye out for them.

Wangaratta

No one would have said this a few years ago, but Wangaratta is building a bustling food scene. Cafe Derailleur near the station competes with Coffee Chakra in Myrtleford for the best coffee in north-east Victoria and the food is of equal quality. Watermarc on the river is good, the Plough Inn at Tarrawingee (10km out of town) is excellent, the coffee at George’s Espresso (on the river) is above average and Clay’s Kitchen shows an unexpected style for a rural setting.

Pedal power

Routes exist across the region for anyone keen to have a go. Glenrowan is a great place to start. ➺

PICTURED

(left) Outdoor dining at Brown Brothers (this page) Boynton’s. (middle row, left to right) Sam Miranda; Milawa Cheese Factory; Dal Zotto; relaxing at the MountainView Hotel; a view among the vines of Myrtleford and surrounds; Ringer Reef. (below) Bastoni Pizzeria; Ginger Baker.

KING VALLEY MUST-STOPS

There’s a difference between the King Valley wine region and the topographical feature. The wine region extends from the flatlands of Milawa all the way down the valley to Cheshunt and beyond. Milawa is only 15 minutes or so from Wangaratta – easy cycling distance. Prosecco (mouth-watering fizz) is all the rage here, but delicate whites and Italian varieties of various descriptions perform well here too.

You can’t go anywhere in the King Valley without going past the Sam Miranda cellar door – it sits on the corner of the main entry road – and the truth is, it’s a stylish stop. Prosecco – a regional specialty – is your best bet here, but there’s a large range of wines, many of them on the hearty side.

Milawa Cheese Factory

Get the word ‘factory’ out of your head. They make the famed cheese here, but this isn’t really a factory visit – it’s a place to taste, eat and drink, marvel at the serenity and walk through the gallery saying, “Now that’s art!” It’s all here – bread, a cafe and restaurant, Woods Park cellar door, ice cream and cheese tasting. The service isn’t always great, but it all makes for an essential stop.

Stars in alignment

A drive down the King Valley on a nice day is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s worth it just for the view, as is a drive up to Whitlands. But you’re here for the wine and the stars are clear: Pizzini, Dal Zotto and Chrismont. Pizzini’s new cellar door means they are better serviced than ever; the trattoria at Dal Zotto is brilliant for lunch; and the La Zona Italian varietals at Chrismont are starting to kick some goals. Any visit to the King Valley feels incomplete without a visit to all three.

Mountain View Hotel

The King Valley is always a better place when this hotel is on song and it is just that right now. The hotel was refurbished in late 2010 and now generally referred to, whether we like the term or not, as a “gastro pub”. It’s an excellent one too. On weekends they even do breakfast. It doubles as the cellar door of LANA wines, a new range by Joel Pizzini. In short, it’s not your average pub.

Brown Brothers

This isn’t the most popular cellar door in Australia for nothing. It’s a gorgeous place to visit and its restaurant, Epicurean Centre, is in career-best form (thanks to renowned chef Douglas Elder). There’s a range of wines to suit almost everyone (especially those sweet of tooth) and because it’s virtually in Milawa town centre, it’s easy and quick to reach.

Photography // Rachel Lewis / David Hannah / couresty NE Victoria Tourism / courtesy Brown Brothers

Sam Miranda

ALPINE VALLEYS MUST-STOPS

This stunning region starts about 30 minutes from Wangaratta and continues through the Ovens Valley, over Tawonga Gap and into Mount Beauty, the Kiewa Valley, and all the way to Falls Creek and Mount Hotham. A range of whites and reds perform well here, with tempranillo being the variety with a bullet.

Feathertop/ Boynton

Talk about dramatic change. It’s all been gogo-go in recent years. The wines are better than ever – particularly the aromatic whites – but the place has been jaw-droppingly overhauled. The expanded restaurant, the new wine “vaults”, the cellar door – it’s all been re-thought, re-imagined and built on.

Ringer Reef

This has possibly the best view and site in the Alpine Valleys region. The immaculate estate, which is up a steep hill with majestic views of the valley and Mount Buffalo, is lovingly tended to by Bruce and Annie Holm. They never make a false step; the wines are excellent and so too the service. I’m always sending people up the hill to the Reef and they never come back disappointed.

Mayford

Here’s a tricky one. It doesn’t have a cellar door, although you can arrange an appointment, and they only make three wines (shiraz, chardonnay, tempranillo). It means that the wines can be hard to find. But the shiraz and tempranillo have

AFTER ALL THAT, YOU MAY JUST NEED A BEER… Beechworth Brewery in the town’s main street is a no-brainer – order a pizza here, work your way through the range and it’s happy days. The Bright Brewery, overlooking the Ovens River in central Bright, has pretty much changed the complexion of the town itself, or given it a fair crack. It’s a clever, stylish, impressive place, the food is well-managed and it’s kid-friendly (out the back is a playground). An ale or two here and it’s hard to convince yourself that you should ever leave.

particularly helped put the Alpine Valleys on the wine map; they’re terrific wines and worth tracking down.

Myrtleford and district

It’s a pretty little town with a river running through it, but never gets too much attention. If you’re peckish though, it’s the place to stop. Two new places are the talk of the town: Bastoni Pizzeria and Coffee Chakra. Both are offering delicious I-wish-I-lived-next-door food. Indeed, Chakra’s food is a complete revelation. It also vies for the mantle of best coffee in north-east Victoria. You’ve been told.

Bright

If Myrtleford is pretty, then Bright is gorgeous. It’s one of Australia’s most visited towns – essentially popular all year, though ironically it’s quietest when at its most beautiful in spring. The iconic Simone’s Restaurant (if you can get in) and the Japaneseinspired Tani Food & Wine are fascinating places to dine. But Thirteen Steps (tiny, hip, slice of the city in the country), Ginger Baker (excellent tapas) and Coral Lee (country cafe done superbly well) have been super recent additions.

BEECHWORTH MUST-STOPS

Beechworth is 20 minutes from Wangaratta, or 30 from Albury, and a jewel of north-east Victoria – historically and now. The region also happens to grow truly glorious shiraz and chardonnay.

OCT / NOV 2014

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The Cellar Door Wine Store

There isn’t a great culture of cellar doors in the Beechworth area, but there is a great way around it – the Cellar Door Wine Store in the main street. It has an excellent cafe, but if you want to track down a wine by Sorrenberg (a personal favourite), Savaterre, Castagna or many of the hot new labels (see below) out of the area, then this is the perfect place to start. It also stocks some of the better wines from the wider north-east (Mayford and Eldorado Road, for starters) and sells retail too. PICTURED

(above, clockwise from left) Inside the Cellar Door Wine Store; the entrance to Provenance Restaurant; and inside the lauded venue; Indigo Vineyard is among the new stars; stop in for pizza and a brew at Bridge Road Brewers. (Opposite, left to right) All Saints Estate; Scion; Jones Winery.

Provenance Restaurant

Speaking of lashing out, the most exceptional restaurant in northeast Victoria doesn’t come cheap, but then unforgettable dining experiences often come that way. Chef Michael Ryan crafts exquisite, imaginative food at a level rarely found outside the world’s major cities. He is a master.

Pennyweight

If you’re only going to visit one cellar door in Beechworth – there aren’t many to choose from, after all – then make it Pennyweight. You never leave here without having been delightfully surprised by one of the wines. It might be a fortified, it could be the cabernet, it may be the pinot noir or a sherry, or something else entirely.

Five must-sees

Giaconda, Savaterre, Castagna… All are on the Langton’s Classification, all are exceptional, all are in close proximity to one another (on the WangarattaBeechworth Road) but none of them have cellar doors. Appointments can be possible though. Prices are “not inexpensive”. If you were ever going to lash out, there’s something special about drinking these wines in their hometown.

The new guns

Beechworth wine is an exciting thing. New and semi-new labels abound and pretty much all of them are excellent. Project 49, Domenica, Jamsheed (Warner Vineyard Shiraz), Golden Ball (not so new, perhaps), Indigo Vineyards, Adam’s Rib and Rodda make for an enticing wine landscape. These names are helping to build the region’s buzz.

CHOOSING A BASE Wangaratta/Glenrowan are about a 2.5 hour drive north-east of Melbourne. Wangaratta and/or Beechworth are the most central towns catering to northeast wine. Wangaratta is better serviced; Beechworth is the more authentic country town experience. The nearest airport is Albury; it’s serviced by Rex, Virgin and Qantas. Albury is about 25 minutes from Beechworth and/or Rutherglen.

RUTHERGLEN MUST-STOPS

This historic town is just 35 minutes from Wangaratta. You know what you’re going to get in Rutherglen, which, as it turns out, is a very good thing. Flavour aplenty abounds.

Photography // Chris Groenhout / NE Victoria Tourism / Adrian Lander Visions of Victoria (David Hannah,

Fortified wine

Rutherglen’s fortified wines are built on history, but in any modern-day setting, their magnificence always remains clear. Glory be. These wines are authenticity writ large, sweeping, lingering flavours. Chambers Rosewood, Morris, Campbells, Stanton & Killeen and All Saints Estate are all masters. Such greatness should never be taken for granted. Visit them.

Scion

It walks, talks, looks and is different. It’s a breath of fresh air in the Rutherglen region. Scion Fleur (an aromatic white wine made with muscat grapes) is a perfect case in point; pretty, different, challenging and delicious all at once. Its Durif Viognier and After Dark fortified continue the walk-to-their-ownbeat theme.

Valhalla

A punky outfit in some ways – the building is made out of straw bales, for one – but the wines are modern and very easy to like. Owners Anton Therkildsen and Antoinette Del Popolo met in Rutherglen and decided to make their life in the country, building and running a winery. They’re living the dream.

Warrabilla

It’s not just out on its own in Rutherglen, but Australian wine too. Warrabilla is a fair way out of town, but if you get stuck for petrol, your car can probably run on the Warrabilla reds – they rarely come in below 15.5 per cent alcohol and commonly run to 16.5 and even 17 per cent. They are unique, unashamed, devil-maycare exponents of the full-bodied wine. It’s not so much a matter of whether you care to visit, as whether you dare.

Cellar door visits

In some regions, cellar doors can be scarce, while in others, they abound. Rutherglen is blessed with many, and of the many, there are a number of wineries that are worth visiting time and again. Pffeifer, All Saints Estate, Cofield, Jones, Anderson and Rutherglen Estates all fall into this category; they are why Rutherglen makes for such great wine touring.