From Good to Great at Mistletoe Wines

WORDS Quentin von Essen

Ken and Gwen Sloan – owners of Mistletoe Winery, are renowned for creating some of the region’s most awarded and talked about wines from their 5.5-hectare vineyard on Hermitage Road in Pokolbin. Today this James Halliday 5-star rated winery is a true small family-owned winery with three generations of the Sloan family involved in the business, which now includes their son Rob, daughter Cassandra and granddaughters Natane and Jessica, who also has an interest in winemaking.

While the main focus is on Hunter Valley Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz, Mistletoe also makes wines from Merlot, Cabernet, White Muscat, Verdelho, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Fiano – produced from grapes grown in an environment where the focus is always on quality over yield.

Ken is an intriguing character with a seemingly endless knowledge of wine, local history and is not short of a few hilarious stories... and as you get to know him, you realise just why his wines are so good. He is a man of unquestionable principle and a great believer in "quality without compromise" in just about everything he does – and especially when it comes to making wine.

For as long as he can remember, Ken has had an interest and love of wine which was further encouraged by the writings of the late Len Evans and Max Lake as well as the celebrated Sydney wine merchant and restaurateur J.K. "Johnnie" Walker who had the Angus Steak Cave restaurants and was also the author of a weekly newspaper wine column.

Before long, Ken and Gwen found themselves in the Hunter Valley regularly looking around for a suitable property. They eventually bought the Hermitage Road property in 1989 which was once part of the ill-fated Hermitage Estate Winery operation. The site had become extremely run down and neglected so they quickly set about ripping up the old derelict vineyard and replanting the home plot to Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Muscat. Within six years, Mistletoe Wines were starting to gain recognition not to mention trophies at local and interstate wine shows.

The Sloan family eventually moved to the Hunter Valley in 1997, and it has been home ever since. At first, the wines were contract made in the Upper Hunter, but in 2003 they decided to build a winery on the property now named Mistletoe Winery because of the vast amount of mistletoe growing on the ironbark tree which had once covered the property.

Working with great winemakers such as Scott Stephens, Mistletoe has, in a relatively few years, become one of the most respected and awarded boutique wineries in Australia.

When it comes to making good wine, Ken believes that good wine starts in the vineyard and for him, it is critically important to keep investing in the vineyard.

“We put back into the vineyard, and it shows. In the vineyard and winemaking side of the business, the grapes are grown in an environment that is as natural as possible and where the focus is always on quality over yield,” explains Ken

“We have the firm mandate of ’Quality without Compromise’, and we not only believe in it, but we also act on it. We will walk away from bad years rather than make average wine by cutting corners or fudging it.”

With this absolute attention to detail and uncompromising focus on quality, it comes as no surprise that Mistletoe has been rated a 5-star winery by James Halliday every year from 2007 to 2019 – putting Mistletoe in the top 8% of wineries in Australia on a quality basis and confirming Mistletoe’s reputation as one of the best and most consistent small wine producers in the Hunter Valley.

But it’s not all about the wines. Mistletoe Wines is also one of few wineries that combine the unique flavours of the Hunter Valley wine region with the artistic talents of the locals. The Pokolbin Art Gallery located within the cellar door features paintings, ceramics and specialist woodturning from the region, all of which can be purchased. Outside, the Mistletoe Sculpture Garden sits alongside the picturesque vineyard and includes a selection of quirky and modern sculptures. Mistletoe also offers twilight tasting sessions on the patio throughout Summer, while in Winter, the tastings are hosted in front of a roaring fire. For many, Mistletoe Winery is a very unique and special place. For more information visit www.mistletoewines.com.au

Signature

Hospitality at Ivanhoe Wines

With the striking stainless steel chain sculpture of two giant entwined hands outside its cellar door, Ivanhoe Wines is one of the Parish’s most distinctive destinations. But the sculpture isn’t what the winery is best known for – that would be its gutsy reds, delicious whites and signature hospitality.

The estate’s award-winning cellar door is a replica of the 1800's Ivanhoe Homestead, and has been owned and operated by Stephen and Tracy Drayton since 1996. It’s also one of the most picturesque and most photographed properties in the Hunter Valley.

Son of the late Reg and Pam Drayton, Stephen is the third branch of the family to be involved in winemaking in the Hunter Valley, and he has spent almost 25 years bringing his own particular style and passion into the making of his award-winning wines.

Stretching across the foothills of the Brokenback Mountains, the property has been called Ivanhoe for over 150 years. It was first planted with vines in 1855 and today is made up of 80 acres of which approximately 50 acres are under vine with varieties that include Shiraz and Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Chambourcin and Gewurtztraminer.

The vineyard, planted on the side of Brokenback Range is also one of the steepest vineyards in Pokolbin with rich, red volcanic soil and a limestone base – just perfect for producing great red wines. Further down the slope, the soil is made up of a sandy loam which is ideal for producing excellent whites.

For both Stephen and Tracy, one of the more important roles of owning a winery and cellar door is the customer service role – and that is why you will always see one or the other at the cellar door talking to the customers as they sample from the range of Ivanhoe Estate wines, sharing their passion for the winemaking process and wines they produce.

The genuine, warm Ivanhoe hospitality is evident from the moment you enter the cellar door; this is what keeps people coming back to this enchanted vineyard. When you visit the Ivanhoe, you will not only get a wine tasting; you get a complete wine experience.

Featuring a shady verandah overlooking the Brokenback Ranges, Ivanhoe Wines is also the perfect spot to sample the winery’s wares while admiring that stunning wine country view. If you are in the area for a wine tour, make sure to include Ivanhoe as part of your Hunter Valley cellar door experience. You’ll find Ivanhoe Estate at 525 Marrowbone Road, Pokolbin.

Flipping Out FOR FROSÉ!

If you're a fan of Rosé, we have the recipe to make all your cocktail dreams come true... Frosé (frozen Rosé) is like a grown up icee – fruity, sweet and dangerously delicious!

BONUS TIPS

• Add a shot of Hunter Distillery’s Strawberry Liqueur for more of a kick! • If you don’t have cocktail sugar syrup at home replace it with 1 tablespoon of sugar to add to the blend. • Add fresh lemon or orange juice for a citrus zest. • Experiment with a different combination of different fruits – watermelon (highly recommended), peach, raspberry or mango. • To satisfy all the sweet tooths out there – add another tablespoon of sugar to the blend and around the brim of the glass for an extra sweet Frosé!

Make your own Frosé

Just follow these simple steps and you will be sipping on your Frosé in no time!

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

• 1 Bottle of Rosé – 750ml (why not choose one of our Hunter Valley favourites) • 1 Cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen) • 15ml cocktail sugar syrup • 2 Cups of ice

METHOD

1. Cut up strawberries into quarters, hulling each one. 2. Add bottle of Rosé, strawberries, sugar syrup to an electric blender with two cups of ice. 3. Blend on high until the rose appears smooth – add extra ice if you prefer it thicker. 4. To serve, place the blended mixture into a three large stemless wine glasses. 5. Add additional fruit of choice for garnish.

FOR YOUR DIARY!

Iconic Scottish band Simple Minds will be returning to Bimbadgen on 5 December for their 40 Years of Hits Tour 2020. They will be joined by special guests, UK electronic pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for their first Australian tour since 1987, and will also feature Aussie chart-toppers Eurogliders. “It’s been said that Simple Minds has a love affair with Australia and I think that’s true,” said Simple Minds frontman, Jim Kerr.

Simple Minds have sold more than 60 million albums, have been musical pioneers for 40 glittering years and have become one of the great bands of their generation, deploying rousing choruses and booming atmospherics to provide a sound that has endured the test of time.

It's no wonder the band loves Australia. Australia gave Simple Minds their first hit single, Love Song, and first gold album, New

AUSTRALIAN ALPACA BARN

Gold Dream. A string of unforgettable hits followed, including Promised You A Miracle, Glittering Prize, Don’t You (Forget About Me), Alive and Kicking, Sanctify Yourself, Belfast Child and Let There Be Love.

“I cannot tell you how much fun we had during those six weeks,” Jim says of the bands first Australian tour (with Icehouse) in 1981.

“Going from nobodies to overnight success due to our appearance on Countdown. People were screaming for us to play encores. We’ve always had a wonderful bond with Australian audiences.”

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are acclaimed around the world for bringing avant-garde music into the mainstream. Led by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, the group is best-known for If You Leave, the smash hit from the classic teen movie Pretty In Pink. Eurogliders was formed in Perth in 1980 by Grace Knight and Bernie Lynch and went on to conquer the Australian charts, with a string of pop gems, including Heaven (Must Be There), We Will Together and the aptly titled Can’t Wait To See You. This will be the first time Eurogliders have played with Simple Minds since the opening night of the Narara Music Festival in 1984.

Simple Minds with OMD and Eurogliders - this is a tour you won't want to miss! Tickets are on sale now – visit www.adayonthegreen.com.au

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SPECIALISING IN QUALITY AUSTRALIAN ALPACA FASHION, HOMEWARES & ACCESSORIES Open 7 Days 10am–5pm Peppers Creek on Broke Road, Pokolbin Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, Pokolbin PH 4998 6669 • www.australianalpaca.com

OPEN 10am – 5pm, Thursday to Sunday and long weekend public holiday Mondays 175 Swan Street, Morpeth, Hunter Valley PH 02 4933 1407 E info@morpethgallery.com www.morpethantiquecentre.com