[First filed: August 19, 2009 @ 00:01]
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon when the car was piled with people and we set out on the path of the Poachers Way. Looking to visit some of the local wineries and other establishments that have put themselves forward as a collective,
inspired by land and life.
First stop was Poachers Pantry to pick up some smoked goods and sample some of the Wily Trout wines. I think my best pick was the jar of smoked garlic. It gave every dish it went with a nice edge.
Next step was looking for some lunch which was found at Shaw Vineyard out the back of Murrumbateman. The glass walls of Shaw’s dining room provided a great backdrop for lunch as we were looking out over the cold, wet, miserable looking landscape while sitting nice and warm inside as we ate far too much good food and champagne (good aussie sparkling white stuff, none of that foreign muck). Followed by a a tasting of some of the Shaw Vineyard wine selection. The pick for me at Shaw’s was the Blood Plum vinegar which has such a rich sweet vinegar flavour. I’ve found it to be good on salads, in marinades or just dipping some crusty bread into it and eating it straight.
Last destination was Murrumbateman Winery, which now has Bush Goddess Foods Regional Produce Store co-located there. The rustic little stone farm house of the Murrumbateman Winery was very welcoming with a fire going and a 4 month old labrador puppy running around. Having just had a large meal it was very difficult to try some of the food on offer from Pennie (Bush Goddess Foods a good RiotACT supporter) but we managed to force ourselves and it was well worth the effort.
The PetitVache cheese from Small Cow Farms in Robertson covered with the honey (single type, not blended) with a piece of crisp pear was incredible. Picked up a large selection of local delicacies plus some seed potatoes for the garden. Some of the others in the group are now getting hampers from Bush Goddess Foods delivered every fortnight or so filled with delicious foods (selection of cheeses, vegies, marinated figs, pickled walnuts, dukka etc).
At the same time we were fending off puppy attacks and trying out the selection of wines available. The pick for me was the Barbaro wine, but I also enjoyed the mead on offer.
We got very comfortable chatting away at Murrumbateman Winery in front of the fire, but eventually we got the hint that it was time to go home. Which was very difficult as they kept bringing us more food and wine to try.
Great day out, especially for a rainy afternoon, and I’ll be looking to explore more of the Poachers Way soon.
PS. Have just seen that Poachers Way are doing their Fireside Festival throughout August.
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