Guests will enjoy the range of Sapling Yard Wines at the cellar door, with wines by the glass also available. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Sapling Yard Wines has opened its new cellar door in Bungendore, with a strong focus on local partnerships.
Founder and winemaker Carla Rodeghiero has been making Sapling Yard Wines since 2012, starting in her garage and then branching out into a larger space in 2019 when fellow winemaker Malcolm Burdett came on board with the business. Their wines are well-respected and well-awarded.
Carla had previously been running a cellar door at the (now closed) Bungendore Food Lovers Cafe and was looking for a new opportunity when Ruth Gaha-Morris approached her with an idea.
“Ruth is a caterer and is expanding her business to include a restaurant, and she wanted to sublet part of the building to me for a cellar door,” Carla told Region.
Carla Rodeghiero makes Sapling Yard wine with Malcom Burdett. Photo: Sapling Yard.
In addition to running catering business Scrumpers Kitchen, Ruth is a longtime champion of local food through her work with Southern Harvest Association, a local food not-for-profit that connects small-scale farmers with eaters in the Bungendore and Canberra Regions.
Southern Harvest Association (SHA) is also subletting a portion of the space for a volunteer-run community shop, stocking fresh produce, locally made food products and preserves.
Sustainability is a core tenet of each business, and Carla explained that part of the reason she was keen to partner with Ruth is their shared ethics and ideologies.
“We didn’t buy anything new; we recycled everything. We bought pretty much all our chairs from the Green Shed and reupholstered them. Ruth sourced recycled corrugated iron and timber and got a carpenter to build the bar, which is just beautiful,” Carla said.
“The whole idea is to make use of what you have and reuse whatever you can.”
The Sapling Yard cellar door shares the building with the Southern Harvest Community Store and (the soon-to-be-opened) Scrumpers Kitchen. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Sapling Yard Wines are grown locally in Braidwood and Lake George, and while they are not certified as organic, they use organic practices. No synthetic chemicals are used in the vineyards, and they’re also moving towards using pea protein ‘finer’ in their wines, making them vegan-friendly.
The cellar door will offer wines by the glass and tastings of the Sapling Yard range. Once Scrumpers Kitchen is fully up and running, a menu of produce-driven dishes with recommended wine pairings will also be available. Ruth and Carla have already catered a three-course dinner with matching wines for a local wine club, and they’re hoping to run more events in the future.
“We’re offering cheese platters and a few light canape-style things like olives, dukkah and breads, all sourced through the Southern Harvest shop right next door,” said Carla.
Sapling Yard’s new cellar door features a recycled corrugated iron bar. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Sapling Yard Cellar Door is having its official launch event on Saturday, 2 December, at 4 pm. Upon arrival, guests will enjoy a glass of traditional Entrechat sparkling wine and a range of canapes from Scrumpers Kitchen. Local musicians, The J Waygood Band, will be providing entertainment.
Carla explained that she is passionate about protecting native wildlife and preserving biodiversity, so a portion of ticket sales will go towards Braidwoods Native Animal Rescue Group (NARG).
The Sapling Yard Cellar Door is located at 23 Malbon Street, Bungendore, at the Village Square. Visit Sapling Yard to book a ticket for the launch event, including bus transfers to and from Kingston. Follow Sapling Yard on Facebook or Instagram.
More information about the Southern Harvest Association community store can be found on their website. Follow SHA on Facebook or Instagram. Follow Scrumpers Kitchen on Instagram.
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