The Sapling Yard cellar door shares the building with the Southern Harvest Community Store and Scrumpers Kitchen restaurant. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Sapling Yard Wines are keeping it in the family with a dinner showing off the talents of two gourmand sisters.
Winemaker Carla Rodeghiero is teaming up with sister Anita Rodeghiero, who is chef and owner of Mangiato: a modern Italian catering business based on the mid north coast of NSW. The sisters ran a similar event 18 months ago at Anita’s pop-up restaurant in Kempsey.
Hosted by restaurant Scrumpers Kitchen – adjacent to Sapling Yard’s Bungendore cellar door – this special one-night-only dinner event will be a five-course meal with matching Sapling Yard Wines.
Carla Rodeghiero of Sapling Yard. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Carla and Anita’s father Maurizo hails from Asiago: a small town in the north east of Italy, in the foothills of the Alps. Italian food, generously prepared for family and friends, was a cornerstone of their upbringing, and it’s this spirit of generosity that both sisters bring to their chosen careers.
“There was a big focus on family and eating meals together. We would make everything from scratch,” Carla told Region.
“I remember going foraging, gathering mushrooms, and we did a lot of fishing too. I think that definitely impacted our love of food.”
Carla is hoping that events like this will introduce more people to the cellar door and adjoining Scrumpers Kitchen restaurant. Since opening in October, it’s become a popular place to drop in for a glass of wine by a roaring fire, and enjoy Ruth’s homestyle meals prepared from locally grown ingredients.
On arrival guests will be among the first to taste the newly released 2024 Pet Nat, before starting with Trio di Fruita de Mare: grilled scallop served on the shell, prawn with garlic herb butter and crispy soft shell crab with lemon verbena chilli salt and finger lime aioli. This will be paired with the 2023 Fiano.
“Anita and I both love making gnocchi because our grandmother taught us. Although Anita is obviously far more skilled,” Carla laughs.
Handmade gnocchi with sage – adapted from their grandmother’s recipe – will be paired with 2022 Sangiovese before the main course of confit duck with a sticky fig and anise glaze, crispy duck fat potatoes, and buttered garlic chard. This course will be paired with both the 2023 Pinot Noir and Gamay for a fun comparison between the two reds.
Sapling Yard and Scrumpers Kitchen work together to showcase local produce. Photo: Sapling Yard.
Dessert comes from Ruth Gaha-Morris, owner and chef of Scrumpers Kitchen, who will be making apple galette served with fig and blue cheese to accompany the yet-to-be-released half-dry riesling Carla has christened Bonbon.
“I was getting a lot of requests for a sweet wine at the cellar door, so I figured I should make one! Riesling is amenable to a lot of sugar… it’s turned out really well. Even though it is sweet, there’s a nice acid balance. I think it will pair really nicely with the blue cheese.”
The evening will finish with a cheese course matched with a glass of Sapling Yard’s popular Four Pinots: best enjoyed by the fire.
The Winemaker and The Chef – a Tale of Two Sisters will be held at 6 pm, 24 August, at Scrumpers Kitchen, 23 Malbon St, Bungendore.
Bookings are essential and can be made via Sapling Yard. Follow Sapling Yard on Facebook and Instagram. Find out more about Mangiato and Scrumpers Kitchen.
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