Emma's Cottage - Lovedale Long Lunch review - part 3

The second stop on our “Lovedale Long Lunch” bus tour was Emma’s Cottage.

We discovered Emma’s a few months back when we received a menu for their pizza restaurant- Tilly's Gourmet Pizza Cafe - in the mail and have been out there with family and friends on a couple of occasions now and always leave with a smile.

We arrived around Midday and as soon as you stepped off the bus you could tell the place was rocking. The staff had dressed up with a Grease (the movie) theme. The girls were Pink Lady’s and the boys T’Birds. The band was in full swing pumping out old favorites from the 60’s and 70’s and the crowd were getting right into it with a packed dance floor.

Some Pink Ladies

The band was great and the crowd were quickly on their feet

Band - Scratch Me Happy

For those looking for something even faster paced, there were Harley rides around Lovedale provided by Wild Ride Australia.

Wild Ride Australia provided harley rides

We grabbed a cheese and olive platter and a bottle of Rose that we already knew was beautiful from previous trips, found our group and settled in to listen to the band.

Emma's Rose - delicious and very easy to drink!

The food at Emma’s was supplied by Amanda’s Restaurant and our crew sampled the pan seared garlic buttered king prawns on a warmed roasted pumpkin, spring onion and herb cous cous which they said was very good and few also tried the aromatic Sri Lankan chicken curry with steamed jasmine rice, coriander, mango chutney and yoghurt raita, which they enjoyed very much, and they didn’t share any.

Dessert was a warmed chocolate fudge brownie with Belgian chocolate sauce, strawberries and cream. Not sure if anyone had this but thinking back I wish I had.

Emma’s Cottage is a must do if your visiting the Hunter. You’ll be greeted in the tasting room by the glamorous Katie who will take you right through the whole range of wines available and anyone who enjoys desert wine the aptly named “Perfect” is well worth trying.

A wander through the art gallery, most of which is supplied by one of the owners in Megan Barrass is highly recommended. Every time we’ve gone through it I have to remind Mel we are there for lunch not to buy paintings. 

Then move onto the pizza café which does traditional Italian style pizzas which are as good as you will get anywhere and I’d know as I’ve eaten way more than my share of pizzas.

Art by owner Megan Barrass

Cam and Mel of Hunter Valley Grapevine were paying attendees at the 2011 Lovedale Long Lunch

Emma's Cottage

Wilderness Road, Lovedale NSW
Tel: (02) 4998 7734

Allandale Winery - Lovedale Long Lunch - part 2

Sunday 15th May was our first attendance at the Lovedale Long Lunch.

Allandale Winery was the first winery we visited for no other reason than it’s the first winery you come across when you pull off Wine Country Drive into Lovedale.

Allandale Winery was established in 1978, covering 17 acres, they grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Semillon on site, and source their other varietals from other Hunter Valley growers.

View from Allandale Winery

Set high up on the side of the hill looking out over the grapevines the view from Allandale’s back towards Pokolbin goes on for miles.

Looking out over Lovedale from Allandale

We arrived around 10:30 in the morning and after purchasing our tasting glass and meal tickets we headed for the tasting rooms. First cab off the rank was the Verdelho as it’s our favorite style of white wine. It’s a great wine on its own but it also matches perfect with seafood, Indian and Thai food and who doesn’t love at least one of these. Allandale have been awarded several Gold medals and trophies for the Verdelho over the years.

Over the years we’ve found 3 favorite Verdelho’s in the Hunter but now may have to add another to the list, it was very nice.

Allandale staff handing over some knowledge

We also tried the Epitome which is a blend of Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho and Sauvignon Blanc. All of which are grown in the Hunter. Having never tried this we were impressed with how well they do blend together, quite light and fruity.

Lovely country vibe at Allandale

Mel quickly moved onto trying the Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc desert wine. Being a bit of an expert on Hunter desert wines she gave it the thumbs up and I’m sure we will be visiting Allandale in the near future top up the desert wine collection. Perfect with cheese, which we'll surely try soon.

I went onto try several of the reds they had on offer but I’ll confess now I’m not the greatest judge of red wines after just one or two small sips. I prefer to buy a bottle and at least try a glass before I pass any sort of judgment on any red wines. This will be happening when we do venture back out to Allandale.

Being there at 10:30 it was too early to eat but gee it was tempting. The food was supplied by the Olive Tree Restaurant which is based at Wyndham Estate winery. The mains were a choice of Garlic Prawns and Calamari with Crispy Risotto Balls, Roast Tomato Sauce on a Rocket, Olives and Parmesan Salad or Duck Confit with a Cassoulet of Toulouse Sausage, White Beans and Pistou. Both matched with the perfect Allandale wine.

The food sounded and looked delicious, but a bit early at 10.30am for a Duck Cassoulet

The desserts were Chocolate Caramello Cheesecake with Vanilla Bean Crème’ Anglaise or a Binnorie Brie with Crusty Bread and a Fig and Apple Relish.

Now you know why it was tempting to eat despite it being so early.

Our group purchased several different bottles of wine, grabbed a table and settled down to take in the atmosphere on what was a spectacular winters day in the Hunter.

If you are in the Hunter and decide to give Lovedale a try instead of Pokolbin for a change, get to Allandale and give their wines a try. We’ll be heading back there for more Epitome.

Cam and Mel of Hunter Valley Grapevine were paying attendees at the 2011 Lovedale Long Lunch

Allandale Winery

Lovedale Road, Lovedale NSW

Tel: (02) 4990 4526

Lovedale Long Lunch review - part 1

We joined a group of Hunter locals on Sunday the 15^th May for our first taste of the Lovedale Long Lunch.

Mel's pristine LLL wine glass, at 10.30am

We were picked up nice and early by minibus and were into our first glass of wine just after 10:30 in the morning. As you can imagine some details later in the day are a bit harder to recollect.

Not really knowing what to expect when the bus pulled up at Allandale Winery, we were quickly introduced to how big a day this has become. It was only 10:30 in the morning and there must have been well over 500 people there, most of whom were partaking in the various wines and food on offer. We were later told that the crowds on the Saturday were at least double the size.

The best way to enjoy the day is to the purchase the “LLL” meal and glass package which consists of a meal ticket and dessert or cheese platter ticket which can be used at any of the 7 wineries taking part. You also get a “LLL” commemorative tasting glass which allows you to try as many different wines at each venue as you wish.

We had an initial plan of getting to all 7 wineries but it became pretty clear it was going to be too rushed to get in and out of each winery to make all 7 so between everyone on the bus we decided on 4 to visit throughout the day. Between tasting the various wines and buying a different bottle at each venue it seemed the best way to go.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and over the next week or so we’ll give a short review of the 4 wineries we were able to get to on the day.

Cam & Mel of Hunter Valley Grapevine were paying visitors to the Lovedale Long Lunch, no freebies involved

Lovedale Long Lunch
Lovedale NSW

www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au

Lovedale Long Lunch - this weekend - 14-15 May

Back on 4 March we blogged about the Lovedale Long Lunch. Time has flown, and the LLL is on this weekend, 14-15 May!

We are attending the LLL on Sunday, going by mini-bus with a group of locals, we're very much looking forward to it.

The LLL takes in 7 Lovedale vineyards, and we will be visiting them all, taking notes and photos of what's happening.

Over the coming weeks we will blog about the day in general, and individually on each of the vineyards, so stay tuned!

Lovedale Long Lunch

We are paying to attend the LLL, so there will be no holds barred!

Lovedale Long Lunch

Since we moved to the Hunter Valley in 2007 we have not been able to attend one of the features of the HV Calendar - The Lovedale Long Lunch - due to family births, then birthdays. However in 2011, we will be attending, with bells on!

If you have been to Pokolbin, Lovedale is what Pokolbin probably was 10 years ago, not as full of tourists, and not as many vineyards, but a gorgeous spot, with alot of boutique producers of wine, craft, food, etc. Eventually we want to end up living in Lovedale, on a small farm, lovely!

Lovedale Long Lunch

A bit of background info:

HISTORY

The Lovedale Long Lunch was launched in 1994 to market Lovedale as a premium wine producing area and tourist attraction. Now in its 18th year, it includes seven wineries and vineyards to visit over the Long Lunch weekend.

The Lovedale Long Lunch is a progressive-type lunch where visitors wine and dine their way around the seven participating wineries over the weekend enjoying a glass of wine, gourmet food, fabulous music and art.

WINERIES

The seven wineries participating are:

• Gartelmann Hunter Estate - we have not yet been to Gartelmann, so are looking forward to trying their wines and seeing their vineyard
• Wandin Valley Estate - recently sold, we have been to their lovely restaurant for dinner about 18 months ago, again looking forward to trying their wines, the estate is gorgeous, and a popular venue for weddings
• Sandalyn Wilderness Estate - again we haven't tried their wines, however have had their Shiraz recommended.
• Swish Wine @ Warraroong Estate - on a new estate, which includes a lovely old homestead, looking forward to trying their Sauvignon Blanc
• Emma's Cottage Vineyard - we only recently discovered Emma's Cottage, we received a brochure in the mail for a pizza cafe, and went to check it out, and are so glad we did, the vineyard is lovely, and their dessert wine Perfect, is just that. Katie who is there most days manning the cafe & tastings is lovely. And the art gallery including some gorgeous art by owner Megan Barrass is inspiring.
• Allandale Winery - another on our first time taste list, especially their Verdelho.
• Tatler Wines - we have been to Tatler Tapas for dinner, highly recommended if you can afford a night out at the higher end of the budget, but the food was delicious with great service.

Each vineyard either has their own restaurant, or have paired with a local restaurant, to provide food to complement their wines, either entree/main or desserts.

The cost of the 'LLL Meal and Glass Package' is $42, for that you receive:

• 1 x Lovedale Long Lunch Commermorative Glass
• 1 x Meal Ticket
• 1 x Dessert/Cheese Ticket

The tickets can be used at any venue to exchange for a plate of gourmet cuisine.  If you're still a bit peckish you can buy additional Meal tickets for $25, or Dessert/Cheese ticket for $10 at any venue.

There are several transport options, incuding bus packages from Sydney, and shuttle bus packages from Lovedale/Pokolbin.

For more info on the Lovedale Long Lunch visit http://www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au or feel free to contact us at the Hunter Valley Grapevine, as we will be attending and are happy to try and answer your queries or point you in the right direction.