Easter Trip 2009 Mudgee was somewhere I meant to visit, but never quite made it to over the years. This year, I was lucky enough to get the time off work and a great bunch of wine enthusiasts to go along with me.
We started off on Friday morning, hoping for the best with Sydney traffic, but fearing the worst. We traveled via Castle Hill to pick a friend, then took the M2 road to Windsor, Richmond. The road then changes to the Bells Line Rd, and brings you through the Blue Mountains all the way to Mudgee via Lithgow on the number 86 road. It was my first time going this way, and I have to say a lot more picturesque then the usual Western Highway route, via Katoomba. All in all total it took 4 hours.
I had arranged to meet my friends at Logan wines on route. They are situated 20 minutes drive east of Mudgee on the main road. It’s not hard to spot, as the sign posts are large, and the winery is situated on quite a steep hill. The cellar door is immaculate with a large tasting area, and ample seating outside for those beautiful relaxing evenings sipping a glass of his Sydney wine show gold medal sauvignon blanc. The landscape is breathtaking with panoramic views in all directions. I was lucky enough to meet chief winemaker and owner Peter Logan. We started sampling his entry level range called Apple Flat. Made with Mudgee fruit, I reckon these are probably the best $10- $12 wines I tried over the trip. Next up were the Weemala range. These wines are sourced from both Mudgee and Orange Regions. There’s a couple of beauties here too, with the pinot gris being my pick of the bunch. They were all priced at roughly $15 a bottle. Lastly we tried the Logan Series range. All the fruit for these wines is sourced from Orange nearby. Again all outstanding value at about $30. I was surprised to see a moscato on the list, but was impressed by the quality. The rose for me was outstanding too. All in all well worth a visit.
Next we made the short drive to new winery Optimiste. I met Charlene a few weeks before at the store, and was impressed that such a new winery could create such interesting wines. She invited me up for a glass of wine, so being Irish I had to oblige. To my great delight I quickly discovered that there wasn’t any cellar door, but rather a cross country trip across 3 fields to get to their house! I was pretty unsure where to go so asked a friendly farmer for advice. It turned out that friendly farmer was none other that Chris, Charlene’s husband. He greeted us warmly and showed us where to go. At the house we tried their Marquis (Bordeaux blend of cabernet, merlot and petit verdot). Very well crafted, rich and powerful character with lots of class. They also produce a shiraz, cabernet, chardonnay, and straight petit verdot. All in all a fantastic experience, and with a cellar door being built in the next few years, definitely worth a visit.
We stayed at Kirima Cottages outside the town. Affordable, quiet, and would recommend. The next day the rain started, and never stopped for the day. The was a farmers market on, but was hard to get around due to the bad conditions. There was lots of shopping for the girls though, and many great cafes for lunch. Mudgee reminds one of a Sydney suburb with a real country feel. We had a winery tour organised through Mick and Jen Mudgee winery tours. Mick was a true blue Ozzie and made the day relaxed and fun info@onthebus.com.au.
Our first visit was to Oakley wines. Unfortunately the cellar door was packed and service as a result very poor. We sampled the Wild Oats and Robert Oatley range and finally Montrose wines. I enjoyed the Montrose range most, but didn’t speak to anyone about the wines so left without buying any.
Next was Robert Stein. His rose was exceptional, made with cabernet sauvignon. There was also a semillon riesling blend that certainly leaning a bit leftfield. Very interesting vintage ports, and heaps to try.Again the cellar door was full, but the ladies looking after us were first class. There was an interesting port there that you could but in a 10 litre flagon too!
Next off to Farmers Daughter wines. There wasn’t too many to choose from but all in all good affordable wines and a good service.
Then off to Pieter Van Gent, who practices the ever problematic task of bio dynamics and organic vines. The cellar door was so busy that the opened another out the back, where we were lucky enough to be looked after by Philip Van Gent (Pieter’s son). There almost a hippy esk vibe to the winery, and with everyone working there walking around with red hands, it was easy to see they were all working hard at vintage. Their wines were the pick of the day, especially the Muller Thurgau (original German variety) and 2004 cabernet which was aged for 4 years in barrel. A great range of ports (including a white port) finished the winery tour that day in the best possible way.
Mick, our driver was kind enough to stop off at Mudgee brewery for half an hour, so we could sample the local brew. Just what any wine lover needs after a day of sampling – a cold crisp beer.
The next day we had just enough time to go to Peterson’s winery. we had tried his 1998 sparkling ‘Rhiannon’ which is aged for 7 years on lees before final bottling. Exceptional quality and a must try. Their line up was impressive to say the least. Great wines with a definite Mudgee character. I particularly like their shiraz’s. Colin is another legend of a winemaker and a great guy to boot. His medal for ‘bulls..t artist of the year’ behind the counter needs no explanation.
Then back to Sydney unfortunately, via the High Valley Cheese and Wine Factory, which was great too. Next time I’d like to try Di Lusso Estate, with their Italian varietals, Huntington, Lowe Family, Andrew Harris, Frog Rock, Clearview, Louee, and of course Cooks Lot, who are doing great things there too. A great weekend away anytime of the year, and wineries there that are improving with age.
Cheers, Denis