Autumn 2010
Cellar
It's autumn and with temperatures falling, a number of new local and international wines have been added to the Royal Mail Hotel cellar.
From nearby Tarrington, in the Henty wine region, Hochkirch's 2006 ‘Maximus' Pinot Noir is being matched to the Restaurant's fiercely seasonal wild mushroom dish: Wild mushroom, calamari, hints of autumn. Hochkirch, incidentally, the former name of the township of Tarrington, is about fifteen kilometres to the south-west of Dunkeld. Beautiful, close-planted, cool climate fruit is handled with the utmost respect producing quality, certified biodynamic wine with the added benefit of a deliberate low-sulphur regime. This is ‘natural' wine-making, very close to home.
From Macedon the fine Pinot Noirs of Domaine Epis and Curly Flat have been added, the former impressed Jancis Robinson, the leading UK wine scribe on her recent Australian Pinot tasting. Cult Australian winery Rockford, in the Barossa valley, have delivered their iconic Basket Press Shiraz, sparkling Black Shiraz and Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon to us here in the wilds of western Victoria, and it's a real honour for us to have their wines, as they're notoriously difficult to procure here in the eastern states of Australia.
From the old world, a smattering of Alsatian and Austrian rieslings have been added, as has a raft of new shelving to make space for a whole lot more!
The Hotel's current wine list displays a selection of more than 2,300 titles over 72 pages, offering one of Australia's most comprehensive and varied collections of Australian and international wines at age. Please feel free to download a copy of the list here.
Royal Mail sommelier, Jeremy Shiell presents cellar tours and tastings for the public every Saturday at 4pm. Please book in advance as places are limited. Enquiries and bookings T 03) 5577 2241.