TarraWarra Estate

Slow, Seasonal, Sunday

Address: 311 Healesville – Yarra Glen Road, Yarra Glen
Phone: 03 5962 3311
Website: Tarra Warra
Twitter: @TarraWarra 
Facebook: TarraWarra
Instagram: @TarraWarra

Ahhh… TarraWarra – I have very fond memories of TarraWarra. If you’ve been following my blog, you will remember that I had an opportunity of a lifetime to take part of the event ‘TarraWarra Comes to Town, A reunion & Union Dining”

Last month, the lovely and very supportive Kathy Lane of Fireworks PR emailed me whether I would be interested in going down to TarraWarra Estate in Yarra Valley for a Slow, Seasonal Sunday where Ian Curley of The European + Kirks Wine Bar, and TarraWarra’s Head Chef Robin Sutcliffe collaborate and prepare a four course shared meal. Slow Seasonal Sunday is a four part series following the seasons. The one I attended was the first of the four part series, and they prepared dishes using Spring produce.

So I took a mini road trip to Yarra Valley with the lovely Jess (we both live about half n hour away from Yarra Valley). It was a rainy Sunday, but things became better the moment we arrived at TarraWarra.

When we arrived, I was greeted Ben Yoffa – Sales & Marketing of TarraWarra. It felt so surreal getting to see the wine barrels because we usually just get to see the finished product in the wine bottles!
First off wine tasting – the gorgeous 2012 TarraWarra Estate Pinot Noir Rosé. The 2012 TarraWarra Estate Pinot Noir Rose tasted exactly how I remember it – a light-bodied, fruity wine with strawberry notes. Perfect way to start a rainy Sunday.
Wow – this spinach and watercress soup was amazing. The spinach and watercress blended until super smooth and served with a dollop of cream and salmon caviar pearls on top and even some at the bottom of the cup. I love how they served it in a matte charcoal black cup – very stylish and fitting for TarraWarra’s brand. I loved it so much I had two. Shhh don’t tell anyone!
In the same room there was also a demonstration by Simon Poole – The European’s in-house butcher where he showed an array of this artisan charcuterie and house made condiments.
Okay foodies, be prepared to be blown away with Simon Poole’s extravagant Artisan Charcuterie that brought to Slow Seasonal Sunday. Here is a list of the fanciest artisan charcuterie list that you will ever come across on this blog!

Simon Poole’s Artisan Charcuterie played emphasis on: Wild Deer, Wild Wallaby, Tasmanian 9 Score Wagyu and Special Breed Victorian Pork.

Salami:

• Finnochino (Wild Fennel & Tamworth Pork);
• French Rosette with White Truffles (Pork, White Truffle, Pistachio & Brandy)
• Finnochino Salvaggino (Wild Deer, Wild Wallaby, Grappa, White Pepper, Fennel Pollen)
• Fegatelli Mugnardese (Twiggy Stick of Pork Live, Wild Deer, Bathtub Grappa, 5 types of chilli)

Single Muscle Charcuterie

• Double Smoked Honey Ham rubbed in maple and smoked on the bone
• Pastrami of Victorian Black Angus – brined for a month, then pepper and maple crusted, smoked over oak and hickory for 8 hours.
• Lard di Colonnatta – slab of special breed back fat, rubbed in clove and rosemary, pressed and cured for 3 months.
• Wagyu Bresoala, 9 score girello, cured for 2 weeks and stuffed in ox bung, hung for 3 months.

Terrine

• Jurassic Quail, Wild Rabbit and Duck wrapped in house made Bacon
• Terrine of Pigs Trotter, Prune and Pine Nut.

I was lucky enough to try all of them – all of which I enjoyed thoroughly. If I was to choose two favourite charcuterie items it would be the French Rosette with White Truffles and the naughty Lard di Colonnatta!

The artisan charcuterie were served with seasonal fermented vegetables:

• Green Adelaide tomatoes, celery seed, chill and basil.
• Cornichons, w fresh turmeric and flowering dill.
• Roasted poblano peppers w. black garlic and treacle.
• Spiced wild fermented purple sauerkraut, and wild fermented green sauerkraut.
• Baby artichokes pickled in white balsamic and tarragon, and
• Baby onions pickled in green chill and saffron, escabeche style.

The fermented vegetables were so moreish as they were fermented perfectly and was the perfect accompaniment to the artisan charcuterie.

The artisan charcuterie, fermented vegetables as well as the other entrees (see below) were paired with the 2012 TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay and 2012 TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay.

Back in 2013, I had the opportunity to try out the 2011 TarraWarra Estate Reserve Chardonnay (Read it here). The difference with the 2012 TarraWarra Estate Reserve Chardonnay is that it displays a level of fine complexity with lime and white peach aromas and lime zest. The fruit selected for this Chardonnay is selected from their original vineyard planted in 1983.

The only difference between the Reserve Chardonnay is the approach. It results in tank fermentation and selection of different barrels and fruit parcels.

As the climate for 2012 was considered ideal conditions due to the warm climate This allowed the winemakers to pick the fruit at their optimal stage without having to use acid and fining agents in making the wine.

The other entree we had was a light dish – cured salmon served with fennel, dill and orange. Love the freshness of the salmony and the citrusy taste of the sweet oranges.
Next up are the reds – 2012 TarraWarra Estate Pinot Noir and 2012 TarraWarra Estate Reserve Pinot Noir.
The 2012 TarraWarra Estate Reserve Pinot Noir has aromas of raspberries, rose petals, plum and restrained cedar oak.
2012 was considered the most ideal climate for red wines – warm days and cool nights – this results in a well balanced and beautiful flavour.
There was only a small block for the 2012 TarraWarra Estate Reserve Pinot Noir.

The 2012 TarraWarra Estate Pinot Noir, is made the same way as the Reserve except it was produced using different fruit parcels and barrel combinations.

It’s funny how I used to not like red wines, but I’ve grown to like red wine now :)
Okay – I absolutely loved this salad – mixed leaves, radish, verjuice, heirloom zucchini, currants, pine nuts, pecorino.
Gorgeous green colour with hints of red from the radish.
What I love about this dish is the freshness of the ingredients – all the ingredients married well with each other thanks to the saltiness of the shaved pecorino, the subtle sweetness of the popping currants and the nutty crunch from the pine nuts.
This next dish absolutely blew me away to the moon and back. I’ve never had any dish quite like this but a Silverbeet gratin, walnut, apple, and Yarra Valley Dairy Goat’s Cheese.

Never have I ever thought that silverbeet would taste this delicious. Can you see those round things in the gratin? They are the smooth, creamy Yarra Valley Dairy Goat’s Cheese. The creaminess of the Yarra Valley Dairy Goat’s Cheese is what marries all the ingredients together.

Also the apple and walnuts were a surprise ingredient but apple gave the dish a very subtle tang, while the walnuts gave the dish the textural crunch. Very clever. The walnuts was the one ingredient that had us guessing, because we couldn’t guess what nut was used in the dish. Love Love – perfect spring dish.

By the end of this blog post you will realise that I loved each and every dish – each for their own reasons.
This next dish has left me dreaming constantly of this dish. This Yarra Valley Slow Wet Roasted Spring Lamb + Brioche Crumb would be the star of the Slow Seasonal Sunday. The spring lamb was deliciously tender, so tender that it felt like eating soft butter. The spring lamb pretty much fell off the bone. I love the brioche crumb that gave the spring lamb a textural element to it.
My plating!
The last glasses of wine we had that afternoon (Thank you Jess for driving) – 2012 TarraWarra J Block Shiraz and 2012 TarraWarra Estate K Block Merlot.

The 2012 TarraWarra J Block Shiraz has cherry notes and spicy aromas. This wine  was co-ferment of Shiraz with two percent Roussane.

The 2012 TarraWarra Estate K Block Merlot was the last wine I had that day – it’s medium bodied with plum notes. The older vines produced balanced fruit in 2012 which gives the wine the fruit characters and palate definition.

Slow, Seasonal Sunday would not be complete without a well made dessert and a cheese platter.
The dessert served was a Chocolate, Olive Oil Mousse + Balsamic Strawberries and Turkish Delight.
This dessert is very similar to the dessert I had last year, and the only difference is the use of balsamic strawberries and crumbed pistachio.
Other than those differences, the dessert was exactly how I remember it. Smoothy creamy olive oil dark chocolate moussed served with a tart strawberry with a balsamic reduction.

The Turkish Delight is made in house using the 2012 TarraWarra Estate Pinot Noir Rosé. Love how soft and chewy this turkish delight was. If they sold this – I would buy it buy the box, hide in the closet and eat it all myself!

And to end the marvellous Slow Seasonal Sunday was a cheese platter – Farmhouse Cheese Platter that consists of Grapes, Walnuts, Quince Paste and some AMAZING cheese. Healey’s Pyengana Cheddar (Tasmania), La Peral Blue (Astrurias Spain), and Le Marquis Chèvre du Pelussin (Rhone Valley France).

The Healey’s Pyengana Cheddar is considered as the oldest specialist cheese, with the word Pyengana meaning ‘Meeting Place of rivers.’ It’s a crumbly type of cheese with a herby aroma. One of the best cheddar cheese I’ve had.

The La Peral Blue is made in Spain where the traditions are still kept. The La Peral Blue is made out of cow’s milk and has a full bodied taste. It’s not a strong blue cheese, and would be perfect for any blue cheese starters.

Le Marquis Chèvre du Pelussin is made in France using goat’s milk. This cheese is made using modern techniques where the thin rind that covers the goat’s milk is covered with slow growth moulds and bacteria. It’s soft and silky in taste and mild in taste.

What an amazing start to a four part series of the Slow, Seasonal, Sunday. It’s not just any Sunday lunch but an exceptional lunch where you get to experience different wines that are professional matched with amazing dishes created by Ian Curley.
Cant wait for the next instalment!

Disclaimer: I attended Slow, Seasonal, Sunday as a guest of TarraWarra and Fireworks PR. All opinions and views on www.peach-water.com are honest and purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the product

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