Located within the gorgeous Yarra Valley wine region lies a 30 hectare resort and spa – Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort & Spa. This 30 hectares of land features 69 spa squites to accommodate guest who are visiting this gorgeous region as well as a fine dining restaurant – Rae’s Restaurant that is headed by head chef Graham Taute who showcases his culinary expertise as well as Balgownie Estate’s award-winning wines.

If you’re looking for a weekend away to relax at a day spa and be dined in luxury, then look no further – Balgownie Estate has you covered. Follow me on my journey, where I visited Balgownie Estate late last year – where I had the opportunity to experience a 7 course degustation dinner matched with ten gorgeous wines.

Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort & Spa

Rae’s Restaurant

Address: 1309 Melba Hwy, Yarra Glen VIC  3775
Phone: 03 9730 0774
Website: here
Twitter: here
Facebook: here
Instagram: here 

Just as you approach the road that connects you to Balgownie Estate, pull over and take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous views that Yarra Valley brings you. Isn’t it gorgeous? Wait until you see the sunset photo later in the post – it’s absolutely breathtaking!

Hello Balgownie Estate!

When I arrived at the resort, I checked in and went exploring the estate to see what it has to offer.

Look! There’s even a huge chess set to play on the gorgeous green lawn. The chest pieces are filled with water!

After exploring, I met up with the other guests at Rae’s restaurant. How gorgeous are the bright red flowers – gives it a warm welcoming feel into the restaurant.

Before the 7 course degustation dinner, we sat down to chat over a glass of beautiful Balgownie Estate NV Premium Cuvee Brut – I love this light bubbly with the fruity aromas.

Upon sitting down in our private room, I am instantly attracted to the beautiful table setting.

First up bread roll served with high quality olive oil.

Shortly after, our first dish arrive – a refreshing cucumber foam with salmon roe. A very delicate dish and a perfect start to the 7 course degustation. Beneath the light airy cucumber foam lies pieces of crispy cucumber pieces. It has a light tangy taste and love the salty burst of flavour from the salmon roe – it complements this dish with a sophistication.

This dish was paired with the Balgownie NV Premium Cuvee that I was drinking earlier.

The next dish is another light and delicate dish - Cauliflower & Goats Cheese Pannacotta, Crisp Parmesan Wafer, Baked Garlic Sourdough, Tomato & Fennel White Balsamic infused Salad.

The cauliflower and goats cheese pannacotta was made to perfection. The two ingredients married well, with none of the ingredients overpowering the flavour of one another. A very light airy pannacotta that made you wanting more. The crisp parmesan wafer was a perfect addition to the dish, allowing you to scrape and coat the crisp wafer with the remaining pannacotta on the plate. Personally I enjoyed the dish with those two elements but the added baked garlic sour dough with the tomato and fennel white balsamic infused salad was a welcome addition, adding extra flavour and texture to the dish.

This dish was paired with a 2013 Black Label Sauvignon Blanc.

Mid way through dinner I spied a gorgeous sunset across the Yarra Valley and decided to sneak out of the dinner to take this photo? Breathtaking right? :)

Next dish was Seared Scallops served with Corn and Coriander Salsa. On paper it seemed like a strange pairing and in all honesty I was concerned that the salsa would over power the delicate taste of the scallop – surprisingly it went really well with each other. The fresh Canadian scallops were cooked to perfection – still retaining its bouncy touch and  still translucent. These scallops were wrapped with a crispy prosciutto. The sweet juicy corn kernels, finely diced tomatoes and onions were bursting with flavour and complemented the dish – adding extra flavour. This was finished off with a beautiful buttery chardonnay butter.

This dish was paired with 2011 Balgownie Estate Chardonnay and 2012 Balgownie Estate Chardonnay.

Next was a Salmon Tasting Plate.
From left to right:
1. Hot smoked salmon with salsa verde
2. Asian inspired gravlax with soy mayo
3. Cold smoked salmon on buckwheat blini with creme fraiche.

The one that stood out for me would be the Asian inspired gravlax with soy mayo. It was an interesting Asian inspiration dish.
This was served with a 2013 Balgownie Estate Pinot Noir.

Our main dish for the night was a Seared Eye Fillet, Blue Cheese Jus, Roasted Turned Potato and Asparagus.
In all honesty I was about 80% full at that stage, and I wasn’t sure how I would manage such a large piece of eye fillet, but surprisingly I was able to get through about 60-70% of the dish. The eye fillet was cooked very well given the size of this eye fillet – cooked medium rare. This was served with a delicious blue cheese jus (OH MY GOODNESS!), fresh asparagus, lentils and a roasted turned potato. The blue cheese jus was beautiful – the blue cheese flavour definitely came through but not overpowering that you cannot handle it. The lentils were cooked perfectly and not overly mushy. Unfortunately I found the roasted turned potato to be slightly undercooked, but other than that this dish was one of my favourite dish for the night.

This dish was washed down with Balgownie Estate’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next up – dessert and cheese.
Chocolate parfait, coconut gel, kirsch cherries and roasted hazelnut praline.
Wow – this dish screams out flavour. A rich in flavour and soft chocolate parfait served with a subtle in flavour coconut gel. Then, when the kirsch cherries hit the palate, woah! flavour explosion – a rather strong alcoholic taste – soaked in one of Balgownie Estate’s red wines (Can’t recall which) and finished off with a beautiful subtle hazelnut praline to add texture and additional flavour to the dish (Not that it needed it!).

This was served with a Balgownie Estate Sparkling Shiraz.

Now comes my favourite part – Cheese board! with muscatels and warm walnut bread. The cheese served were King Island Smoked Cheddar and a South Cape Brie! Absolutely gorgeous. I also loved the walnut bread that was served warm – a light fluffy bread laced with pieces of walnut! Yum!

After a long night of indulgence it was time to head back to our suite to sleep the night. I shared a room with my lovely Maggie from Gastronomical Ramblings.
We stayed up a little bit chatting before hitting the sack, as I had to head to work the very next day.

Here are some photos I took before dinner.
We stayed in a Balgownie Estate One bedroom spa suite.

This room offers a gorgeous view of the Yarra Valley from your own private balcony. Not only that this spa suite has of course a spa bath, king bed (or 2 single bed upon request). The room is 55sqm.

Amenities:
Air Conditioned
Cable TV
Connecting Rooms
Hair dryer
Free internet
In Room Movies
Iron & Ironing board
Kitchenette with Microwave
Mini Bar
Linen & Towels Provided.

There’s also access to a heated swimming pool, gym and steam room.

If you’re interested in staying during Autumn 2015, there’s a package deal available:

BALGOWNIE ESTATE AUTUMN ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE
OVERNIGHT STAY FROM $285.00

Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort & Spa in the Yarra Valley is a destination like no other – a working vineyard and cellar door, restaurant, spa and accommodation site entwined in breath-taking views of green, rolling hills – the perfect place for a relaxing getaway this season with their just released Autumn Accommodation Package.

From just $285.00 per night which includes accommodation in a One Bedroom Spa Suite, Bottle of Cuvee on arrival, Gourmet Buffet Breakfast for Two & A Cheese Plate by the fire in Rae’s Lounge and Complimentary Wine Tastings you can take a well-deserved break in Victoria pre-eminent wine region, The Yarra Valley – just one hour from Melbourne’s CBD.

If you are looking for a relaxing weekend away, why not spoil yourself at this gorgeous 4.5 star retreat in the Yarra Valley – with beautiful views, amazing food and relaxing suites!

Disclaimer: Peach was invited as a guest of Balgownie Estate and Tyrrell PR. All opinions and views on 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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