Sydney, June 22: Welcome to the Shoalhaven Coast wine area, about to stage its inaugural wine festival from June 11 to 14.
Grapevines are nothing new to this coastal and hinterland sweep; recorded plantings go back to 1864, and some vineyards, such as the renowned Coolangatta Estate, are long established. Others, such as Crooked River at Gerringong, are just getting into the swing.
Its wines are young and sassy (try the Arneis: white, dry, crisp; and the intriguing white port, if there's a bottle left), and Luke's food is superb.
He calls the evening fare the five-course "tasting" menu. A tip: don't have anything more than a salad for lunch before fronting this banquet.
After the complimentary canape comes a sweetcorn chowder with grilled marinated scallops, fragrant mint, curry oil and ocean trout pearls; then organic galantine of seared duck, then succulent hoi sin pork belly, followed by sorbet then tasty frenched double lamb cutlet and a superb caramelised apple pithivier .
Despite the chill, the deck gets autumn sun, warm enough to laze on the chaise longues, read, gaze and graze on the local lunch fare picked up along the way at the nearby Gerringong Gourmet Deli and Cafe.
Out to sea, the white caps are churning but fishing boats are bobbing about, fisherfolk are down on the Seven Mile Beach shores and a mass of wetsuited boardies are taking instruction from the Land's Edge Surf School.
Bureau Report
