Hunter Valley
In November 2020, we went for a short vacation trip to the Hunter Valley--about a two-hour drive north from us. We started with a wine tasting and picnic at the Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard in Pokolbin.
The vineyard's history is interesting as it is one of the oldest vineyards in Australia, acquired by the Wilkinson family in 1866. Audrey Wilkinson took over his father's vineyard at the age of only 15 years, with his father having died. He assumed the daunting role of running the family’s vineyard which he did until he died at the age of 85 in 1962. Audrey was blessed with a wonderful sense of taste and produced some of the finest wines in Australia. In 1897, Audrey helped develop leading-edge technology such as cement fermenters and steam-powered crushers and hopper. In 2004, the Agnew family enters the Australian wine industry with the acquisition of the historic Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard in the Hunter Valley.
We then checked into the Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens for two nights. On our first night, we booked dinner at éléments which is run by executive chef Michael Watson "who has created a menu with an elements base, influenced by the flavours of France and Italy. Michael brings extensive experience to the kitchen, a finely tuned palate and a passion for excellence. éléments signature dish - duck confit has been an inspiration throughout Michael’s career and takes a different form across the seasons. To enhance the dining experience, food and beverage manager Amanda wise has paired éléments menu with Hunter Valley wines which enables the wines to be fully appreciated. The interior design of éléments is boutique and overlooks stunning manicured gardens with a feature fountain, éléments offers a unique space to dine and engage." After reading this announcement, we had expected a great culinary experience , but the food was rather ordinary.
The next morning, we visited the Hunter Valley Gardens which are advertised as the largest Display Gardens in the Southern Hemisphere--we left rather disappointed after 30 minutes as the only word that came to mind was kitsch. In addition to the rather underwhelming gardens, they were full of plastic Christmas decoration including life-size reindeer and large plastic sculptures in the shape of Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.
Then, we did a wine tasking at Andrew Thomas Winery which was really impressive in style, how the wines were presented including the display of soil samples and taste, how the wine tasted and which convinced us to purchase a few cases and also sign up for their wine club.
In the evening, we had an excellent chef's tasting dinner at EXP Restaurant in Pokolbin: (1) Hiramasa Kingfish, fennel pollen vinegar, chilli ferment and Hunter Wagyu Tartare, beef fat emulsion, eschallot and Duck Ham, macadamia, focaccia, (2) Sourdough, cultured butter, native seasoning, (3) Zucchini, cherry truss tomato, lemon verbena, society garlic, (4) Petuna Ocean Trout, shiitake, mushroom xo, radish, native pepper, (5) Paroo Kangaroo, onions, black garlic, beetroot & davidson plum, (6) Canelé, milk & honey, (7) Wild Fennel Cheesecake, mulberry, caramelised white chocolate, waffle.
Here a video of the Hunter Valley experience: