Mudgee Food and Wine
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It’s a crisp bright morning in Mudgee in the Central Tablelands of NSW, and the sun is shining on the latte drinkers outside Eltons in Market Street.
Around the corner in Lawson Park, the Saturday market is in full swing. There’s much excitement at Tracey Barzilay’s stall because the night before, her ‘Nof Harim Estate’ extra virgin olive oil won two gold medals at the Olive Growers Mudgee sixth annual awards.
“We did an early harvest and picked them when they’re greener,” she says.
“We won a bronze a couple of years ago and have improved since then.”
The Barzilays have 500 olive trees on their property plus a greenhouse where they grow tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums and fresh green herbs, quite a feat in the middle of a frosty winter.
Barzilay is one of a band of enthusiastic small commercial food producers you’ll find at the Saturday markets and at various cellar doors and restaurants throughout Mudgee. Some, such as Angela Leonard of ‘Angela’s Edibles’, are Mudgee born and bred, while others such as Reg and Penny Mowat (‘Mowats of Mudgee’), are “tree changers”.
“I’m passionate about the Mudgee Valley, its seasons, its produce and the people who grow it,” says Leonard. “I use the cumquats in my own garden or the quinces from a grove of trees growing along the Cudgegong River or SarJay’s locally grown vegetables. My aim is to capture the essence of Mudgee in a jar.”
Her beetroot relish is terrific - you’ll find it on the menu at the Cobb & Co Court restaurant in Market Street where chef Scott Tracey serves it with seared peppered loin of kangaroo with roasted baby vegetables.
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“Mudgee is a fantastic place for farming,” says Jane Wilson, joint winemaker with David Lowe at the Lowe Family Wine Company. “There’s a very healthy mix of large and small farming and the young people who move here bring a lot of intellectual property with them and are committed to living here.”
Nicknamed the “compost queen of Mudgee”, Wilson, who originally trained as a vet, is an ardent supporter of biological farming.
“It’s old science,” she quips. “As soon as there’s an oil or water crisis, people get smart in farming.” She points out that with the addition of the right compost, you can double the soil’s organic matter which in turn leads to better water retention, essential in times of drought.
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Mudgee’s red earth, clay-based soils are ideal for grape vines, though it struggles to compete with the more showy shopfront image of the Hunter Valley as a wine-tourism destination.
Primary plantings consist of traditional whites such as chardonnay (Mudgee is the birth place of Australian chardonnay), semillon and riesling and reds such as cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot and pinot. More recently, sangiovese, barbera and zinfandel have been introduced.
A 3–4 hour drive from Sydney, it sits in a pretty basin surrounded by hills (the word Mudgee is derived from the Wiradjuri term Moothi meaning "nest in the hills") and is the third largest grape-growing region in NSW. This year it celebrates 150 years of wine-making.
September is a good month to pay a visit to this pretty region. Not only are the buds about to burst and the days longer and warmer, but the whole month is devoted to events celebrating the wine and food of the area. With over 40 individual cellar door outlets and events which include a picnic at Lawson Park, Lebanese Feasts at Deeb’s Kitchen (with belly dancer), a Feast of the Senses dinner at Wild Oats Cafe and a Bubbly Brunch at Logan Wines (arguably the most stylish winery in Mudgee), there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Quirky events such as the annual goat race at di Lusso Estate and the “Come and spit on our floor” experience in the working barrel room at Pieter van Gent Winery add to the fun. Honesty and drinkability are words often applied to Mudgee wines, and as you visit the various wineries, you’ll find a wide wide range of boutique wines made with passion, quality and skill.
If all that doesn’t keep you busy, take a leisurely drive out to the historic town of Rylstone and visit the Lakelands Olives Tasting Room where you can taste their multi award-winning extra virgin olive oil and olives. The emerging Mudgee olive industry has led to a number of cellar-styled operations which include The Olive Nest on Pipeclay Lane where you can sample a range of extra virgin olive oils, olives, tapenades and soaps.
Oh, and don’t leave town without a bar or two of Eltons’ Hazelnut Nougat. Made with locally grown hazelnuts and Mudgee honey, it’s the perfect pick-me-up as you wind your way home over the ranges.
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Sheridan Rogers was a guest of Tourism NSW Destination:
Mudgee is 3 /12 hours by car from Sydney.
Regional Express Airlines has regular flights Sydney-Mudgee.
Stay: Evanslea B&B
146 Market Street, Mudgee
Luxury cottages, all with breakfast served in the breakfast room or a breakfast basket.
Rates are from $224 to $400 per night.
Ph: 02 6372 4116
Website: www.evanslea.com
More: Drop into the Visitor Information Office in Market Street for the September Wine Festival guide or go to www.mudgeewine.com.au
www.mudgeefinefoods.com.au
www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au
Make sure to check cellar door opening times before visiting.
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