We went, we drank and somehow we remembered to take notes! 

Overall impressions

"We haven't got our tourism act together, it has to be said"

This comment came from someone who owns a vineyard in the area and was in response to us asking why it was so difficult to find an open cellar door. So, has Heathcote got it's tourism act together? Well, if our recent visit is any guide, yes and no.

First the 'no' case. Heathcote is the only place we've seen where a local hotel has a sign telling punters to not even think about using their toilets unless they buy something first. 

More than a few of the cellar doors that are advertised as open in the local wine map were in fact closed, didn't have any wine or didn't open if the weather was bad. Luckily for us one of the 'supposed to be open but wasn't' vineyards had left their toilets unlocked. It was a long drive back to town!

We think having an 'Appointment only' cellar door is quite sensible. It certainly deters the tyre kickers but it only works if people answer their phones. Some of the vineyards in Heathcote are definately not like those late night ads. There are no "people standing by waiting to take your call".

On the other hand, Heathcote is a lovely area and has places like the Emeu Inn which is probably one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. The accommodation was good, the food was excellent and the owners (Fred and Leslye) were friendly and knowledgeable.  She's American, he's German and they met on a flight between Brisbane and Melbourne (bam, multiculturalism right there! - Ed). They definately earned the winepunter's coveted bow of approval. 

Since Leslye knew the Heathcote region so well we asked her about the cellar door situation. "They have day jobs" she replied. She explained that many people who own vineyards in the area have to work one or more other jobs to fund their wine related activities. She also pointed out that the amount of wine produced in some vineyards is such that it sells out in a weekend.

We were glad to hear this explanation because Heathcote has some of the best wine we have ever tried and is home to that wine nerd's favourite 'Duck Muck'. In fact, along with Tassie, Heathcote is a wine region where you like almost everything you try.  Trust us, this is not always the case with mainland wine regions (cough ... the Hunter Valley ... cough - Ed).

Not only that, when you do actually get into a cellar door everyone you meet is funny, interesting and passionate about their wine and their region. Frankly we didn't meet anyone we didn't like and lets hope they thought the same about us! (please like us ... please?!- Ed).

So. Heathcote has got the location, the wine, the people and the accommodation. If they ever get it all together there is no doubt that it will become a world class wine tourism destination.  

Until that happens, Heathcote needs to be approached with a little more preparation and planning than other wine regions. If you are expecting to blow into town, swan around and visit any old cellar door you feel like then you are going to be disappointed.  

An enjoyable visit to Heathcote comes from remembering what your old footy coach used to say "prior preparation prevents pi... " (ok we get the idea - Ed).  So, before you arrive do your research and organise all your appointments. If you are a 'spur of the moment' type of punter lower your expectations, wait for summer or get one of your detail friends to organise the trip. 

Oh and lastly - stay (and eat) at the Emeu Inn and have a meal at the Heathcote pub.

Where did we go, what did we taste

Having dealt with that issue we can turn to some of our wine highlights:

Heathcote Winery

Sitting, as it does, next to where we were staying this winery had us thinking positive thoughts before we even walked in the door (we are very lazy you see - Ed). Stephen Wilkins took us through their very reasonably pricedrange. 

They produce a nice blended white. We tried the 08 Cravens Place MCV (Marsanne, Chardonnay, Viognier) which is a nice solid white for only $15 a bottle! What interested us the most however was the shiraz. This was our first introduction to Heathcote shiraz and really set the tone for the rest of the trip.

All of the shiraz range was good but the standouts were the 07 Curagee Shiraz (big nose, big mouth and long finish!) and the 08 Slaughter House Paddock shiraz which was a very smooth drop with a minty nose and a sharp tanin finish.  

We also got the opportunity to meet Rachael the winemaker and try a barrel sample of a viognier/ shiraz blend which is part of the soon to be released 09 vintage. It was a bit like a bright fruity sangiovese. we really appreciate being given these types of opportunities when we visit a cellar door. It really adds to the experience.

Redesdale Estate

We arrived here unannounced (our fault) and, despite this, Peter made us very welcome. Redesdale wine would be well known to those of you that fly Qantas business class into Asia (we can only dream! - Ed). We tried their 04 cab sav (full nose, smoky tannins on the finish) and 04 shiraz (lovely full taste).

Both these wines were a bit cool but delivered a lot of flavour none the less. Interestingly Peter mentioned that the 'even year' shiraz seems to take longer to develop than the 'odd years' vintages. 

Barnadown Run

This vineyard was very interesting, had a great view of the area and two of the smallest 'wine dogs' we have ever seen. The vines are only irrigated in an emergency so the wine flavours are quite intense.  Here we met Andrew Millis who took us through his range. We really liked the 08 rose (savoury, tight finish - a very serious rose). The other standout was the 06 Jean's Block Shiraz. "The fruit got away from us" Andrew explained. Thank goodness for that. The wine has a big nose, port characters and a slightly acidic finish.

Andrew was a very lively and entertaining bloke and became mega popular when he cracked open his 50 year old muscat and port. The muscat was meant to be his superannuation but unfortunately the wine glut over the last few years has put a dent in that (why can't he lose money in the sharemarket like the rest of us! - Ed). The port can only be described as 'massive' and guaranteed to make port lovers break into their happy dance.

Heathcote II

Sounds like the name of a film or computer game sequel but is in fact a very slick boutique winery run by Peder Rosdal and his business partner (who we did not meet). Peder was there on the day and spent a lot of time explaining his philosophy and the winery's history. Looking at Peder's business card we noticed that he describes himself as 'Individual, Winemaker'. We wondered whether he was a Life of Brian fan but were too afraid to ask. 

We were impressed with the 07 HD shiraz. This wine, which Peder regards as their 'reserve', has a soft peppery nose, good mouthfeel and balanced tannin finish. The other wine we tried was the 07 Myola which is a cabernet merlot. It has great colour and quite a big tannin finish. We would love to try it with a steak or slow cooked lamb dish.

Flynns

This is one of many family run vineyards in the Heathcote area. In fact all of the family are involved no matter what. The oldest is 93 years old with only one leg. "He is getting sick of having to use the hand press" Greg quipped. See that's what you do with the elderly. Don't let them rest in their twilight years, put em' to work! They'll thank you for it!

We were particularly impressed with their 08 verdelho. The big nose certainly fills the passages. It also has a lovely citrus flavour with a nice acid finish.

Wild Duck Creek Estate

This vineyard is open by appointment only. They used to have regular cellar door hours but no one used to visit apparently so they gave up. After being there we don't understand why that could have happened. It was a real highlight. David is a very funny guy, his son Liam is an excellent winemaker and this is where they make Duck Muck! (All the wine nerds are starting to hyperventilate and we completely understand - Ed).

David started us on the 09 Little White Duck viognier. This is their first attempt at a viognier and it's turned out pretty well. It has a big nose, big taste and a lovely rich yellow colour. It is a serious, serious wine.

Next was the 07 Hammer Hill shiraz malbec. The malbec appears to soften the shiraz and what results is a light and bright wine that can be served slightly chilled.

Then it was on to the 06 Spring Flat shiraz. "Bloody beautiful mate" seems to have been the consensus. They also make a fortified shiraz which is something we hadn't previously experienced. We really enjoyed it, bought a bottle and had it with our dessert that night.

We have to mention the Duck Muck of course. We tried the '7th Duck Muck' (07) and it was just like liquid fruit cake. This wine is absolutely massive (17% alcohol) but with no alcohol burn. Amazing. It has a very long finish, apparently some German visitors timed the finish at 32 seconds (oh those fun loving Germans and their stopwatches, what will they get up to next! - Ed). It is an absolute steal at only $250 to $300 a bottle.

Grace Devlin Wines

The 'punching above his weight in the ladies department' goes to Brian Patterson. If you ever see his wife Lee you will know what we mean. An attractive wife and a simple philosophy, "I sell what I don't drink, I don't always have a lot to sell" makes Brian a pretty happy and relaxed person to be around. What's more, we love a bloke in his shed so we felt particularly at home standing in his winery trying the wines.

But it's not just nice looking ladies, we found a couple of pretty tidy wines here as well. For the environmentally aware amongst you Brian and Lee use organic principles in their vineyard so you would be doing the 'right thing by the environment' if you were to purchase any of their wines.

Brian showed us his 08 cabernet/ merlot/ cabernet franc which, despite being bottled young, was a well rounded and very smooth drop. The 08 shiraz was only bottled a month before our visit and Brian admitted it was still a bit raw. We thought it was showing a lot of promise. "It always tastes best as it is running out" Brian assured us and we trust him.

Idavue Estate

It was very wet and cold when we arrived at Idavue, not the best weather for tasting but we're hard core. This vineyard is family owned and doesn't use irrigation on their vines. As a result they often only pick 400kg per acre of fruit. If you are a blues fan (the musical genre not the footy team - Ed) you will be impressed with the cellar door decor and the fact that the vineyard is a regular venue for concerts.

We only tried their reds but they also make a semillon and chardonnay/ semillon. This was the only place we tried a pinot (their 06) and it was quite good. Heavier and more tannic than your average Tassie pinot but very enjoyable especially as it is only $20 a bottle.

We also enjoyed their 06 shiraz cabernet. It was a nicely balanced, fruity big red with a solid finish. But the highlight was definately the 06 shiraz. Even being chilled didn't stop the taste coming through. It had a soft, comfortable mouth feel and is light enough to be drunk regularly but big enough to enjoy.

Sanguine Estate

This was the last vineyard on the trip and is a fantastic looking place. The cellar door is currently inside what can only be described as an aircraft hangar but is in fact their winery. We were fortunate that the owners Tony Hunter and his wife, Linda, were coming up from Melbourne for the day and Tony was very keen to take us through the range. In fact, he was so keen his "taste" was more like a glass, which was ok by us because we liked pretty much everything on offer (thank god for the designated driver!).

07 Chardonnay. This is a chablis style, bright yellow and very tasty wine with a medium acid finish. Really good!

07 Tempranillo. We are big fans of this variety and this wine delivers in a way that you would hope. Fruity, light and with a slight tannin finish. No spittooning here folks.

06 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot. This blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and has a soft fruit taste with a minty tannin finish. We also noticed some alcohol warmth. 

06 Estate Shiraz. This is a great example of a cool climate shiraz. It had the mouthfeel, the fruit highlight and an intense but controlled tannin finish.

06 D'orsa Reserve Shiraz. This wine is named after Tony's great grandfather and is a serious 'adult' shiraz. Well balanced and complex.

We suggest you Google the names of the vineyards we've mentioned if you want to find out more or make an order.

What do you think?  Send us a comment