Perth's beautiful balmy weather was enough to tempt me to out to experience the Perth Royal Wine Show hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) and the Queens Hotel, for the Third Vintage Wine Loft event last month. My sister-in-law and I managed to find an empty table outside and we enjoyed a drink with the Friday night crowd before heading upstairs to see what five Pemberton wineries had on offer.
The pop up cellar door was part of RASWA's commitment to bring WA's best regional wine, food and agricultural produce to the heart of Perth. Pemberton is a four hour drive south of Perth, nestled among unique and spectacular Karri trees. One of the wineries on show was Bellarmine. I favoured the Pinot Noir while my sister-in-law liked the fruity flavoured Riesling.
Available throughout the night were oysters from Cowell Bay in South Australia, freshly shucked by Carl Thee Oyster Shucker. Although they looked and smelled fresh, I am not a huge fan of the slimy molluscs but I tried to tempt my sister-in-law into eating one as she's never tasted an oyster before. My powers of persuasion were obviously lacking and they remained someone else's snack.
Hidden River Estate's Hidden Valley Shiraz was my pick of the night and retails at $24 a bottle. It is described as 'having pepper and licorice characteristics' which my palate appreciated and it jumped to the top of my list. I prefer to drink white wines during the day and I am partial to a red at night but I did try as many as possible. Also on their menu was a Rose, Merlot and Tawny Port.
A grazing station provided much needed sustenance to see us through 25 different wines and was available to nibble on during the tastings. The food was supplied by a range of Premium Produce Award Winners including Triple Cream Brie by King Island and sourdough and rye bread by Little Home Bakery. Dips and cold meats also complemented other cheeses like Queso Iberico, Maffra Farmhouse Cheddar and Gorgonzola Dolce. There was plenty for everyone but it soon depleted as it was so good.
Next drop we tried was from Howard Park who are based in Denmark and Cowaramup. The Sauvignon Blanc Semillon was voted a clear winner by the both of us.
Dodging people milling around each table we squeezed to the front to sample the offerings from Silkwood Estate and Lost Lake winery, both of which are based in Pemberton. My sister in law said she thought the Silkwood Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon smelled like passionfruit and it did, it was quite a strong aroma. My last glass was a lovely Lost Lake Chardonnay.
Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited as a guest.With the warm weather and throng of people in such a small space it got extremely hot so we took our glasses and sipped Chardonnay on the balcony of the Queens Hotel. It was the perfect way to finish off our Friday night.
The Queens Hotel is located at 520 Beaufort Street, Highgate.
Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday and brunch on Sundays.
Monday to Thursday 10am to 11pm
Friday and Saturday 10am to 12am
Sunday 9am till late.
