We have a new name for our brewery!

We now offer 12 craft brews on tap, to look at, to admire, and to

taste… Regulars will be relieved to hear we continue to offer

our unique beer tasting paddle, and that we are still making

onsite our traditional Alcoholic Ginger Beer.

With the name change also comes a new blackboard menu and

a total refurbishment, which we hope you will agree is stunning.

So please stop by soon and check out our new craft brews and

facilities.

Cheers and Merry Christmas along with a safe Happy New Year

from all of us...

Imbibe Christmas 2014

Do you just LOVE dessert?

We have just opened La Glace Dessert Bar and Gourmet Produce…

La Glace is the oldest and probably best confectionary in Denmark. Founded in the middle of old Copenhagen in 1870. it has through six generations delivered joy and quality to Copenhagen and its

visitors.

The owners of Hunter Valley Resort also have generations of Danish heritage. Great grandparents, grandparents, and parents of the current generation were all hoteliers in Copenhagen. And La Glace

was their favourite cafe growing up.

In the best of Danish tradition, please come in and visit La Glace Dessert Bar at Hunter Valley Resort for the freshest Ice Creams, Chocolate, Cakes, also local Jam & Olive oils, candles, soap, and of

course awesome organic coffee...

Hunter Valley Resort ABN 89 003 384 307 Hermitage Road Pokolbin NSW 2320 P: 02 49987777 ext 5 F: 02 49987787 wines@HunterResort.com.au www.HunterResort.com.au

Wh

ites

2012 Lisa McGuigan WILD

THING SEMILLON

This Semillon is from the Hunter Valley 2012 vintage, the perfect region to grow Semillon. As the name suggests wild yeast has been used to ferment this wine, which gives a slight fragrance of 'pong' but still retains crisp citrus notes and lovely toasty characters.

2013 The Helé Family - Semillon Sauvignon Blanc A blend of 85% Hunter Semillon and 15% Orange Sauvignon Blanc made specially for Hele Family reserve. Although only 15% Sauvignon Blanc , the orange component of the wine generates a fruity, slightly textured wine with a truly satisfying mouthfeel. The Semillon of course provides a lively citrus freshness to the finish. A staff favourite.

2014 Polin & Polin Convicts & Catholics Verdelho With colour of light straw, the wine has an elegant nose of citrus and melon backed with mineral characteristics. The palate is soft, crisp and fruity and is supported by seductive acidity. Great structure and length lead to a mouth watering finish. A great wine for a hot summer day sitting on the deck. Drink now.

2011 Polin & Polin Convicts & Catholics Chardonnay The 2011 chardonnay is the first release in the Convicts & Catholics range. The wine is in the contemporary style being more fruit forward and less oaked than the chardonnays of days gone by. Generous aromas of melon and citrus and a light crisp finish. Enjoy with your favourite chicken or seafood dish.

2013 Majors Lane Pinot Grigio

These low yielding vines located in the heart of Lovedale produce a wine that fresh and vibrant. A hint of citrus up the sides of the pallet and tropical fruit flavours through the middle. This gives the wine beautiful complexity and clean finish. Food match-: Antipasto platter

2012 Stormy Ridge Verdelho An elegant wine with soft/creamy lees texture and a long finish. Full flavoured with citrus dominant, lime and mineral with a floral edge of elderflower. The fruit weight and acidity are beautifully balanced. Would work particularly well with some late afternoon seafood appetisers.

Red

s

2009 Crisford Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot

Neal Crisford hand crafts this

wine primarily from Cabernet

Franc grapes he grows on his

small Hermitage Road vineyard.

Aroma of plum, anise and cherry

with ripe black cherries on the

palate. Round and easy finishing

with firm soft tannins. Two

glasses and a companion on the

veranda at sunset is all you

need. Well maybe add a fresh

paté de foie gras and lightly

toasted bread if you are hungry.

2012 Andrew Thomas - Two Of A Kind Shiraz The blend consists of Hunter Valley Shiraz (38%) and McLaren Vale Shiraz (62%). The dominance of the McLaren Vale parcel in this vintage shines through with intense, fleshy, dark berry and plum like fruit, which is nicely supported by the vibrant red berry fruit, spice and savoury texture from the Hunter shiraz. This wine has the attributes to cellar well over the next five to ten years, yet its fruit intensity and supple tannin structure make it enjoyable in its youth, particularly with food.

2013 Margan Family - SHIRAZ Dark plum in colour this wine is displaying ripe berries, hints of black pepper and regional earthiness typical of Hunter Valley Shiraz. Palate length is enhanced with subtle integration of new and used oak which adds complexity and depth to the wine. Although drinking well now, the firm tannin structure will ensure this Shiraz will develop further over the next 7-10 years.

2013 Lisa McGuigan Pinot Noir

Way to go Lisa! By popular demand,

Lisa McGuigan has supplied us with

our first Pinot Noir offering in years.

Translucent light garnet in colour

with Black Forrest Cake, fresh

mown hay and allspice on the nose.

Flavours of Morello cherries and

chocolate dominate the elegant

palate. Round and elegant, but no

light weight with firm chalky tannins

on the finish. Made in the Hunter

2013 Majors Lane Wines “Peppercorn Block” Shiraz

Another cracker by Elvis at

Majors Lane! A bit deeper than

the 2011. Medium red colour

with bright crimson meniscus.

Deep aroma of leather

Chesterf ie ld couch wi th

molasses and dried plum.

Complex palate of blackcurrent

and gingerbread dominant on

the palate. Pronounced green

peppercorn.

2013 Margan Family Merlot

Thank you Andrew and family.

Another easy drinker. Hunter Merlot

is different: lighter, more elegant

and tightly structured than those

from other regions. Medium

crimson in colour with earthy black

liquorice and truffle nose reveal

fresh red cherries on the palate.

Nice finish with firm acidity. This

wine is a natural match with many

foods.

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

Wild thing... you make my heart sing...

Tim the Chef - Cider glazed Christmas Ham

1 Leg ham (bone in ham) 2 stubbies of dirty granny apple cider 250ml honey 125ml apple cider vinegar 60gm Dijon mustard 25gms butter 2 teaspoons chili powder 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Method

Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham,

making diamond shapes 1cm. Cover and bake at 140° for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cider, honey, vinegar and

mustard; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes,

stirring frequently. Stir in the butter, chili powder and allspice. Set aside

250ml for serving. Cook the remaining sauce until thickened; spoon over

ham. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes longer Warm reserved sauce; serve

with ham.

Welcome Lisa McGuigan Wines—Growing up less than a kilometre from our cellar door, Lisa McGuigan, was born with the Hunter running through her veins. As a fourth generation winemaker, Lisa has put all her passion into her new brand, Lisa McGuigan Wines. Sourcing fruit from the best regions in Australia, her wines are made her in the Valley in close collaboration with her good friend, former Hunter Winemaker of the Year, Liz Jackson. In recent times by far the majority of Hunter Valley wines are made using an inoculated cultured yeast strain - the advantage being a more consistent and predictable outcome. However, some winemakers have recently been challenging themselves and crafting some truly premium wines using the more traditional method of allowing naturally occurring wild yeast to ferment the juice. The Lisa McGuigan „Wild Thing‟ Semillon is one of these wines. The Semillon has undoubtedly a different flavour profile to most other Semillons produced in the region. The wine has a funky yeasty aroma and when tasting the „Wild Thing‟ you may notice a „juicy‟, slightly more textured Semillon, yet the wine still retains a citrus finish and refreshing acids. The use of wild yeast is often seen as being slightly risky. The increased complexity generated make for an interesting tasting experience and point of difference at a time when many are seeking a wine made with a minimal interventionist approach.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe… Part 2 (Part 1 in our last newsletter; Call Bill if you want him to send it to you!)

Last time we determined that each wine is unique in regard to how long it should breathe. Not to mention the wine drinker! Consequently, sometimes aeration is a good idea and sometimes it is not. In fact, unless we pierce the closure and sip the wine quickly through a straw, all wine will receive some aeration, e.g. when it is poured into the glass. Additional aeration is provided by drinkers who swirl their wines. So the real question is not whether to let a wine breathe or not, rather what amount of aeration is appropriate. This will vary from wine to wine and drinker to drinker. Despite the nonexistence of general rules, if we better understand what is going on when we aerate wine we can make better judgments about how much is best in each case. In his master class several years ago, Georg Riedel explained why decanting can improve the flavour of young wines. As CO2 is one of the products of fermentation, there is a fair amount of dissolved CO2 in wine. Dissolved in liquid, CO2 becomes carbonic acid. Especially in wines sealed with a screw cap, the CO2 remains in the wine until it is opened. Riedel postulated that releasing the CO2 lowers the acidity, making the fruit flavours of the wine to shine through. Wine contains a variety of acids, tartaric, malic and citric to name a few. These are all naturally present in fruit. Carbonic acid is not a fruit acid, however. Thus I further surmise that releasing CO2 from the wine allows its fruit flavour to come to the fore. Back to the original question: Does letting it breathe improve wine‟s aroma, flavour and texture? In my experience at the cellar door most wines do not smell or taste their best immediately upon opening. Some wine has unpleasant aromas that dissipate soon after the wine is open. Some wine is “closed”, and it takes a while before it “opens up” expressing their full aroma and flavour. However, all wine eventually degrades with exposure to air. First it goes a bit flat. Then it smells oxidised, in other words “porty” or “madierised”. Left exposed to air long enough and you will be left with vinegar. And every wine differs insofar as how long the process takes. I have consumed Semllion—even aged Semillon—that tasted better two hours after decantation. Some of the reds available at the cellar door taste better 24 hours after opening. I remember one fully mature ten-year-old Hunter Shiraz that once decanted was beautiful for about twenty minutes whereupon it degraded quickly thereafter. One way to find out is to ask someone familiar with the wine. And you can always “suck it and see”. In general, if a wine tastes too acidic right from the bottle then try decanting it. If it is still too acidic, swirl it a bit. And of course remember what may be criticised as “harsh acidity” by one may be praised as “fresh crispness” by another. Be careful not to overdo it. I have even seen advocates of using a kitchen blender to aerate wine... If you put a wine in the blender and it comes out flat and lifeless you can never undo the process and revive it! I never use any means of aeration more vigourous that a swirl in the decanter. Sometimes aeration makes the wine taste different, but not necessarily better or worse. I have experienced wine that evolved in the glass for several hours whilst we swirled and smelled it. Having the patience to observe wine evolving over the night is one of the true pleasures of imbibing. Bill Herfel — Our very knowledgeable Cellarmaster!

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Mail to: Hunter Valley Resort, Corner Hermitage Road & Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin 2320 Email to: wines@HunterResort.com.au

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