Broke Fordwich Wine Region
BY ROS BALDWIN
Recently I have come to the realisation that weekends are quite simply the best and never should be taken for granted. Not ever. I consider myself an expert on the matter based on one reason – I haven’t had a weekend in more than 20 years.
One of the beautiful benefits of living and working within the hospitality and restaurant industry and working most weekends for the last bazillion years, is that now that I don’t, I bloody well love them. I used to refer to them as ‘days off’ as they were generally mid-week and I found it a chance to catch up on office work that I didn’t have time for during my work week. Thank you, Lockdown 2020, for giving me the time to reset my mind and body.
Now I refer to them as weekends. Something to be savoured and appreciated. To me, they are up there with meeting a Hemsworth, drinking a 2008 Penfolds Grange, swimming in the Aegean Sea and watching the sunset over Uluru (only one of which I have done, by the way).
So, in keeping with my newfound love affair, last Saturday I headed out to explore Broke by following the Broke Fordwich Wine Trail. It promised stunning views of iconic Yellow Rock and the Brokenback Mountain Range, premium boutique wines, farm products and local olives. Right up my alley.
Alas I did not get far. First stop was Greenway Wines and the Big Red Barn. Rookie mistake. With the super moorish sparkling Fiano and Rogue Cabernet Merlot, to mention but a few, and the delightfully inspiring chat with owner Anne Greenway, time slipped effortlessly away – in that really satisfying, good way. We talked local news, wine and food pairings, wine making and generally solved the problems of the world and I left, happy, with a mixed bevy of deliciousness.
Next stop was River Flats Estate and Bare Nature’sKin with the tiny charismatic timber cottage housing the most beautiful natural scents of hand made goats milk soaps, scrubs, River Flats olives, oils, local gifts and produce. What a treasure! The lovely Michelle, creator of Nature’sKin, was jarring up a heady, exotic batch of lemon myrtle sugar scrub on the verandah… amazing! After a pleasant wander around the estates olive trees and meeting the resident pigs and goats, yet another bevy of local bush honey, olive oil, relish and handmade soap was added to the boot.
But with Iittle daylight left I could only manage a brief stop at the picturesque Krinklewood biodynamic vineyard for a tasting and I ducked in for some olives at Whispering Brook. Then, with a boot full of Broke wines and local olive produce, natural soaps and bush honey I headed home inspired to create something yummy.
And in the true spirit of recipe creation, I cracked a bottle of red, made a cheese plate adorned with fresh olives and beetroot chilli relish and went to work.