Sleepamongthevines
Standaloneaccommodationis a littlethinonthe
groundaroundtheregion,somanyvisitorschoose
tostayinCanberraitselfanddaytripouttothe
wineries.Buta coupleofenterprisingproperties
haverightlyfiguredoutthatsettlinginfora night’s
sleepnexttothegrapesis notonlya lovelyconcept
butalsonegatestheneedfora designateddriver.
AtTallagandraHillWineryinGundaroo,owners
DavidFaulksandMaryMcAvoyhavebuiltthree
compactcottages– TheGreatRon,afterFaulks’
latefather,TheProdigalDaughternamedforIrish
immigrantMary,andTheFavouriteSon,a claim
sharedbythecouple’stwosonsBenandSam(and,
dependingonwhoyouask,thefamily’slategolden
retriever,Mac)– whichyoucanretiretoafteran
afternoontastingwineandalternatinga little
AC/DCorSimonandGarfunkelonthevintage
jukeboxinthebar.
AtLakeGeorgeWineryontheshoresofthe
mirage-likedisappearingLakeGeorgeontheroad
toSydney,youcanstayinthepet-friendlyLittle
Georgetinyhouse,whichsitsona hilltop
overlookinghistoricCollectortothenorthandthe
property’svinesandorchardstothesouth.There’s
anexcellentbushwalktotherearofthecottage
thatleadstoLeridaEstate– stopinfora tasting,
thenmeanderbacktoLakeGeorge’srestaurant,
Westering,forlunch.SpecificallyforownerSarah
McDougall’sfavouritefoodandwinepairing:
rieslingandhotchips.“Rieslingcutsperfectly
throughallthattastysaltiness,”shesays.
tallagandrahill.com.au; lakegeorgewinery.com.auTheurbandetour
Withthewineriesineasystrikingdistanceit’s
worthbasingyourselfinthecapitalitself,forat
leastsomeofyourwineregionstay.MidnightHotel
inlivelyBraddonlookslikeit sounds;moodyand
broodingwithroomsdesignedlikecomforting
caves,completewithwell-stockedgratismini-bars
ofBentspokebeer,VosswaterandDIYmartinikits.
A shortwalkdowntheroad,booktheSortIt
Outsetmenudinnerat Australia’sfirstriesling-
centricwinebar,Rizla,a deliciouslyefficientwayto
trya hugeselectionofthebestwinesoftheregion,
particularlythosewithouta cellardoor.Thelist
changesconstantlybutit’salwaysworthgetting
yourhandsona quirkyrieslingfromJakeCarter
ofSholtoora LarkHillchardonnaypinotnoir,
whichRizlaownerAndyDaydescribesas“probably
thebestvintagesparklingfrommainland Australia,
inourhumbleopinion”.
midnighthotel.com.au; drinkrizla.com.auThecontemporarycottagesat
TallagandraHillWinery.Opposite:
Vines at Contentious Character.134 GOURMET TRAVELLER