On a visit to Victoria State, Australia, Andrew Drummond Law enjoys the gourmet delights of Milawa and the King Valley
EPICUREAN is a new word to me. But exploring Milawa and the King Valley in northeast Victoria State, Australia, I begin to appreciate its meaning: One who is devoted to pleasure and enjoyment, especially food and drink. Famed for their food, wines and local produce, Milawa and the King Valley are only a three-hour long drive (283km) from Melbourne.
An eight-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, a northeast Victoria State fly-drive experience indulging in good food and exploring the sights — this is my kind of holiday.
Influenced heavily by the Italian families that moved to the King Valley after World War Two, their knowledge and skills in winemaking and regional cuisines have made the region famous.
FIT FOR A KING
My first stop is lunch at Chrismont restaurant in the northern King Valley. Owned by Arnie and Jo, of northern Italian and Sicilian back-grounds respectively, their award-winning modern building and its shaded deck is the perfect vantage point from which to take in the beautiful countryside.
Sipping slowly on a glass of their wine from the cool climate vineyards in Cheshunt and Whitfield, it is the perfect location for a tasting, wedding or special event.
I begin with the salt-and-pepper calamari followed by a melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked lamb shoulder, served with pepero-nata and roast potatoes. Dessert is tiramisu.
I spend the rest of the afternoon a 2km drive away at Politini Wines. Famed for its Italian and Sicilian varieties, I am hosted by the dynamic duo of Nonna Josie and her daughter Lidia who not only go through a tasting but also the Sicilian art of making cannoli.
This sweet dessert is a deep-fried pastry tube with a creamy filling, typically ricotta cheese or custard.
The painstaking process of making eve-rything from scratch takes two hours, while the finished product is devoured in seconds.
As well as cannoli, Nonna also holds Ital-ian sausage-making cooking classes.
The quality of wine, cannoli and warm Italian hospitality, I cannot fault. Thank you so much, ladies!
PADDOCK TO PLATTER LOCAL PRODUCE
I’m staying the night in Milawa at the Linden-warrah country house hotel. The town is best known for its craft activities, home produce and vineyards. There are 30 vineyards within a 30-minute driving radius!
Merlot, the hotel’s restaurant, is named after the vineyard it overlooks. Its menu showcases locally grown produce within a 20km radius. Dinner and breakfast here highlight the quality of the local ingredients and the simplicity of good cooking, drawing out the very best in taste.
Luckily they have a swimming pool if you need to burn off those calories with some early morning laps. Or try a short run before the sunrise and try to catch a glimpse of a kangaroo. It is a beautiful spot for a run, especially if you’re looking for a low humidity running experience.
The Milawa cheese factory is another must-visit to try handmade cow, goat and sheep’s milk. You can sample and purchase all 17 different local favourites. Its award-win-ning King River Gold is a lovely washed rind style with a soft interior and smoky flavour. But my favourite is the Milawa Blue inspired by Gorgonzola Dolce. This mild, creamy blue has a rich buttery flavour and tastes heavenly on a slice of local freshly baked bread.
The shop has many tasty souvenirs that can be carefully packed for your long journey home.
IT’S GIN TIME
But Hurdle Creek Still is the place to be for storytelling, hospitality and gin tasting. Owner Simon Brooke-Taylor will walk you through the process of mashing, fermentation, distil-lation and bottling the spirit.
His signature gin is infused with juniper that comes all the way from Montenegro.
He will entertain you with stories of the origin of gin, how it was added to quinine to make it more palatable to protect against malaria, and the role played by the Dutch East India Company.
His branding catches my eye. On the front of every bottle is a label with a drawing of an old barn. The same barn we are standing in that he uses for distilling. And the distinc-tive rectangular bottles he uses make for a unique keepsake.
If you’re keen as mustard to try something different, visit Milawa Mustards, located in the old Emu Inn building. With a dozen biscuits in hand, dip and taste its vast range. They include chilli, three seed, balsamic, green pepper, and dill and lemon, among many others. Find your favourite to accompany your steak dinner back home.
No visit to Milawa is complete without a visit to Brown Brothers, a leading family-owned wine company that has been in the business for more than 120 years.
Located in the lower King Valley, its Cellar Door (wine-tasting room) staff will guide you through tasting, with a selection of more than 50 wines to choose from.
Take the tour and you’ll go deep under-ground to explore its old cellars. See the processes and machinery used to make wine and, most interestingly, hear the history of the family behind the business.
I have lunch at its restaurant, Patricia’s Table, renowned for its use of fresh, local pro-duce. As an entree, I have the seared scallop, black pudding polpette, watermelon and tur-meric caramel, paired with a Crouchen Ries-ling 2016 white wine. A sweet combination.
And for my main, the peppered porter-house steak, served medium rare to per-fection, with fondant potato, fennel, smoked tomato and dill butter — paired with a lim-ited blended red wine, a Tempranillo and Graciano 2015.
For steak lovers, the combination of such tender meat and the wine truly is a match made in heaven.
SPIRITS OF ANOTHER KIND
Beechworth is Australia’s showcase gold-mining town, most famous for the gold rush days of the 1850s.
Walk around and explore its quaint shops for souvenirs. Or hang out by the main round-about for the perfect photo opportunity with the cream-coloured post office as your back-drop.
I’m staying at the Linaker Quarters located in Mayday Hills. Located just one kilometre away from the centre of town, it used to be the nurses’ quarters for the nearby decom-missioned Beechworth psychiatric hospital.
The three-storey Art Deco-era building has been restored, bringing back memories of boarding school and military barracks style of accommodation.
But if you are easily spooked, you may find it a challenging place to sleep.
For the braver ones among you, there are paranormal ghost tours at the nearby asy-lum. And for the brave (and foolish), there are even sleepovers.
As an early riser, I run every morning from the Linaker Quarters to the post office. Just over a kilometre away, you pass by Lake Sam-bell Reserve, where the waters turn golden with the sunrise.
If you hang out at the Beechworth Bakery, you can observe small town life, see the fire engine pull up, as the nightshift of fire fighters pop in for breakfast, and the town’s inhabit-ants begin their days.
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to eat, but breakfast at Peddlar cafe on Ford Street is a must.
The Mexican Mess, chorizo beans with natural yogurt, fresh salsa and corn chips, topped with a poached egg, make for an ideal post-run meal. And the Bircher Muesli with natural yogurt and honey, paired with a Beechworth apple juice, will kick-start your day.
Try the cosy 11-table, 32-guest only, Ox & Hound Bistro for lunch or dinner and sample its French and Italian menu. But bookings are a must!
My favourite dining spot is the Empire Hotel. Its New York sirloin is, hands down, the best I have ever tasted. Have I the time, and space, I will have also tried the duck confit, the pork belly, and the baked swordfish. And remember to start your meal with its delicious seared scallops.
Learning about where the local ingredi-ents come from and their health properties is worth taking the time to explore.
To learn everything possible about honey, the Beechworth Honey experience is a great family trip. It’s a chance to taste some of the more than 30 honey varieties and pick up some sweet souvenirs, such as a piece of natural honeycomb immersed in pure local honey.
Pepo Farms, home to the Australian Pumpkin Seed Company, is where you can meet Sharan West. She will explain the pro-cesses used in pumpkin seed production, and take you through a tasting session of different seeds, and their nutritional benefits.
Mount Buffalo Olives is a working olive grove, owned by Colin and Elisa Bertuch. Just listening to the couple speak passionately about their work on the terraces overlooking the Alpine Valley, and you will begin to realise why they have received so many awards for their olives and olive oil.
And for a fun tasting and guided tour, visit the solar-powered Bright Brewery, and sam-ple its 24 on tap mountain-crafted beers.
Al fresco dining at the Feathertop winery on the Great Alpine Road is my favourite location. Overlooking the vineyards and sur-rounding mountains, everything seems to fall into place. Excellent food, wine and service. A comfortable cool climate, and beautiful scenery. The very reasons you visit this part of the world.
Those I meet in Milawa and the King Val-ley are producing something of the highest quality possible but with a personal touch. They do what they love. And love what they do. I loved it. And so will you.
PICTURES BY ANDREW DRUMMOND LAW
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