It’s dark.

It’s a bone-biting six degrees.

We hurtle towards towards Barton, listening to Wayne Swan‘s (last?) budget speech. Just as he finishes, we arrive.

There might be a certain mood around Canberra, but it’s a helluva lot warmer – in every sense – inside the National Press Club, where we’re ready to try the Centenary Martini (or its cuter portmanteau: ‘Centini’).

My first thought is, “Oh God, I’m underdressed.” The Gatsby theme has been taken seriously, and all around me I see dapper gentlemen and glamorous gals. The scene is set!

We get our names signed off, have our coats taken, and are given two cards – one for the Northside, one for the Southside – with the explicit instruction to order the ‘Northside’ Centini first. And that’s exactly the first thing we do!

First, the martini glasses get chilled with ice.

Just chilling

What follows is some magic with just a dash of aperitif vermouth, and 50 mls of the West Winds Sabre Gin (you can see the bottle in the above pic).

There’s a lemon twist garnish, and then the pouring begins.

It’s a great colour, and I’m looking forward to imbibing the Northside (represent!).

And WHOA, it packs a punch. Clearly it’s been too long between (good) martinis. I feel my eyes widen with the punch that comes with the Northside – it’s perfect.

Yum!

Could it be? Why yes, it’s Jeremy Lasek! Tweeting about how much he’s enjoying his Northside Centini

Two sips in, and already rather merry! (And not particularly good at taking photos…)

Just before 9, we gather in the ballroom for the ‘formalities’. Phillip gives us a martini demonstration, and Robyn Archer – it seems a martini aficionado herself – congratulations Phillip on the event. She notes that the Canberra 100 team can put together a blueprint of what our 100th year should look like, but the blueprint is such that it allows other people to also take the reins, to add their own flavour. And with that, we toast the Centini.

It’s then time for the entertainment. No photos – you simply had to be there.

We head back to the bar for the Southside. This should be the people pleaser, I’m told. No photos of the Southside’s creation, because I’m too excited to finally meet fellow blogger, Le Bon Vivant, also in line at the bar.

Finally meeting!

You know when you meet someone for the first time, but it’s like you’ve known them forever? That’s exactly what I experience. (I can confirm Rachi is just as lovely in person as she comes across on her blog!)

The Southside Centini

These olives. WOW.

And then. The Southside is served. And then, my constant fear whenever I hold a martini glass comes true. With true class – and in front of our wonderful host – I bump the glass. Splish! It’s not a complete disaster, but it’s hardly edifying. However, just a moment later, a woman comes past – I’ve no idea who she is – and hands me her tissue to wipe my hand. It’s such a simple gesture, and yet sums up the night to me – Canberrans, together. Thank you, kind woman! (And I’m happy to say, it doesn’t happen again!)

The Southside Centini is completely different. It’s a similar heady mix – perhaps even stronger – and the garnish is two amazing Hall olives (I could eat a whole bowl). It just doesn’t win me over, though. It might be my bias, but while the complexity makes each mouthful a new experience, I really love the ‘in your face’ I get with the Northside (represent!). That said, I have to sadly report that the Southside wins people’s choice (as Phillip predicted).

After a silent auction for Dollars for Dili, the special martini glass set goes to a dapper young gentleman in the room (how fitting!) and, being just after 10, we have to bid adieu – it is a school night, after all.

Date: 8-10.30pm, Tuesday 14 May 2013

Cost: $39 per person (with a significant amount of that going to the Dollars for Dili charity (a great cause). Given the cost of a martini at Playground Bar, and the quality of ingredients used, I think it’s a bargain. What’s not to like?)

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Keep up to date with Canberra Martini on Twitter – perhaps this isn’t the last time we’ll have a Canberra Martini event…

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There’s a wreath on the front door. Not just any wreath. A Christmas wreath. Inside the brightly lit restaurant, Christmas baubles hang from the light fixtures. Not just a few, forgotten Christmas baubles. They’re everywhere. I’m incredibly confused. It’s May. It’s too far from December, and too early for Christmas in July. Why are there Christmas decorations?!

The staff are attentive and patient as we take quite a bit of time to decide what we’re eating. A younger staffer member later takes our orders, and goes about it strangely – she starts at one end, then does the other end, before taking the orders from those seated in the middle. There are only eight of us, and it’s not like the restaurant is too crowded to make reaching those in the middle difficult.

In fact, the restaurant is empty, and – apart from our party – remains empty for the entire two and a bit hours that we’re there. The phone rings occasionally, and a few people come in to pick up their takeaway. But that’s it. The coffee machine sits against a wall in the dining area, and three or four staff stand around it awkwardly for most of the evening.

Is putting table numbers on walls common? I’ve never seen it before

Despite there being only eight of us in the restaurant the entire time, the waiter’s system of ordering means we have to claim our dishes when they arrive – they’ve no idea who ordered what. One diner’s (plain!) naan takes over 10 minutes to arrive after everyone else’s dishes have already been served.

All that said, the food is delicious. I’ve ordered the chef’s specials from the blackboard (rest assured, I don’t think they ever change – what’s on the blackboard is exactly the same as the picture of the blackboard on their website): shahi paneer ($16.95) and anchovy naan ($6.95 – I think it’s the most expensive naan they have).

Shahi paneer

The shahi paneer is amazing. The cashew nut gravy’s texture is creamy and tangy, and the cottage cheese is fresh. Too often, I think Indian restaurants‘ shahi paneer has cottage cheese which is too chewy, but this is really soft and flavoursome. I’m impressed. It’s a big call, but it’s probably the best I’ve ever had.

The anchovy naan is a slightly different story. I had no idea that anchovy naan means ‘anchovy and onion naan’. While anchovy naan might seem a questionable choice to begin with, I actually don’t like finely chopped onions – neither the taste, nor the texture. And this onion seems raw. Fortunately, I can easily scrape it out. The naan itself is both crispy and chewy, and – while again a questionable combination – the anchovy naan does go quite well with the paneer. Yum! I scrape my plates clean (but leave the onion). The rest of the group agrees their meals are delicious.

At around 9pm, the staff start packing up around us. The white paper table mats are pulled from a hole above the door into the kitchen, and they replace dirty ones on other tables. If that wasn’t signal enough, they start to pull down the blinds. We take the hint.

It’s a really good meal (aided by excellent company), and well priced. However, the combination of an empty restaurant, unexplained Christmas decorations and the loitering staff all but kill off any ambience. The food’s worth it, but I think I’ll stick with their takeaway.

Just in case you had any doubt about the Christmas decorations – there’s a Christmas tree.

Date: 7pm-9.20pm, Friday 10 May

Where: Jehangir Indian Restaurant, Swinger Hill Shops

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile (for food); Not worthwhile (dining experience) (this is no reflection on the excellent company)

Want more? Strangely enough, Jehangir has an excellent and detailed website.

I also can’t help but share their Google Maps image on their Dining Info page:

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She’s big all right

We arrive at the National Gallery and she’s tethered, with Centenary of Canberra volunteers holding tight. A big crowd gathers.

Some of her more ‘debated’ features

Hold on tight!

How about a kiss, eh, love?

I have to say, the detail is exquisite. You can really see the effort put in.

Watching me, watching you

Cooper is more confused and cold than anything

And then, it’s time to let go, time to launch!

There she goes!

Up and away!

Skywhale’s first flight takes about 20 minutes from the National Gallery to the National Museum.

I wouldn’t describe her as ‘majestic’.

But she does all right.

Date: 9am, Saturday 11 May

Where: National Gallery of Australia

Cost: Free

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile

Want more? Try the Canberra 100 site

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• Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Skywhale (abc.net.au)

We hear it’s going to be busy, so we get to Collector (about 40 minutes outside Canberra) bang on 10am. It’s already very busy. What first? Food, of course!

Warm savoury pumpkin pie

As we walk in the gates we can already see a big crowd forming around a small bread and pie shop on the right. It must be good if there’s a line already, right? Right. And yes, this theory is proven! The pastry on this savoury pie ($4) is light and fluffy, and the filling is tasty. This stall’s pumpkin bread is being snatched up.

Sweet pumpkin pie

Having savoured the savoury pie, I’m keen for a sweet pumpkin pie. The Montrose Berry Farm (from Sutton) has a stall selling their jams, raspberry and boysenberry vinegars, and berry and pumpkin pies. The pumpkin pie’s ($3.50 with cream) tasty, and the pastry is amazing, but there’s not a lot of actual pumpkin mixture. I really want that gorgeous, smooth and fragrant mix of pumpkin, clove and cinnamon, and this doesn’t deliver. However, while waiting in the line, we’re offered little tastes of the vinegar and wow! Acidic, sweet, punchy. We come back later to purchase a bottle of the boysenberry vinegar ($9 each).

Cooper in the sunshine

Cooper the whippet waits patiently for food to fall to the ground that he can gobble up.

Up ahead are the enormous pumpkins. Enormous! Over 200 kilos! I may let out a little squeal of excitement.

Humungous

I think this one looks a little like ET

To the right of the monster pumpkins is an area where people are putting together pumpkin people. They are all very clever.

Best decorated pumpkin(s) – you can see why!

In the hall there are large servings of pumpkin scones in one room, and in the other, the finalists and winners of a variety of cute pumpkin categories.

How cute are these?

This is my favourite!

I would happily assist with eating these

There’s also the best carved and most unusual pumpkins.

Winner of the carved pumpkins

This takes skill!

And this was a huge pumpkin in its own right! Here is it against my hand for comparison.

Love, LOVE this

Unusual – that’s for sure!

Outside the hall there’s plenty more to eat, ranging from pumpkin soup to more scones, Asian cuisine, and Turkish! What’s more, the crowds have grown. There’s little room to move!

Just when I think we’ve seen all there is to see, there’s a vintage engine and car display.

We’ve already overeaten, but I’m still on a hunt for the perfect sweet pumpkin pie. Fortunately, I find it, right back where we started – where they’re selling the savoury pumpkin pies and the pumpkin bread. They’ve nailed the flavours.

Sweet pumpkin pie version 2 ($4)

It’s so good that I go back shortly afterwards and get the larger ‘family sized’ version for $8.

Fairly confident that this was one of the best days of Cooper’s life

For a $5 entry per person fee (free for children under 12), the Collector Pumpkin Festival is a great day out for the family – especially if your ‘family’ includes your pooch! Cooper enjoys himself being constantly petted and works out quickly that if he keeps an eye on what we’re eating, invariably he’ll get to taste it – whether bits fall out of our hand, or simply because we feel guilty! For we humans, it’s a lovely opportunity to enjoy the sun, catch up/meet a few Twitter friends, and the festival having a theme makes it a little more interesting and enjoyable than your average market.

My only criticism is… I think the festival could be slightly more pumpkin-y! There are plenty of pumpkin activities, but I expect a lot more pumpkin food options. After three laps I can still only spot two stalls which are selling sweet pumpkin pies, and only two or three with pumpkin soup. I hear later that there’s a pumpkin rolling fest – I’m sorry I missed it! I understand it’s only in its 10th year – I can’t wait to see even more pumpkins next year

Date: 10am-11.30 Sunday 5 May

Cost: $5 per person (under 12 free)

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Try the Pumpkin Festival website.

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We order online, from the Menu Log website. It’s a fairly simple process. Some time later, we get a text message saying that ‘Sam’ in the store has confirmed the order, and that it’s ready to pick up in 40 minutes time (! seems extreme) from their restaurant at the bottom of the Oracle complex on Benjamin Way in Belconnen.

Here’s the damage:

Whose little head is in the background?

Cucumber raita

The cucumber raita ($3.50) is … well, see for yourself. It’s fluro green. There aren’t chunks of cucumber – it’s grated – but I’m still not quite sure how the fluro has been achieved. I don’t think it’s particularly good.

?

We don’t order a salad, but a token effort comes in the takeaway bag regardless. Did they think our choices weren’t healthy enough?

Chicken tikka

The entree chicken tikka ($11.90) is yum. Really, really good. Probably the best dish we order. It’s flavoursome, the chicken is moist, it’s a touch burnt from the tandoor. Perfect. It’s also a big dish for an $11.90 entree.

Butter chicken

The butter chicken ($16.90) is tasty, but really, really sweet. I can’t quite work out what’s in it that’s making it so sweet, but it’s more sugar chicken than butter chicken.

It also has really, really big pieces of chicken.

Paneer Makhani

You’d be forgiven for thinking the photos of the butter chicken and paneer makhani ($14.90) are the same photo. They’re not. I promise. You can just see the green of the small pieces of capsicum. The gravy is great, but the paneer is bland and chewy, and the capsicum detracts from the dish. I wouldn’t get this again.

The rice ($2.90) and garlic naan ($3.90 each) are what you’d expect. The garlic naan’s freshness doesn’t last through a quick reheat in the microwave, but on reflection I did put it in for a minute, so it’s my own fault

Bolly Buds is a good value Indian restaurant, which uses good quality ingredients. The butter chicken is a miss for me this time with the sweetness of the gravy, and while the gravy works for the paneer malkhani, the paneer itself is blah. The chicken tikka is a huge plus. We’ll order takeaway from Bolly Buds again, but I know what not to get. The only exception is the butter chicken – while this time was weird, I’ll risk getting it again, simply because I know they can do better than that.

Date: Saturday, 4 May 2013

Cost: ~$54 for two

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile (just)

Want more? Here’s the menu courtesy of blogger Yummy Lummy. He also reviewed Bolly Buds last year.

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Sweet Bones Bakery is on the heading-towards-Haig-Park end of Lonsdale Street, next to Elk and Pea and Lonsdale Street Roasters, buried in the back of the Londale Street Traders arcade at number 27.

The decent menu is crammed onto a blackboard, but I’m only after one thing. Delicious treats. I’m not vegan (obviously!) but I vegan treats taste amazing – I think I’d almost prefer them from non-vegan – when they’re done right.

It’s the cupcakes in the glass cabinet which capture my attention. Peanut butter chocolate? Oh yeah. It’s expensive at $5, but I never turn down peanut butter chocolate. I’m just about to pay when I see there’s chocolate hazelnut brownies. There’s choc macadamia too, but – I know, heathen – I don’t like macadamia. Choc hazelnut, on the other hand, is a combination to almost rival peanut butter chocolate. The brownie is a little cheaper ($4), maybe because less work has gone into it. The lovely lady serving me chooses me the piece at the top of the stack, and it’s a corner piece. Double oh yeah. It just gets better and better. They’re individually places in brown paper bags (think primary school tuckshop big lunch) with the Sweet Bones logo stamped on the bags in red.

Okay, enough torture. How do they taste? I surprise myself more than anybody when I don’t eat them straight away, putting them in the fridge instead. As a result, they’re probably a little different from when first bought fresh by the time I come to eat them four hours later, so bear in mind.

Choc hazelnut vegan brownie

Moist and rich. (Yes those are textbooks in the background!)

I attack the brownie first. It’s much more moist than I expect, and incredibly chocolatey. Hazelnuts are throughout the brownie, but mostly have been pushed into the top of the mixture. The texture’s great, but it just falls short of being chewy on the inside and could be a little more crunchy on the outside.

I know I shouldn’t, or I should wait, but I can’t help but wonder what the cupcake tastes like.

Chocolate peanut butter cupcake

It’s shiny on top, and the chocolate drizzled onto the icing has the texture and taste of chocolate Ice Magic.

I eat the bottom first (actually, that’s how I always eat cupcakes. Am I the only one?). It doesn’t hold its own, unfortunately. It’s not dry, but the flavour doesn’t come through like I’d expect.

The icing though. Wow. The chocolate peanut butter shines through. It’s … it sounds silly, but it’s authentic, and with the cake part, it all comes together. The icing a little grainy, but it’s not a bad thing – it reminds me so much of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, and that’s a win in my books.

I can’t wait to try more – and hope the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are a permanent fixture in that glass cabinet.

Date: 4 May 2013

Cost: $9

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Try their Facebook page.

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I expect Soju Girl to be as bright and exciting as the colours on its website. But my first impression of the restaurant is that it’s dark. Really dark. There’s a bar area (I had no idea it existed) and it’s almost black. In the restaurant area where we’re led to our seats, there are dark walls, dark pictures on the wall (notably there’s abstract art– actually no, it’s just a black and white picture of the National Museum), and very dim lighting. On the tables are bowls into which you can spoon your food – all dishes are made for sharing.

The service is particularly good. Our waiter is very friendly. Everyone who dines is asked if they’ve visited before. We obviously haven’t, and so she tells us how it works – there are smaller dishes, and bigger dishes. Rather logically, you don’t need as many large dishes as you do small dishes. She recommends we try a number of small dishes to really get the most out of the experience (while allowing room for dessert), and leaves us with the menus briefly, and says she’ll be back to tell us the specials. As promised, she returns quickly, takes our drink order and rattles off the specials. Most are bacon or pork based, which Boyfriend doesn’t eat (I know, I know), but the sashimi of the day wins us over.

She leaves us alone again with the menus. It sounds like a lot of toing and froing, but it’s a nice way to think about the menu and not feel pressured to make a decision. There is simply a lot of things on the menu to choose from – over 20 small dishes. We go up and down the menu, first talking about what each of us doesn’t want, and then choosing from what’s left. There’s still so much! We seriously consider getting out a pen to tick off the items we want, because we keep forgetting. A bit of an ordeal!

By the time our drinks are served we are (somehow) ready. From a list of exotic sounding cocktails, I’ve chosen an Opium Dream – a mix of Bombay Sapphire gin and strawberry liqueur served in a martini glass, with a basil leaf garnish.

Opium dream

It’s delicious, but the glass is barely half full when served, and with a $16 price tag, I’m conscious of the dollars consumed with each sip. That said, I’d order it again.

There’s a mix of raw and cooked food on the menu, and we’ve ordered a mix of both. Our attentive waiter has advised us that the raw food is served first, and then the cooked, which makes sense.

The south coast oysters with citrus ponzu granita arrive first. They’re $3.80 each, and there’s a minimum order of three. They look very large compared to the small (but packed with flavour) south coast oysters I’ve seen and eaten recently. I’ve never had oysters with a granita, so it’s a completely new taste sensation for me. I hate to say it, but I don’t like it. Do I eat the granita and oyster in one mouthful? I assume so, and do so. That said, it’s hard to get them both together into my mouth simultaneously, and the oyster and granita – both the iciness and the ponzu (soy citrus) flavour – don’t blend well. I love oysters, and I love new combinations (and recently had some wonderful oysters with different flavour combos at Capital Wines), but this doesn’t work for me.

Three south coast oysters with citrus ponzu granita (yep, photos with flash – it really was that dark!)

Next is the sugar cured swordfish. It’s a lovely presentation, but to be honest, I can’t even see how good it looks until I take a picture with the flash – the darkness means that the effort gone into making the dish look superb is almost futile. There are pretty flowers, a thin sauce thick with flavour, and dollops of avocado wasasbi. It’s hard to pick up the slivers of swordfish, but wow, are they good. I wish there was more, and am a little disappointed there’s not. It’s takes a lot of energy to stop me from licking the plate.

Sugar cured swordfish (one piece of swordfish eaten in this pic)

The dishes come out quickly – we only arrived at 6 and by 6.30 we’re more than halfway through the dishes. The sashimi of the day (salmon) comes next. It’s a real flavour explosion – the salmon is silky, the cucumber so crunchy fresh, the bean sprouts the right complement.

Salmon sashimi

The zucchini flowers come out next. They are ENORMOUS. I’ve never seen zucchini flowers so big – it’s because they’re stuffed with sushi rice, big time. It’s really different from the standard ‘zucchini flower with goat’s cheese’ and it’s really, really filling, as you’d expect. It’s nothing like our zucchini flower failure at Siren Bar.

Enormous zucchini flower stuffed with sushi rice

The next dish is equally large, and arrives a few seconds after the zucchini flower. There are two big, big servings of Japanese eggplant stuffed with pork mince, sesame and pepitas ($3 more expensive than the steamed eggplant dish with goma). It’s almost impossible to pick up off the dish, it’s that stuffed with filling. Boyfriend somehow gets his into his own dish, while we have to do some sneaky sliding into my own dish – otherwise it was literally going to fall apart. It’s another real ‘value for money’ dish.

Japanese eggplant

We’d earlier ordered a side, and it comes out the same time as the eggplant, which seems a bit weird – it’s supposed to be a side, not our penultimate dish. We’ve ordered it for some greenery, but the brocollini with oyster sauce is frankly unmemorable.

Brocollini

Our waiter notices our drinks are entry, and she asks if we’d like the wine list again. There’s a good range of Canberra Wines on the list, but I think they are missing some of Canberra’s best. I spend a lot of time gasping over and distracted by the Barton Estate 2003 Shiraz listed at $70 a bottle. Yes, it’s a 2003 vintage, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s like a Penfolds Grange 1998: most of Barton Estate’s wines are early-mid 2000s vintages, and are sold at the cellar door for ~$25 (we went there recently, after all). Maybe I’m missing something – it has sold out, but that could mean not a lot were made? – but $70 seems extraordinary.

Anyway! Nick O’Leary is there, as well as McKellar Ridge, Pankhurst, Long Rail Gully, Bourke Street, Eden Road and Lark Hill.

I’ve been saving room for dessert. Oh yes. There’s a great dessert list, but my eye is on the chocolate fondant. Even at $19 a serve, Boyfriend and I agree we can’t share, and order one each.

It’s the longest wait we’ve had (about 10-15 minutes). They arrive with a flourish, and are identically presented (Pete and Manu would be proud). Each fondant is presented with a spiced chocolate anglaise, and a malted icecream.

Chocolate fondant

But of course it’s the ooze we’re looking for. Will the fondant ooze once we cut into it?

Oh yes, it oozes

Yes, yes it does. It’s warm and chocolatey and delicious. I’d almost say it’s slightly undercooked. Or, put differently, there’s already so much liquidy, ice-creamyness on the plate, that once we add the huge amount of chocolate ooze, there’s actually very little cake to eat. Plenty of mouthfuls are cakeless. It doesn’t make it any less delicious, and I’d much prefer an oozy fondant than one that’s simple a cake. But still. It just misses the mark.

And, we’re done. I had very, very high expectations before going to Soju Girl. I’ve never heard of a bad experience, and ours wasn’t bad. It was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But … but. Neither of us is absolutely blown away. It is delicious. But boyfriend notes the ‘cafe’ feel of a number of the more upmarket restaurants we’ve been to recently – all emphasis on food, and seemingly cheap tables and chairs – and Soju Girl’s dining area feels similar. The oysters were a disappointing start, and the food didn’t seem particularly filling til later in the meal. I constantly felt like it almost hit the mark, so close every time, but always just missed by very smallest of margins.

Date: 6-7.10pm, Friday 27 April

Cost: $165.40

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Try the Soju Girl website

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Happy 100th, Morris cars and Canberra!

MLA Mick Gentleman kicks off the proceedings, mentioning that one of his first cars was a Morris bought for $50 (!). There are plenty of cars, some dating back to 1914 (!!) – just like Auto Italia, it’s best if I let them speak for themselves. Morris, MG, Wolseley, Riley and BMC/Leyland are on display.

Stepping back in time!

REALLY old

So much to love – love the side tyres

Sports Morris? I had no idea…

Much more in line with the ‘classic’ idea I have of a Morris

A horn in every sense

Classic bullnose, I believe

Love this

Inside two vans

As a Twitter friend pointed out, the only odd thing is the location. Why couldn’t the cars have been shown off on the lovely lawns in front of Old Parliament House?

Afterwards, we head to the wonderful Ainslie Cellars (always worth a trip, no matter where you live), who are – coincidentally – having tastings of fortifieds from Morris Wines. A day of celebrating everything Morris!

If you missed the celebration today, the vehicles are taking part in a Centenary Drive is taking place tomorrow, first on Anzac Parade at 9am, and then around the major sites of Canberra.

Date: Saturday, 20 April

Cost: Free

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile

Want more? This Riot Act post has more details.

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Part of the strategy – okay, the whole strategy – is to start with the furthest winery and work back towards Canberra. The festival map tells me the furthest winery is Yarrh Wines, and so we lock it in (and it’s not actually that far).

We arrive to some simply stunning grounds, live music and a great building with significant wood panelling trim.

Part of the vast outdoor area – live music in the corner, and doors to the kitchen and wine tasting thrown open

It’s busy – and it could be because they’re serving food. We enjoy the wine tasting – particulalrly the 2011 pinot noir and the 2011 late harvest sauvignon blanc.

The beautiful long bar is made from jarrah and ash

The way they’re running the food is impeccable. ‘Tickets’ are bought at the bar, and then we take the tickets to the kitchen with our order. There’s just a few mains available but they’re appetising (chicken, lamb or mushroom stuffed vine leaves), and for $25 a serve they come with a glass of wine our our choice. Boyfriend orders the chicken and I something off the mains menu (labne served with rose for $10), and they’ve served straight away.

Labne with delicious rose (nice big glass!)

Chicken

The lunch is delicious, although I’m concerned that we’re already behind our strict schedule. But, we’re not done yet. The festival map has mentioned Yarrh wines has grape stomping and, well, I want to get my.. feet dirty?

They’ve set up a half barrel further into the winery, and the instructions are pretty simple: take off our shoes, wash our feet (!), hop into the barrel and start stomping.

Boyfriend’s turn

Boyfriend did a good job stomping his grapes, so I get a few more bunches

If I look like I’m having fun, it’s because I am

Stomping grapes is surprisingly effective. By the time I hop in, there’s a lot of liquid, and it doesn’t take much for the grapes to be sufficiently stomped.

Unfortunately we have to head off! Our next stop is the famous Helm Wines, just down the road from Yarrh. Ken and Judith Helm started the winery in the 1970s, and two walls inside the old school house (Toual Public School) cellar door are lined with photos of Helm Wines in various fabulous locations around the world. We could spend a long time looking at them!

Helm is known for its riesling, and varieties of it. We love the 2011 classic dry riesling, but it’s also a wine which is a little closer in our price range. Helm rarely does dessert wines, but in 2012 it produced a gorgeous botrytis. Ken’s a lovely host, sharing interesting facts about anything and everything, and plenty of German. Again, it’s hard to leave!

Ken Helm in the Toual School House cellar door at Helm Wines

Next stop is Four Winds Vineyard. I’m really excited about this, because it’s their very first day open as a cellar door. Four Winds have been a mainstay at the Capital Regions Farmers Market (and I often purchase their well-priced riesling), and it’s a great opportunity to go out and see something which seems to have been in the making for a long time.

Four Winds is on the road past another popular winery, Clonakilla. We’re not really paying attention and manage to drive a little bit too far, but quickly work out where the winery is. It doesn’t disappoint.

The building is light and airy, with high ceilings and plenty of glass letting the light stream in. It’s also absolutely packed, but it’s so big that there’s plenty of space for people to stand around and not feel crowded in.

Our hosts do a great job of making us feel welcome and attended to. I expand my tastes a bit and particularly enjoy the Shiraz, 2012 rose and the dessert riesling. Yum!

I’ve been told the bar will be upgraded!

Boyfriend also enjoys a well-made coffee and brownie, before we dash off to our next location, which is…

… Jeir Creek! Jeir Creek did a pretty fine job of introducing me to Canberra wineries, with their delicious and well priced riesling. We arrive just as other patrons head off on a winery tour, but we’re there to taste the wines. This time, we enjoy the sparkling shiraz (Boyfriend’s on a bit of a craze) and the Cabernet Rose.

We don’t stay there as long as we like because we still have a fifth winery to do! Barton Estate has been on my mind, and it’s got a few streamers up. It’s ‘often’ open on Saturdays and Sundays, which translates as not all the time, but you can tell if they’ve got the paraphernalia out the front. Their cellar door is set in a huge woolshed.

The husband and wife hosts are relaxed, genuine and generous with their time and wisdom, and have a good sense of humour.

Some of their wines are named after family members: the Riley riesling, the Georgia Shiraz, and the Elva late picked riesling. We like and purchase the Elva 2008, Georgia 2006 and the 2003 Cabernet Merlot. Barton Estate also has the only Petit Verdot in the Canberra region.

At one point, things take a bit of a surreal turn when a huge zucchini emerges.

It’s a monster!

It’s a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere here, even though people keep turning up even when things should be closing at 5. As our last winery, this suits us just fine.

Full range of Barton Estate wines

Date: Saturday, 6 April (also held on Sunday, 7 April)

Cost: Free to visit wineries, and various costs for wines, ranging from $18ish to $35+

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Visit the Canberra Wines page (and all links to the Canberra wineries above take you to their home pages). I also attended the festival (including different wineries) in 2012.

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It’s a gorgeous, sunny Autumn day with the perfect temperature for an outdoor event. The Festival opens at 11am and we’re there at 11.05, with what our friend describes as a ‘cavalcade of wives dropping their husbands off’. It’s a fair description to start with, but there’s still plenty of female representation. Like the Small Brewers Fest, we get 10 tabs (which we trade for beers) for our $25 (plus booking fee, which ended up being around $28, or $35 at the door) and a small cup and walk into the already busy courtyard, where the brewers are set up over a few levels.

We spot Matsos Brewery first – which had the popular mango fusion beer at the Small Brewers Fest. This time they’ve got lime cider, and it’s that right combination of sweet, tart and cold. The ciders are poured straight from bottle; the only problem is they forgot their bottle opener!

We next try the Centennial Beer from Sydney Brewery. It seems unCanberran, but I don’t like it. It’s dark and bitter – it’s like the bitterness spikes my tastebuds – and simply hard to drink. The aftertaste makes the experience last far too long. I feel like it knocks me around a little and it’s not surprising to see why, at 6.5%!

Sydney Brewery

With the Centennial Beer

The IPA from Mudgee Brewery gives some welcome relief; while still bitter, it’s lighter and tastier.

Mudgee IPA

I really enjoy the Matilda Bay IGP cloudy ale. It’s crisp and very, very easy to drink.

At the Matila Bay stand

Matilda Bay IGP

The Two Elk Swedish Cider has clever marketing – they give out stickers with their Facebook and Twitter details – but it’s their product which wows us. The apple and berries and lime cider that I and Boyfriend have respectively are so delicious – the best cider I’ve had. Better than Rekorderlig (big call). They have a special of a $50 case (normally $90) delivered free, and we later go back and order a mixed case. It is that good. (If you’re interested in trying it, it’s stocked at the wonderful Ainslie Cellars, as well as plenty of other smaller Canberra liquor stores.)

Two Elk apple cider

Two Elk lime and berries cider

The tasting goes downhill from here, mostly because we have taken for granted that our small cups will be filled to the brim. In quick succession we get half or 2/3 ‘glasses’ of beer and cider. Bilpin Cider‘s apple cider is a lovely, fresh mix of pink lady and red delicious apples from the Blue Mountains (but it’s not as good at Two Elk, of course), but we spend more time talking about what’s going on with the half glass.

Pouring at Bilpin

Without a sip – where is the rest of the Bilpin Cider?

We then experience the same with its neighbour, Quiet Deeds, and their pale ale.

Quiet Deeds

Mountain Goat, on Bilpin’s other side, also does similar to an extent, but their Two Step cider is pretty damn tasty, so they’re almost forgiven. Almost.

Two Step cider

I find the IPA from Hopdog is bitter and average. (I think it’s more just that I don’t like IPA!)

We finish off with apple cider from Hills Cider, which, like Bilpin, is marketed as all natural. It’s again very fresh and light, but nothing on Two Elk.

It’s a lovely day at the Mercure and seemed to be a slightly more professional operation than the Small Brewers Festival. There’s quite a few shady spots, food’s available, and there’s a decent water station. Unlike the Small Brewers Festival, the lines don’t ever seem too long – instead of 20 deep, it never seems to be more than 2 or 3 – at least at the start of the day. Rather than getting a beer and then having to line up again straight away, there’s a lot more of a sense of hanging out and enjoying the day and mingling. The only downside was that we had to leave at 1pm to catch a flight!

Date: Saturday, 13 April from 11am to 6pm

Cost: $25 each + booking fee (or $35 at the door)

Worthwhile factor: Highly worthwhile

Want more? Website is here, as well as Facebook page

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• Small Brewers Beer Festival (inthetaratory.wordpress.com)