Open Cellars of Nillumbik

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th October 2008

THE EVENT 

The wine makers of Nillumbik, the closest Yarra Valley wineries to Melbourne, are opening their cellar doors to wine lovers. Sixteen family owned wineries will be presenting their wines. Come along and experience the personal ambience and welcome of a small boutique winery. Wine makers and growers, who know their vintages intimately, will be on hand to give an insight into their unique wine making styles.

Visit cellars that are not always open to the public and taste wines that are not always on offer by the glass. Some limited release wines will be available for purchase at special prices.

Experience special events at many of the wineries. You'll find excellent food to accompany the wine as well as art exhibitions and live music and entertainment at some venues.

There is no entry charge or tasting fee for this unique annual event. Wines are available for purchase by the glass and bottle.

All just 40 minutes from Melbourne!

REDBOX WINE

Free! Wine tasting on both days! Redbox has a wide range of old and new wines, and there are several popular wines available in case lots at special prices. How does $120 for a case of 2005 Redbox Cabernet Sauvignon sound? There will be other great bargains available that we can't mention here!

FOOD AT REDBOX

The fabulous chef, Simon Vaine, will be serving gourmet burgers. 

(Simon is an intelligent version of Gordon Ramsay).

Redbox wine, soft drinks, Coldstream Pilsner Beer and Draught Cider will be available on the day. Of course, our high performance Barista's will be happy to serve you with a divine Cappuccino, Latte or a Flat White, should you decide to relax and hang for a while.

Gourmet Burgers by Simon Vaine: $6 each!

Beef or Lamb with Rosemary

Skippy with Cajun Spices

Lentil and Chickpea for our vegetarian devotees

And Chicken Breast

All of which are served with options of;

Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, Beetroot, Onion,

Or

Tomato, Chutney, Onion, Jam or Mayo.

All one price, take aways included!

For more information on the Open Cellars Event;

Click here for the Open Cellars Web Site or www.opencellars.com.au

Redbox Luncheon at Mercer’s Restaurant Sunday September 28^th 2008

What more could you ask for?  A perfect spring day; the company of a wonderful group of food- and wine-lovers, and the rustic, homely atmosphere of one of Melbourne’s finest restaurants.

Operated by Stephen and Ute Mercer, Mercer’s Restaurant has an enviable reputation and a history of sold-out events, as was this one!

Colin Spencer of Redbox Vineyard & Winery in Kangaroo Ground (a few kilometres north of Eltham) felt privileged to be invited to supply the full range of wines to be served for this very special luncheon.  As Stephen pointed out in his summing up of the occasion, it is quite rare to see a regional boutique wine producer who is able to produce the full complement of specialist wines starting with a sparkling appetiser, three different styles of whites, two delicate reds, and a ‘finish off’ with an innovative red dessert wine.

Before everybody began to appreciate the fare they were privileged to meet the other diners from the Eltham region, and to enjoy a glass of one of the finest Sparkling Rosé wines from the area.  After this delightful start, the grateful diners enjoyed a Carpaccio of Kingfish with Crabmeat Salad and Miso Broth served with Redbox 2005 Riesling.  The Riesling was made in a Germanic style, with slow fermentation at a constant 11.7 deg C.  At three years of age it has retained acidity and still features fresh fruit flavours.

A Confit Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella Terrine with Gazspacho Sorbet followed, and this was accompanied by two delightful Chardonnay wines from Redbox.  The 2005 Chardonnay was fermented for an extended period at a constant 15 deg C, retaining fresh fruit flavours and natural acidity, with the quality of the fruit so obvious during the process it was decided to dispense with any application of oak treatment.  The second Chardonnay from the 2007 vintage was lightly and oaked.  Unaffected by widespread frost-damage across the region, and fortunate to miss most of the bushfire smoke damage which affected the North-East region of Victoria so heavily, the vineyard was so dry that only a small percentage of fruit was expected to be harvested. (In 2007, the Redbox Vineyard was without useful rainfall for five consecutive months.)  Two tonnes of Chardonnay was picked from vines which normally produce seven tonnes.  The Cabernet vines looked like giving around fifty percent of their capability, and the fruit matured well under bird netting as it ripened.  Unfortunately, the extremely dry conditions, along with the effects of over a million hectares of national parks and forests destroyed by bushfires drove thousands of native and feral birds into the vineyard in search of food.  The sweet ripening grapes proved too great a temptation, and even with careful net maintenance, all was lost.  So, with a running cost of over a quarter of a million dollars per annum, we managed to make only 1,600 bottles of Chardonnay wine in 2007.

Fermented at controlled lower temperatures for an extended time, the wine showed such unique promise that it was decided to use some of the most expensive French oak barrels available.  The result is a subtle oak background with superb retained fruit flavours and natural acidity, and this was commented on widely on the day.

As the culinary delights continued to emerge, a Foie gras Royale served inside evacuated egg shells, with a Warm Salad of Wild Mushrooms and Pickled Ox Tongue was served, accompanied by the Redbox 2006 Pinot Noir.

This was followed by Lamb-loin topped with Lamb-shank Farce and roasted in Prosciutto and fine Ratatouille and fried Polenta.  Served with a very smooth Redbox Private Reserve Cabernet Merlot, it was a stunning combination!

The event reached its conclusion with Pistachio and Olive oil Cake with Rhubarb Sorbet, with Poached Strawberries and Rice-paper Tuile, accompanied by Redbox 2006 Ice Cabernet before coffee.  The Ice Cabernet was complimented widely for its superb and unique flavours.

Because our climate has dried out during the past five years, fewer vineyards were affected by naturally-occurring botrytis or, as it is sometimes referred to: ‘the noble rot’.  At Redbox Vineyard, it was decided to attempt production of a local interpretation of the famous German Eis Wein.  The ‘Eis Wein’ style of dessert wine became popular with specialist winemakers in various European regions, including parts of Canada, and later New Zealand.  Redbox decided to research practical methods of producing a similar product, without the need to wait until the overripe fruit froze on the vine in frost conditions.  The process was not only successful with traditional Ice Wine made from Riesling grapes, but it also made it possible to develop a rich red dessert wine from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  Hence, the names Ice Riesling, and Ice Cabernet were adopted.  Imagine what could come in the future!  Ice Merlot, Ice Pinot Noir, and Ice Syrah, for example!

Intelligence feedback in the industry tells us that Redbox has started a new trend in dessert wines.  Vineyards late picking fruit in April and May indicate the possibility of a wide choice of Ice Wines from the Yarra Valley from the 2008 grape vintage.

A few years ago, a Botrytis Riesling dessert wine would have been considered appropriate in similar circumstances, but as the climate changes, so innovative wine makers will continue to adapt and to ‘lift the bar’ to greater heights.

Heatfealt thanks to Stephen and Ute Mercer for their kind invitation to Redbox Vineyard to participate in such a unique event, which was clearly without peer!