The No.1 magazine for visitors to Hunter Valley Wine Country

B L A C K B O A R D

AUGUST 2015 | ISSUE #102

THE

HunterValleyOnline.com.au

Big Red

THE MYSTERY OF MERLOT

THE NEXT GENERATION Of Hunter Winemakers

Classic Reds

thb 2 | AUGUST 2015

7TH AND 8TH AUGUST | STIRWORZ: RETURN OF THE PARODY Cessnock Performing Arts Centre | With the release of the next Star Wars film set for later this year, STIRWORZ: Return of the Parody takes a wild, hilarious guess at what the next Star Wars adventure may look like. It will have you rolling in the aisles with its Seinfeldian/Black Adderish inspired humour. Featuring a huge cast of over 70 of the finest performers from the Middle School of St Philips Christian College Cessnock, this show is a must! The Saturday night performance is dress up night! For more information and ticket sales visit www.cessnockperformingartscentre.com.au

SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST | WALLSEND WINTER FAIR | Wallsend Celebrating its 30th year, the Wallsend Winter Fair is a free, family friendly event and one of the largest street events in the Hunter Region. Browse through over 120 vibrant specialty stalls offering unique arts, crafts, gifts, clothing, jewellery and much more. If food’s more your thing, enjoy the many fresh and tasty cuisines on offer in the food precinct. Visitors can also sit back and enjoy local musicians, school bands, choirs and dance schools perform on two stages. Throughout the day visitors will have the opportunity to win a large selection of prizes being offered by local businesses and sponsors. For more information visit www.winterfair.com.au

20TH - 30TH AUGUST | MORPETH TEA PARTY EXHIBITION | Morpeth Gallery | Consisting of two weeks of visual extravaganza, the Morpeth Tea Party Exhibition features the amazing creativity of teapot makers from all over Australia and around the world. And the best part is its all free! All teapots are for sale, along with tea infusers, tea towels, tea books and hundreds of tea cosies. The Novelty Tea Cosy Competition attracts around 250 entries each year and around 500 cosies are featured in the display. Tastings of organic teas, honey, gingerbread, sweets and much more will round out a tea-riffic day for one and all. For more information visit www.campbellsstoremorpeth.com

15TH AND 16TH AUGUST | MAITLAND AROMA: COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL | Riverside Carpark, Maitland | The Maitland Aroma Festival is a coffee, chocolate and fine food affair that aims to ward off the winter chill with the best local coffee roasters, a delectable range of chocolates and much more. Enjoy local wines, desserts and fresh produce from exhibitors, demonstrations, displays and market stalls. Entry to the festival is free. For more information visit www.maitlandaroma.com.au

28TH - 30TH AUGUST | NEWCASTLE FOOD AND WINE EXPO | Newcastle Entertainment Centre | Now in its 3rd year, the Newcastle Food & Wine Expo is back! Featuring Celebrity Chef cooking demos, culinary presentations and over 150 exhibitors. Enjoy FREE tastings and samples from some of Australia’s best gourmet food and exquisite wine producers and see kitchenware demonstrations of the latest products for you to try at home. Grab a front row seat and watch celebrity chefs and local talent create their favourite recipes– an interactive cooking show not to be missed! For more information or tickets visit www.foodandwineexpo.com.au

THE HUNTER BLACKBOARD IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH...

PUBLISHED BY: WCP Media

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: PH +61 2 4967 3200

HunterValleyOnline.com.au enquiries@wcpmedia.com.au

WCP MEDIA Suite 4, 2 Smith St,

Charlestown, NSW 2290August 2015.

Copyright © 2015 WCP Media. Published monthly by WCP Media. All rights reserved. Permission to

reprint or quote excerpt granted by written request only. While every

attempt has been made, WCP Media cannot guarantee the legality,

completeness or accuracy of the information presented and accepts no

warranty or responsibility for such.

SPECIAL OFFERS AVAILABLEfrom 1st August 2015 until the

31st August 2015 inclusive or while stocks last.

GET MOBILE! View this month’s issue of

The Hunter Blackboard on your iPhone, iPad, android tablet or

android phone. Simply download the QR Code and get mobile! 29TH AND 30TH AUGUST | WOLLOMBI COUNTRY FAIR | Wollombi

Now in its 7th year, the Wollombi Country Fair is a family-friendly event returning the last weekend of August. All weekend enjoy wine tasting, food and local produce stalls, arts and craft market stalls and street and musical entertainment. This year sees the return of the fairs most popular (and quirky) events such as the Mower Mardi Gras, Scarecrow Competition, Lantern Parade plus many more. For more information visit www.wollombicountryfair.com.au

FOR YOUR DIARYAugust

thb 3 | AUGUST 2015

Begin with a sip of perfection in our Taittinger Champagne Lounge, then head through

to your table underneath ornate chandeliers surrounded by rich, wooden furniture.

Peruse our organically minded, modern Australian, farm to fork menu. If you cannot choose your

favourite from our deep and decadent selection, one of our divine staff will help guide you through

the different dishes available.

Understanding the nuances of each plate will help you create the perfect path for

your dining experience.

Our free range chickens offer up our eggs each day, and a lush, bountiful kitchen garden is lovingly tended to by Chefs with a passion for

presenting you produce that comes light on carbon footprint and high on flavour.

Sink into the rich soil of Circa 1876 and transport yourself you to a truly exceptional dining experience.

H U N T E R V A L L E Y

64 Halls Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320Phone 02 4998 4998 | www.circa1876.com

If you’re thinking that this issue has a real wine focus then you’d be right! It’s our annual BIG RED issue in which we celebrate some of the beautiful red wines that come out of the Hunter Valley. There’s something about red wine that conjures images of winter... sitting in front of a raging fire, glass in hand with a roast in the oven so it’s no coincidence that our BIG RED issue is in winter! It really is a lovely time of the year in the Hunter Valley—which isn’t traditionally known as a winter destination, but is fast gaining a reputation as an ideal “cold weather” retreat – no doubt as a result of that raging fire and red wine image we’ve just conjured up for our readers!

Speaking of relaxation – did you know that Golden Door have just been voted the Best Australian Health & Wellness Property by readers of Luxury Travel Magazine? You can find out a little more about the award and their beautiful facilities in this issue.

This month our feature article takes a look at some of the red varieties that the Hunter Valley is most renowned for and also tries to dispel some of the myths associated around red wine (like “you can’t have red wine with white meat” – who says!).

We also look at some of the health benefits of drinking wine – good news

is that we can actually lose weight and become more creative!

The Hunter Valley is often thought to be the home of Shiraz in Australia, but as we find out in this issue, there’s a lot more in terms of red wine varieties on offer here and this month we look at six of the most interesting reds currently on tasting.

There’s a new restaurant on the scene. Nanna Kerr’s is the lovechild of Jimmy Wright and Matt Kerr and we welcome them to lovely Lovedale with their new venture, which they describe as “indulgent when it needs to be, healthy when it wants to be and a place filled with love.” We can’t wait for the opening on August 6th!

Donna also talks to Matt Dillow about his life, his ever expanding culinary business (which now includes tours and produce) and what he does in a typical day. Like us – you’ll probably wonder if he has any time left over for sleeping!

We hope you enjoy reading our Big Red issue and delight in the last remnants of what has been a rather cool winter in the Hunter Valley. See you in Spring!

Enjoy!

FROM THE EDITORS

ContentsCLASSIC REDSThis month we celebrate the classic red wine varieties for which the Hunter Valley has become renown…

NANNA KERR’S KITCHENFind out what inspired a Sales Manager from London and the brother of an international supermodel to open a family restaurant in The Hunter Valley!

HUNTER BLACKBOARD MAP The Hunter Blackboards handy guide to finding your way around Wine Country…

A NEW WAVE OF WINEMAKERSMeet the exciting new wave of talented and innovative winemakers shaping the future of winemaking in the Hunter Valley!

THE MYSTERY OF MERLOTConsidered one of the most important red wine varieties, we look at why popularity in Merlot has soared in the past decade…

BIG HUNTER REDSWith so many great red wines available throughout the Hunter Valley, we look at 6 of our favourites to help you choose your own!

8

14

18

22

28

30

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!