Recently I had my mum and sister pop over from New Zealand for a quick long weekend and we were fortunate enough to have a cracker few days of sunny, welcome to summer weather. So the agenda became a quick art gallery fix, a meander in Flinders, and a stop at Montalto in Red Hill for a bit of lunch.
It had been a while since I had visited Montalto, but I was instantly reminded how easy and relaxed it can be there in the piazza, sitting among the kitchen garden and looking out over the vines and sculptures in the distance.
It was a perfect place to go on a Monday, which gave us our pick of a table. We shared a few small tapas-style plates of food, including kingfish crudo (ceviche), polenta chips, duck and cherry pate, and cauliflower croquets. I chose a French variety called sauvignon to match. It’s a little outside the norm, but it’s a pretty cool style with lovely texture, refreshing acidity, floral notes, and a subtle savoury finish.
So with Montalto offering private picnics around the amazing property, it reminded me of how good picnics are this time of year – unless it’s 30C-plus and then we are usually at the beach with an Esky. There are so many picnic options around the Peninsula you can visit with family and friends; let someone else cater for you or bring your own spread.
If you like to cater for yourself but still visit a winery and settle in, then I suggest visiting Kerri Greens where you can BYO picnic food and rugs. Better still, book a table for $15 that includes a glass of their wine or beer on arrival and still BYO picnic platter. Try their Museum Blanc de Blanc sparkling or one of three chardonnays on offer if you can get them, as they often sell out – not to mention their rosé; it’s also a cracker but sells out fast.
If you’re keen for a little more space or have a big group, a great go-to is Seawinds Gardens at the top of Arthurs Seat. There is ample room to choose from, a beaut kids’ play area, barbecues if you prefer a snag, a kangaroo or two hopping around and plenty of trees to sit under for shade.
So what will I be drinking, you ask. Well, a summer picnic wouldn’t be complete without a nice glass of cold rosé to start, as it will go well with a spread of charcuterie, cheese and crackers, chips and dips. I am enjoying the Port Phillip Solassa Rosé at the moment; it is fresh with crisp acidity and lovely red summer fruits, rounded out with a bit of barrel fermentation for texture and depth.
If rosé is not your style, try a fruit-forward pinot gris with a bit of body, but with fresh acidity to the wine to cut through the richer traditional picnic fare. Try Quealy Tussie Mussie, Musk Creek Pinot Gris or 10X from Ten Minutes by Tractor. If none of these appeal, crack open your fave Peninsula bubbles.
Enjoy your next picnic adventure, and as usual you can find a good selection of local wines in store at Dan Murphy’s Mornington, including the Solassa Rosé and all the gris mentioned.
For Montalto picnic info, head to www.montalto.com.au/pages/picnics and Kerri Greens www.kerrigreens.com/ for further details.
Until next time, enjoy your wine journey.
NIGEL STREET
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