THROUGHOUT THE 2016 MAY & JUNE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL WE ARE DOING OUR SERIES OF “BY THE FIRESIDE” WINEMAKER DINNERS… Each Friday evening in May and June, we will have a different Hunter Valley Winemaker on hand for you can hear their stories and sample their latest releases as they discuss the amazing 2014 vintage – arguably the best the Hunter’s living memory… Each of the 4 courses will be perfectly matched to the Winemaker’s best. And with a maximum of only 30 guests, this will be indeed an intimate fireside experience…. May 13 – Andrew Margan – Margan Family Wines May 20 – Andrew Thomas – Thomas Wines May 27 – Matt Polin – Polin & Polin Wines June 3 – Bob Whalan – Stormy Ridge Wines June 10 – Bruce Tyrrell – Tyrrells Wines June 17 – Lisa McGuigan – Lisa McGuigan Wines June 24 – Ian Napier – Wombat Crossing Vineyard Seats are $120 per person. And we have some very special stay packages too. To reserve your place, please complete the booking form below and we will be in touch with you. Of course if you have any question, please contact Kylie on events@hunterresort.com.au or call on 02 49987777 (Ext 233). Thank you.

Hunter Valley Resort ABN 89 003 384 307 Hermitage Road Pokolbin NSW 2320 P: 02 49987777 ext 5 F: 02 49987787 wines@HunterResort.com.au www.HunterResort.com.au

Nathans Vintage report The 2016 harvest is now complete. During early January to we had over 300ml+ of rain! However in saying that, we had a lucky break. From late Jan there has only been sunshine, so the whites started ripening evenly so everyone was able to harvest good quality fruit. After all the sweating and nervous excitement, with the continual sunshine we have managed to get some really high quality reds into the barrels. Enjoy this Imbibe selection!

Imbibe Easter 2016

Wh

ites

2012 LISA MCGUIGAN WILD THING

SEMILLON - HUNTER VALLEY

This Semillon is from the Hunter

Valley 2012 vintage, the perfect

region to grow Semillon. As the

name suggests we will be using

wild yeast to ferment this wine,

which will give a slight fragrance

of 'pong' but still have crisp citrus

notes and lovely toasty characters.

2013 SAN MARTINO PINOT GRIGIO

The grapes for this wine were picked from vines growing on volcanic red soil. Made without oak and using ripe fruit with controlled fermentation to preserve the fruit characters of pear with hints of guava and passion fruit the result is fresh and lively. Enjoy whilst young

and vibrant

2014 HELÉ FAMILY SEMILLON

SAUVIGNON BLANC:

An Ideal Match because one completes the other. Semillon provides the texture, body and richness, while the sauvignon Blanc offers the structure, raciness and backbone. Fresh and lively with lime and citrus characters, notes of passionfruit

linger on the finish.

LISA MCGUIGAN GRUNER VELTLINER

The wine appears pale green

apple tinge. On the nose it is fresh

and clean with a powerful aroma

of lychee, accented by hints of

lemon and limes. It is crisp and

zesty on the palate; at once sweet

and tart, the guava and mandarin

flavours with bracing minerality.

On the finish the mouth feel is

silky and mouth-filling with a hint

of white pepper

2015 MARGAN VERDELHO

This Verdelho is pale straw in colour and shows an aromatic bouquet of green apple and stone fruits with a hint of spice, closely followed by tropical notes of passionfruit, guava and pineapple. The perfect mix of subtle citrus and mouth watering tropical flavours on the palate makes this wine well balanced with a crisp clean spicy finish.

Enjoy as a young, fresh wine.

2011 LISA MCGUIGAN CHARDONNAY -

UPPER HUNTER VALLEY

This Chardonnay fruit is from one of the best vineyards in the Hunter. The wine has had minimal french oak resulting in a delicious citrus and mineral tasting wine with a gorgeous creamy texture

with or without food.

Red

s

2014 MARGAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON

This wine is like diving head first into a black forest cake. It shows intense aromas of blackcurrant, cherries and dark chocolate. A lifted vanilla note derived from new american oak hogsheads is accentuated by plenty of spicy fruit with tobacco leaf in the background. The primary fruit carries through to the palate, and combined with savory characters it creates a luscious full mouth feel. The tannins are young and tight and will continue to develop as this wine ages. The result will be a smooth full-bodied Cabernet that can hold its own against some of

the best out there.

2014 MAJORS LANE PEPPERCORN BLOCK SHIRAZ From the legendary 2014 vintage, is the best yet? You decide. Medium crimson with a purple rim. Vanilla, toffee, and mulberry dominate the rich aromatic nose, with a hint of whole cloves and a brush of cedary oak in the background. The palate is rich and deep with plum overtones and savoury undertones. The tannin structure is very soft with a slight lift on the finish. A perfect accompaniment to a rare steak fresh off the barbie!

2015 MAJORS LANE CHAMBOURCIN Just when we thought we had tasted all the best wine in the Hunter, along comes Majors Lane! Very complex for Chambourcin, the wine is bright, deep ruby-purple. Pomegranate with a hint of cardamom and dark chocolate on the nose. Cherry and brambly fruits dominate a full, round palate. Finishes light and soft with impressive length on the mid-palate. Perfect on a warm autumn afternoon with barbequed spare ribs mopped with a smoky sauce.

SAN MARTINO LINGO ROSSO

This wine was made by Andrew Margan with fruit from the Broke region and displays ripe fruits and herbivorous nose with soft fruits and chocolate plate from the Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot makes this the perfect wine to enjoy at anytime or with your favourite Pasta with

red Sauce.

2015 HELE FAMILY SHIRAZ Our Shiraz grapes were harvested from one of the oldest vineyards with particularly mature grape vines that simply produce excellent ripeness and wonderful colour. This is a particularly full bodied wine with intense depth of varietal character coupled with a lovely deep claret colour. The wine is displaying fresh spices, cigar box and rich ripe wild blackberry characters on the nose. The palate is rich and very generous with flavours that linger particularly well. An approachable wine in its youth and will also cellar well in the medium term.

LISA MCGUIGAN VANESSA VALE SHIRAZ 2011 The Shiraz fruit was sourced from the Adelaide region which is renowned for the sandy loam found there. The grapes were harvested in late April when the fruit was at its optimum level of ripeness. This wine delivers elegant spice combined with a rich chocolate finish. Good drinking now and will

improve if kept for up to 10 years.

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

For reservations, please go to www.hunterresort.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

Rabbit Stew

Ingredients

3 tbsp plain flour 1 Bunch chopped fresh thyme 15g butter 30ml Vegetable oil 1 large rabbit jointed into 8 pieces 2 brown onions, chopped 500ml dry cideror dry white 300ml chicken stock 2 bay leaves 350g carrots, peeled 150g frozen peas sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 rashers streaky bacon, cut into 2cm squares

Method:

1. Place the flour, thyme and a good pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground black

pepper in a large freezer bag add rabbit portions into the bag, a few at a time, and

shake well until evenly coated in the seasoned flour.

2. Melt the butter with the half theoil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium

heat. Fry the rabbit, a few pieces at a time, until golden-brown all over. Put all the

front and rear leg portions into a flameproof casserole dish.

3. Transfer the saddle pieces to a plate, cover loosely and set aside (these will need

less cooking time, so can be added later on). Preheat the oven to 170C

4. Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the bacon until the fat is browned and

beginning to crisp. Add the bacon to the casserole dish.

5. Add a dash more oil to the frying pan and fry the onion for 5-7 minutes, or until

lightly browned and beginning to soften. Add the onions to the casserole, sprinkle

with any flour remaining in the freezer bag and stir until well combined.

6. Pour half of the cider into the frying pan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to

lift any sediment from the bottom. Simmer for a few seconds then pour into the

casserole. Add the rest of the cider and the stock. Stir the bay leaves into the

casserole, cover with a lid and cook in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.

7. Remove the casserole from the oven, add the reserved saddle pieces and carrots,

turn all the rabbit portions, ensuring that as much of the meat is covered by liquid as

possible. (Not all the meat will be covered.) Return to the oven for a further 1-2

hours.

8. Take the casserole out of the oven after one hour and check the rabbit – the meat

should be starting to fall off the bone when the rabbit is ready. Poke the leg portions

and the saddle pieces with a skewer and if it doesn’t slide in easily, return the

casserole to the oven. Check again for tenderness and turn the rabbit portions every

30 minutes or so.

9. When the rabbit is tender, Carefully transfer the casserole to the stove top. Bring to

a fast simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the liquid reduces to a slightly

thickened, gravy-like consistency. Stir in the frozen peas and simmer for a further

three minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

IMBIBE! Prices Can we please say a huge THANK YOU for supporting IMBIBE. We now have so many members enjoying our team’s selection of wines — just for you! And I am really pleased to see so many

IMBIBE members and their friends utilizing the IMBIBE benefits to stay with us time and again.

Our pack prices have not increased since we started IMBIBE on our casual pack . That is; $225 for the dozen pack and $120 for the half dozen pack. We have absorbed the modest price rises for the wines we source for you, however the freight costs have just skyrocketed this past year! With this in mind, we have to increase our 12 pack cost from $225 to $235 from the next October /

November IMBIBE. The six pack price will go from $120 To $128 per pack

Of course, if you would like to change your membership from the 12 pack to the 6 pack of premium IMBIBE wines, please let us know by email/phone and will action your request. Again, thank you for

being part of IMBIBE, and for your support of my family’s business

THE WEDDING RECEPTION – Interactive Theatre International presents:– Boasting 5*

reviews from premières in London Covent Garden, Brighton Fringe and Edinburgh

Fringe, this new immersive comedy from the producers of Faulty Towers The Dining

Experience makes its Hunter Valley Resort debut on 17 May 2016 complete with new

bits!

The low-down…Will & Kate’s dream was for a small intimate wedding – but Kate’s Mum, Lynne, had other plans! In a bid for peace, a compromise was reached, and the happy couple tied the knot in a registry office so that Lynne’s lavish reception could go ahead

without fuss… though ‘without fuss’ isn’t quite how it turns out!

Be a guest at The Wedding Reception. It’s a 2 ½ hour comedy that’s immersive, highly improvised, and as interactive as you want it to be. And, in true wedding reception style, it even includes a sit-down dinner – with cake! Join the party. It’s a roller-coaster journey

full of fun, frolics… and more than a few surprises.

The Wedding Reception is a new immersive comedy by the producers of Faulty Towers The Dining Experience. It features four award-winning actors in multiple roles. It premièred at Brighton Fringe last year, then moved on to London Covent Garden and Edinburgh Fringe – receiving great reviews all the way. It’s back at all three locations this year, as well as

doing a weekend in Raffles Singapore and tours in the UK and Australia.

YOUR WEDDING RECEPTION DETAILS: Venue: Hunter Valley Resort, Cnr Hermitage Rd & Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin, Dates: Tuesday 17 May 2016 Times: Doors open 7:00pm – show starts the moment guests arrive! Tickets:$75.00 pp (includes $2.20 booking fee) – all tickets include a two-course meal plus cake

for dessert (special diets catered). Bookings: Direct booking link | info@imagination-workshop.com | 1300 308 193 PG (occasional strong language and sexual innuendo)

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Mail to: Hunter Valley Resort, Corner Hermitage Road & Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin 2320 Email to: wines@HunterResort.com.au

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