I’ve wanted for quite some time to visit all the winemakers in Victoria’s King Valley but as it’s a 4 hour drive, it’s something I didn’t want to rush. i.e. it’s not a day-trip, but something that requires at least 2 or 3 days to have the time to explore and appreciate as many vineyards as you can in the region. The weather gods were on our side with a pleasant 25 degrees, light breeze and perfect sunshine.

Fortunate that I have friends who are also lovers of fresh produce, wine, and creative cuisine, this was one place I knew any friend would enjoy. So we made it a belated birthday gift to have the Saturday Night degustation.

5 courses with matching wines, amuse bouche and palette cleanser.

Servings of wine and food were the perfect size and amount to be sure you've thoroughly enjoyed them, but that by the time you reached dessert, you're sufficiently satisfied and yet still able to enjoy that final plate.

I’ve had many degustations before, and I would have to rate this as one of the most creative, visually stunning without being pompous or have too much “theatre” that seems to be the thing at the moment in Melbourne’s culinary scene. In other words, it was all about the food, with a touch of whimsy (see palate cleaner notes) in there that made it totally memorable and one we will talk about for many years to come.

To top if all off, it was absolutely the best value degustation to date given it included matching wines - and very generous serves I might add. Such a shame it’s not a little closer to home!

We checked into our rooms and made our way to the public bar. From there we were ushered to the intimate dining room with a completely different feel to the relaxed country pub. Perfect ambience. Soft piano-jazz music playing in the background, lighting that wasn’t too low or high in a rustic room that had touches of the modern fixtures combined with the exposed brick and other more classical decor as well.

The tables are set out a good distance from eachother but without feeling like you’re lost at sea.

The service can only be described as warm, sincere, knowledgeable and with genuine care and attention to detail.

Our sommelier Mario, took the time to introduce and explain each wine’s nuances clearly and in such a manner that we could really taste exactly what he was talking about.

Our waiter, Suresh, had carefully researched our dietary requirements and with each dish meticulously delivered a description to confirm and assure us of it’s contents.

No matter how many questions we had about the wines and dishes, both Mario and Suresh obliged.

At the end of the meal, our chef Ben came to our table and had a brief chat with us.
We truly appreciated his artistic creations that had been especially tailored to our requirements.

Everything that was served to us was absolutely delicious, amazingly fresh and a wonderful combination of plates - some delicate, some more robust on the pallette.

Each course was visually exciting, elegant, creative, and designed with love, right down to the different styles of plate or bowl it came in that either complemented the colours in the food itself, or simply made sense with regard to the shape working with the way you would eat that particular dish.

Our wines were:

- Pizzini Prosecco (our aperitif)
- Pizzini Rose
- 2015 Chardonnay 49 from Beechworth
- Pizzini Piccolit Dessert wine

Due to our individual dietary requirements, the chef recommended a pescatarian menu.

Our courses were:

Aperitif - Pizzini Prosecco

1) Amuse Bouche - Oyster ravioli, Pig’s blood pancake and Bloody Mary mousse, served on a sleek, wooden paddle.

2) Artisinal individual miniature bread loaves, served in a tailored hessian bag, accompanied by French-style hand whipped butter that was so incredibly light and creamy.

3) Cured egg with a slice of orange, baby asparagus and asparagus jelly and popcorn. Decorated with delicate flowers and served on something that was like a picture frame. A square piece of glass suspended above a wooden box base with soil and other flowers embedded below.

4) Palette cleanser - Mirror with lipstick. Inside the lipstick was a raspberry and Prosecco sorbet.

5) Trout with quinoa on a bed of picked fennel.

6) Marron on a bed of foam.

7) Cheese platter - served less as a platter and more as a dish. A soft, a gouda, and a blue with deep fried bread, walnut and quince paste.

6) Quinells of youghurt and raspberry frozen yoghurt with home made marshmallows and strawberries with a strawberry sauce.

How lovely at the end of it all to be able to walk only a few paces back to our rooms and retire for the evening.

Definitely somewhere I would recommend and encourage people to do when visiting Victoria's High Country region.