A long weekend just calls out for an escape to the country, whether for a day or overnight. ANZAC Day fell on a Monday this year, so we were given the gift of a three day weekend, which in my book, is not for staying at home the whole time, but gives us the opportunity to venture out further and explore.
The drive to Yarra Glen in Melbourne is a really easy one. Just under an hour from town. If you leave early enough, you'll get very little traffic and only the last stretch of road is only one lane.
Arriving at Yering Station, this beautiful oasis rises up out of the dry surrounds with its perfectly pristine manicured gardens. I parked the car and walked down the path to what I thought was the place I was going, but in actual fact I had opened the door to the hotel or guesthouse on the property. It looks very old, but very beautiful with internal architecture and styling that was lost in time and yet so well preserved. Glossy wooden railed staircase with heavily patterned carpet, you can envisage what I mean, I'm sure.
The girl behind the desk kindly advised that there was no lunch being served in that building but that breakfast had finished being served and dinner was hours away from commencement. She directed me towards the cafe and restaurant, just a short stroll down the old stone path.
A minute or two later I arrived to find an old red brick building with a few tables and chairs outside and what looked to be a balcony above.
Walking in, I was surprised to find a small retail space that had organic produce from the local regions. Anything from chutney to sea salt, jams, teas, honeycomb, chocolate. All things you'd expect to see on a gourmet food or fruit platter, or a gourmet breakfast.
Produce was simply displayed on huge wine barrels, giving it that rustic feeling.
Beyond this room, it opens up into a large, imposing, double storey ceiling height space with an equally large rectangular bar in the centre. The bar was three people deep doing tastings, and as I was flying solo on this day, I decided against standing around to wait for the crowds to die down.
Instead I took myself upstairs to Matt's Bar, a relaxed little casual dining area above the retail space at the front of the red brick building. With a simple 4-item only cafe style menu encouraging swift selection, I ordered a sparkling wine to accompany my lunch of lamb sliders and beer battered chips with aioli.
The staff were friendly, took the order efficiently and the food appeared in a reasonable amount of time. The balcony/deck has a perimeter lined with an outward facing, continuous wooden bar space and stools. The rest of the indoor and outdoor space has tables and chairs. I pulled up a stool which was perfect for one as it was facing out over the Yarra Ranges and the rest of the estate.
The sparkling was Yarrabank Cuvee by Devaux and Yering Station and it certainly didn't disappoint. If you're read any of my other posts, you'll note that my palate seems to favour the pale, lighter tasting sparklings. I was half expecting that being a joint venture with a French winemaker, that Yarrabank Cuvee would have the heavier yellow tones and flavour that I'm not as much in love with.
The one thing I'm loving about this journey of sparkling discovery is that I'm constantly surprised. And when I saw the lovely pale colour of this one, the surprise was a good one.
Again, I'm no wine connoisseur, but this one was about half way between the super pale that I like and the heavy ones that I don't favour as much. And what a lovely compromise, plus the addition of bubbles that just seemed to last forever….well for the entire glass at least. This was a good thing as being my own designated driver on this day, I was only going to be having one glass of any alcohol, so it allowed me to take a while and savour it along with the greener than green views over treetops and mountains in the distance.
From there I moved to through another tree-lined path where a beautiful and majestic glass modern building has been designed to completely encapsulate the stunning views in the surrounding area. A modern fountain and lake provides a peaceful and calm entry to the restaurant, and if you venture past the restaurant door without entering, you'll find a vast, open space of steps and flat terrace that are also designed for guests to the entire property (not just the restaurant) to enjoy the view and take in the breathtaking green valley. What a wonderful place for photos with a small or large group.
For more info about Matt's Bar at Yering Station, visit: https://www.yering.com/visit-yering-station/restaurant-bar/matts-bar/
