Pinot, produce, and more pinot

BY CAM O’KEEFE

Pinot lovers can rejoice, as this month marks the return of a local wine festival favourite, Pinot Affair.

It’s a celebration of all things (you guessed it) pinot noir spread over three days, encompassing multiple wineries from all three of Geelong’s wine sub regions, being the Moorabool Valley, Surf Coast and the Bellarine. Supporting these wineries are a multitude of events, spread across various local venues, each with their own pinot-related theme. Some highlight events include Pinot Paddles & Peking Duck at Lethbridge Wines (a food and wine match made by the heavens) Pottery & Pinot at Provenance Wines (not sure where the matchup is here, but who knows) and The Pinnacle of Pinot masterclass at Scotchman’s Hill, celebrating museum and present vintage flights of Bellarine pinots.

Speaking of our favourite local red grape, there’s one brilliant (albeit small) producer doing great things with pinot noir on our Surf Coast, called Heroes. It’s not involved in the above festival and unfortunately its cellar door is now closed for the winter, but if you haven’t yet been to its home in the Otways, mark it down as a must when it reopens towards the end of the year. Dog-friendly, BYO picnics, wine sales/tastings – it ticks all the boxes for me.

Well-made kombucha can be a joy to drink (particularly the boozy sort) and I was impressed recently with the Jun Kombucha found at Funk (Manifold Heights). It’s made by Botanical Brew: a sister business to the café that brews in Lara and also pops up at farmers markets from time to time. I’ve had this product before, years ago, but this latest batch seems much, much tastier: perhaps the current available version – which features galaxy and citra hops as core flavour ingredients – is more to my palate, I don’t know, but it’s definitely worth a revisit if you were in a similar boat to me. Not that you should need another reason to frequent this Shannon Ave destination, as their brilliant artisanal bakery range and coffee should be enough alone. While there, also make sure to grab a bag of their custom house-blend beans (labelled Blockhouse) like I did for home last week: it’s rich, although not overtly, and cuts through milk brilliantly. Anyway back to the kombucha: clocking in at 4 per cent alc, it’s a logical alternative to a cleansing mid afternoon beer, or as a pre dinner aperitif, or morning coffee… just a suggestion!

Last week I was asked what’s the best meal I’ve had in Geelong (so far) this year and my answer was instantaneous and void of any doubt. “Samesyn 2.0” was my response (followed by some affirmative head shaking). This tiny Torquay restaurant (approx. 30 seats) is nailing what they set out to achieve: low waste dining with real connection to the Surf Coast community (their words, not mine). Dishes (and service) are all class, and somehow knowing these were created using produce that had been initially destined for landfill (not due to their quality, but more so being in oversupply or discarded for whatever reason) makes them taste all that more pleasurable. Ohh and there are no wait staff here, with the chefs doing it all – from greetings and seating guests, to recommending your wine choice, to clearing your plates once your plate has been licked clean (hey, don’t judge). I love this model, it gives diners the chance to ask people who cooked that very dish any questions they have, plus gives the chefs an opportunity to tell more of the story on ingredients or provenance. If you haven’t yet been, go. Hands down, this is the dining highlight of our coast.

In closing, a quiet and sincere word of tribute to one of the most loved locals of our small Geelong distilling industry, Lorelle Warren. I met Lorelle (and Russ) only months before their landmark Bellarine distillery’s first Teddy and the Fox gin release (and can humbly, yet proudly, say, was one of the first Geelong venues to stock) after being introduced by common friend, and Four Pillar founder, Cam Mackenzie. I always thought her tall, smiling and genuine charisma were one of the most marketable and important charms of the brand’s story (not just yours, sorry Russ) and it was a joy to see the business flourish under her guidance and leadership. A tragic and significant loss to our local food, wine and spirits scene – vale Lorelle Warren.