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March is a busy time at Montalto with vintage ’24 well underway. There’s plenty of opportunities to visit the estate throughout March too, with the Labour Day long weekend, Easter and school holidays all very good excuses to spend some time on the Peninsula soaking up the last of the warm days. We’re sad to wind up our Twilight sessions tomorrow (Saturday 2nd March) - if you’re in the area come on down for the last one of the season – it’s absolutely the best time of day to visit the property!
Cheers,
The last of the warm weather screams BBQ, and few wines match up better to some beautifully barbecued meat (or new season vegetables) than a juicy, aromatic Grenache. “Grenache at Montalto”, I hear you say, well, it just so happens that the answer is, yes. With successive low-yielding vintages, we couldn’t turn down an opportunity to get our hands on some outstanding Heathcote Grenache.
White florals, lemon blossom, lemon juice, stone fruits, slate, wet stone together with yeasty notes and sea-spray and a pepper twist. A beautifully balanced wine encompassing fruit weight, palate structure, texture and refreshing rounded acidity with a long savoury finish.
A lace-like thread of bright red fruit flavours, notably strawberry and red cherry sherbet combine with some apple and rhubarb notes and a whiff of talc. The palate is creamy and effortless along a gentle bead of froth and bright crunchy acidity.
“A challenging growing season with regular rain events and unusually high humidity. Dan and his team have been meticulous in their canopy management with disease free grapes now swinging in favourable ripening conditions. We anticipate high-quality, low-yielding fruit being delivered to the winery in early March.”
We’re thrilled to introduce a very limited-edition product to The Montalto Pantry Collection: Rhubarb Sweet Chilli Sauce.
Here’s how this uniquely delicious sauce was created...
“In 2021, we welcomed The Lawn Bar to The Piazza. In order to accommodate this beautiful new addition, we needed to find a new home for the 25+ year old rhubarb crowns originally planted by Wendy Mitchell. At that same time, our Produce Manager Julie decided to split a selection of other rhubarb crowns across the property. Between these two operations, over 150 metres of heirloom rhubarb was re-planted into the market garden.
In late spring 2023, we harvested an impressive 170kg of rhubarb which was top, tailed and washed then driven (in my car!) to Melbourne to be processed by John at Tamarind Tree into our Rhubarb Sweet Chilli Sauce.
Made from rhubarb, long red chillies (we’ve removed the seeds so it’s not too hot), sugar, vinegar, ginger and garlic. The rhubarb adds an amazing sweetness to the sauce, but also adds depth of flavour and some refreshing acidity.” Matt Wilkinson, Culinary Creative Director, Montalto.
Available in The Cellar Door, and online, for a very limited time only.
“The mornings have a chill to them now as I pick crate loads of apples from our orchard. Gala is the first variety to ripen, followed by Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Jonathon and Fuji.
Our zucchinis harvest has concluded after a hugely abundant season whilst our pumpkins are putting on the last of their growth before they begin to harden their skins for winter storage and use.
The rush of summer harvests has slowed and now’s the time to start top-dressing our soil with our home made compost in readiness for winter planting. Happy Autumn!”
Julie Bennett, Produce Manager
“We have been working with Beau from Wildlife Fisheries, a small commercial fisherman operating out of Rosebud. He is catching beautiful Yellowfin tuna out of Port Phillip and Westernport Bay. All his fish is sustainably line caught and super fresh, with most fish arriving to The Restaurant on the day it has been caught.
With eggplant season in full swing, we are pairing Beau’s freshly caught tuna with caponata: a traditional Sicilian eggplant dish. The eggplant is slowly cooked with golden raisins, Julie’s estate-grown basil and red wine vinegar made from our very own Pinot Noir. This becomes a dressing for the tuna, with its sweet and sour properties matching well with the tuna’s natural flavour.
This dish, when paired with the subtle oak and cleansing acidity of our Eleven Chardonnay, makes for a lovely start to our late summer March menu.”
Michael Clancey, Head Chef, The Restaurant
“March on the Peninsula means the blissful continuation of warm days – the perfect weather to dine in The Piazza. We welcome a few new dishes including two which have become my absolute favourites: Marinated estate-grown beetroot with apples, cow’s curd, hazelnuts and chervil and our beautiful grilled spatchcock with braised chickpeas and fresh salsa verde made exclusively with ingredients from our estate gardens… thank you Julie!”
WALK INS ONLY OR
BOOK NOW FOR GROUPS OF 10+
Bowie Chan, Head Chef, The Piazza
Enjoy the warmth of the autumn sun and the abundance from our estate gardens at your very own private picnic site!
