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Depart from Jolimont Tourist Centre, outside Novotel on Northbourne Ave.
Depart from Abode Murrumbateman
Arrive at Helm Wines
Learn from the winemakers and taste some of the award-winning Rieslings and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Halliday Wine Companion 2023 released August, 2022 has rated Helm Wines: “A winery which is outstanding, regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity, and generally acknowledged to have a long track record of excellence in the context of its region – truly the best of the best. Among just 12.8 % of Australian wineries.
Arrive at Clonakilla
No wineries tour is complete without tasting the famous Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, amongst other excellent wines.
The Wall Street Journal: “Some argue this is Australia’s greatest red wine, it is certainly one of the greatest Shirazs”
James Halliday: “an icon wine, one of the best in Australia”
It has been a remarkable journey for Clonakilla. When John Kirk planted the first vines in 1971 he had no idea that his vineyard would one day be celebrated as one of the best in the country. Along the way there have been trials and tribulations as well as moments of unprecedented success.
Over time something important has become clear: Murrumbateman and Shiraz are one of those rare combinations in the world of wine that can produce something truly exciting.
Arrive at Shaw Wines or The Vintner’s Daughter
Shaw Wines:
Max Crus, January 2023: Shaw Wines Canberra Sparkling Cuvée 2021… quite sharp and bright…the ideal thing with which to celebrate the change of pace … suck it up. 9.3/10.
Shaw Wines is a family-owned and operated business located in Murrumbateman NSW, the heart of the Canberra cool-climate wine region. The Shaw Family first moved to Murrumbateman over 30 years ago, and in 1998 purchased “Olleyville” the historic 700-acre fine wool producing property dating back to the mid 19th century.
Vintner’s:
The Vintner’s Daughter was established by husband and wife team, Steph Helm and Ben Osborne, in 2014 in the village of Murrumbateman on Ngunnawal country. Both are accomplished wine industry professionals—Ben has over a decade of experience managing vineyards and Steph made her first wine when she was just 9 years old, following in the footsteps of her winemaker/vintner father, Ken Helm. Together Ben & Steph control the entire process from vine to glass.
Arrive at Four Winds Vineyard for a pizza lunch.
The Four Winds Story began with a miner and his wife who lived on the property in a slab-hut. Her name was Scheherazade, after the story telling character in The Arabian Nights. Her favourite story described a magic carpet being borne by the four winds of good fortune. She named this small farm in Murrumbateman ‘Four Winds’ in the hope it would carry their good fortunes.
Four Winds planted their thirty-three acre vineyard in 1998 and 1999 with five varieties: Shiraz, Riesling, Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese.
Arrive at a Distillery, such as:
Get to taste around 5 gins and a vodka. From the owner: ““I wanted to make a spirit of the highest quality, using the most effective purification and flavor infusion techniques, without being ridiculously priced. After working behind a bar for more than 10 years, I saw a gap in the market for high quality and uniquely flavored spirits that can be the star in creating exciting new and bespoke cocktails, mixed drinks, or a fun and enjoyable shot. Once I had an idea of what flavors I wanted to create, I used my previous distilling experience and knowledge in semi permeable membranes gained from a medical science degree to bring the dream to life.”
Distilling is an exact science, combining flavours and inspiration. Curious and independent, we are guided but not bound by tradition. We create spirits that reflect the unique Canberra environs. They enliven your senses and evoke a sense of time and space.
Our gin is produced using a 420 L stainless-steel pot still fitted with a copper botanical basket in a “single -shot” distillation. Neutral grain spirit (from a wheat based feedstock) of the highest purity (96.0% ABV or higher) is used as the base to ensure the botanical flavours are not muddied by any dirty spirit character. This spirit is cut back with filtered, beautiful water fresh from the Brindabella mountains.
Depending on the spirits we’ll either macerate the botanicals, vapor infuse them, or use a combination of both. The distiller then makes a heads and tails cut, by nose, keeping only the middle fraction of the distillate, known as the hearts, and the spirit is bottled at its designated strength. After bottling we give our spirits a few weeks rest to allow for flavour reformation.
Arrive at a Brewery, such as:
Capital Brewing Co. is 100 per cent independently employee owned, formed by a close group of mates who froth on delicious brews, surfing waves and good vibes. They in making great brews, looking after people and the environment.
They also believe that the most important piece of brewing equipment is the stereo!
Craft beers that everyone can enjoy. Not just beer aficionados with hop crumbs in their moustaches. ‘Good Natured’ is the lens that we put across every beer we brew, and everything we do. We always use fresh, natural ingredients that we source locally wherever possible to minimise our impact on the environment. For more info on how seriously we take this responsibility click here. And being located at the base of Brindabellas makes it easy to source some of the cleanest water on the planet to make our beer.
Head back to Jolimont Tourist Centre
- Your wellbeing is at the heart of Merry Heart CBR.
- Whilst it is a non-judgmental setting: if you are prone to binge drinking or had any recent alcohol use disorders, then please do not put yourself into a tempting environment such as this.
Some further discouragements:
- Note that alcohol or other illicit substances do not provide rest, as your body goes into overdrive to clear out the toxins. True rest/relief may be better achieved by taking small steps towards completing your tasks or solving the problems you are facing.
- “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35 NKJV)
