Hurley Cellar, Marion Hotel
849 Marion Road
Mitchell Park SA
Hi guys! I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the newly renovated Hurley Cellar at Marion Hotel last week. The premises looks absolutely beautiful, very stylish and spacious. In great news (for me at least, haha) the Marion Hotel is located a short drive from my house. Hubby and Mr 11 had a lovely dinner in the Bistro whilst I attended this event and we met up afterwards. It really was the perfect night! Keep reading to find out what went down!
We were treated to a glass of bubbly on arrival. All the wines on the night were provided by Hentley Farm, so we got to sample a selection of local Hentley Farm wines, made in the Barossa Valley. The bubbly was Blanc de Noir, a Sparkling White that is bottled and labelled by hand in the vineyard. Interestingly, this is a white that's made from red grapes! It's a clean drop with red apple and roasted almond flavours, and it's absolutely delicious. I am biased towards champagne though, it's my go-to! It has a crunchy, dry style with a fine bubble. It's like I'm describing myself!
We were seated and poured a glass of Eden Valley Riesling. I'm going to be honest and say I missed the talk on this wine because I was too busy making and posting Insta Stories, haha. You could say that this is unprofessional, but I'd argue that it's actually very professional and the done thing at these events. Hehe. I liked the Riesling. On the table (set beautifully I might add!) were plates of crusty bread, olive oil, dukkah and balsamic, which was so good! I only wish I'd had more than one piece.
Then we were taken on a tour of the new Hurley Cellar, which was a glorious sight to behold; wines as far as the eye could see, stored on premium wine racks. So. Much. Wine. We were also shown the rest of the showroom, which was one of the classiest I've ever set foot in (and there have been a few!). It's well set out, roomy and the sections are clearly labelled. With a temperature-controlled walk-in coolroom and interesting use of recycled materials throughout, it has a stylish industrial chic feel. I really appreciated the spirits section and the gin section in particular, which boasts 23 local gins in stock. Gin is so hot right now! There's an olive pesto display too, which my husband would have loved (he's not dead, he's just in the Bistro at this point, haha).
Next we enjoyed sampling a flight of red wines. As a red wine lover, this was a fantastic opportunity to taste the flavours of a variety of Hentley Farm reds. And can I just say, four delicious red wines lined up, on repeat, around a beautifully set table is immensely aesthetically pleasing, and as such I had to take approximately 5000 photos, haha. James Halliday, arguably Australia's top wine writer and critic, has rated Hentley Farm the number one winery in Australia. So we were in for a treat! The wines to sample were the Estate Shiraz, Villian & Vixen Shiraz, Tempranillo and The Stray Mongrel GSZ.
The Estate Shiraz has a dark and vibrant colour and is basket pressed on skins for 50 days. I really enjoyed this one.
Villian & Vixen Shiraz was full-bodied in flavour and so delicious! It's very popular and features on a lot of wine lists around Australia. This was my favourite!
Tempranillo was quite different from the rest. I didn't take any notes on this one, but apparently it's an easy drinking wine (aren't they all? haha) and can easily be matched with a wide range of foods.
The Stray Mongrel GSZ is a blend of 59% Grenache, 37% Shiraz and 4% Zinfandel. It's been on skins for 80 days, so it's lovely and soft.
The Entree was a trio of goodness! On the plate was seared kingfish with wakame and wasabi mayo; smoked chicken and mayo on crostini; and haloumi, tomato and basil on a crisp wonton. I enjoyed all three of these little appetisers. The kingfish was melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the accompanying wasabi had just the right amount of heat. The smoked chicken had a tasty smoked (obviously, lol) flavour and the mayo gave it a beautiful creaminess that paired perfectly with the crunch of the crostini. I was excited to see the third morsel, as I've only recently discovered haloumi (I know, sue me). This one was simple, fresh, clean, tasty and basically the perfect little entree!
The Main Course was paired with The Beauty Shiraz. The Beauty Block is at the lowest point of the Hentley Farm vineyard on the banks of Greenock Creek. It's a cooler micro-climate, so the resulting wine is elegant and refined. The main event comprised smoked beef rib steak, braised brisket, roasted potatoes, heirloom carrots, broccolini and jus. This dish was absolutely delicious. The rib eye was slow smoked in a smoker then finished in the oven to medium rare. The meat was so tender and tasty, with the brisket melting in my mouth. I absolutely loved the main course, and appreciated the generous serving size!
You can visit the Hurley Cellar at the Marion Hotel (849 Marion Rd, Mitchell Park) or contact them by calling +618 8276 8888. Visit Hentley Farm on the corner of Gerald Roberts Road and Jenke Roads, Seppeltsfield or call them on +618 8562 8427.
Many thanks to Marion Hotel, Hentley Farm and Girl About Town for a wonderful evening!
You may be interested in Restaurant Review: Mexican Society
Linking up with Life This Week and Mummy Mondays
Don't miss a post!
Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook
Follow my Beauty Instagram @shinyglitterbug
Follow my Foodie Instagram @imhungrymax
Follow me on Bloglovin'
Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug
Subscribe via email (right sidebar)
Disclaimer: Attendance was from a PR invite, all food and drinks provided, however reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.
What's your favourite type of wine?
