Sunday, May 26, 2019

Hurley Cellar Opening with Hentley Farm Wines at Marion Hotel!




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 




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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?

35 comments:

  1. I've just been disembarked from the flight I was about to take off on & this reminds me that I've been up since 4am and am yet to have eaten...so thanks for presenting me with so much wonderful. lo. Have a great week.

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    1. Deplaned? Oh no! Are you in the scamble to get another flight or are they allocating them? The run to the check in counter again is the worst!

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    2. Oh dear, this doesn't sound good. Why did you have to disembark? Hope you've eaten something now!

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  2. Replies
    1. Red wine's my fave too, especially Cabernet Sauvignon :)

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  3. What an amazing new venue! The food looks so delicious and James Halliday rating Hentley Farm the number one winery in Australia has me wanting to visit this venue when I next visit SA.

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    1. You would love their wines Ingrid! I'll take you when you next visit :D

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  4. Oh this sounds absolutely amazing! I love a good glass of wine!

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    1. Yes, same here! The wines were amazing, as was the food :)

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  5. This place looks amazing! I thought the wine was amazing, and then I saw the food! Definitely adding to my list of places to visit!

    Laura || www.thelifeoflaura.com.au xx

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  6. Great post! Almost felt like I was there 😁

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  7. What a fabulous event to be part of! Thanks for sharing the food and drink with us here.

    SSG xxx

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  8. I'm off alcohol at the moment but enjoy a nice rose or gin and tonic. Love your shots and descriptions, it all sounded delicious and so much fun! #lifethisweek

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  9. Everything looks so delish - what I would do for a jar of that kalamata pesto! I love red wine but Eden Valley Riesling is my favourite so I would have been right in there!

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    1. Hello fellow wine lover! Yes you would have loved it Sammie :)

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  10. You have paid a lovely photo and word tribute here! Glad it was fun.

    Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek and next week's optional prompt is 22/51 First Job. 3/6/19 Warm wishes, Denyse

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  11. Oh. My. God. That looks amazing. I'm a lover of red wine too and it's something I enjoy most about winter. I'm a bit fussy food-wise and not a fan of white wines but I love the idea of a proper food / wine matched meal! (And not just me scoffing wine with caramello koalas!) ;-)

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    1. Yes it's an extra special experience when the wine is matched with the course, I loved it! I'm also partial to a caramello koala lol!

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  12. It's 10:30pm when I'm reading this and my mouth is watering! The wines ... and that food! Yum! What a wonderful evening and experience for you! #TeamLovinLife

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  13. Oh this sounds awesome. Definitely putting this hotel on the list when in Adelaide. Love how wine producers get creative with names. Stray mongrel is a good example! #openslather

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    Replies
    1. Haha yes I agree the names are so funny sometimes! :)

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  14. Wow how amazing does this all look!! I need to visit

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  15. Looks like a wonderful time. Very nice. #lovinlifelinky

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  16. My goodness, there's so much to see and know about wine and these displays are gorgeous.

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    1. Yes, I did learn a lot about wine varieties, it was very informative!

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  17. Your photos are stunning Di - the food looks absolutely delicious! The trio of starters looks absolutely amazing, the seared Kingfish looks so succulent! 4 red wines lined up?? Must have been HEAVEN! Great post as always! x
    Marina Rosie x
    https://www.marinawriteslife.com/

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    1. Thanks so much Marina Rosie, it was an amazing night and I had the best time! xx

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