Keys to Mudgee Club News

Long Lunch - African Style!

It is generally the women of Africa who do most of the work related to food. This includes work on the "plantations" or "shambas" (as cultivated fields are called), such as planting, weeding, harvesting, as well cooking as cooking and serving the food. That is precisely the case here at Elliot Rocke Estate with Chef Rachael McCarthy weaving her magic with different ingredients and techniques.

A large marquee will be positioned on the Estate with festivities beginning at midday on Sunday. The tastefully decorated marquee, silk lined with ochre coloured cushions festooned around the inside, will be the mainstay of the feast. You will be greeted with Sparkling wine and some African delicacies as you relax into the afternoon. African dancers and drummers will perform in the tent and on the perimeter using traditional instruments and you will be transformed from where you are to some place of fantasy in Africa.

This is casual dining at its best. Sit down, relax and take the African journey. Enjoy the food,, savour the wine and soak up the culture.

Limited Tickets $65 per person. Bookings essential and can be made online, click here...

NSW Wine Awards - What are they?

The bells ringing at Elliot Rocke Estate, we have been judged to be in the TOP 40 wines in NSW!
Celebrating the diversity of NSW Wine.

NSW is Australia’ first and most innovative state for wine; a diverse landscape of 14 wine regions. NSW is the second largest wine producing State growing over 26 per cent of the industry's specialist wine grapes and produces around 34 per cent of its wine.

The Judging

23 highly qualified judges Chaired by Lester Jesberg, ably assisted by Huon Hooke, gruelled over 800+ entries to find the 2008 NSW Wine Awards – Top 40 Wines announced recently.
The Top 40 demonstrate the diversity of NSW Wine in style, variety and region with the
Top 40 Wines hailing from 29 wineries, 10 NSW Wine regions and 14 varieties/blends.

The Elliot Rocke Estate 2007 Semillon has not yet been released but we are making a special offer to Keys to Mudgee Club members - buy 10 bottles of this delicous wine, including your Keys to Mudgee Club 20% discount and we'll top it up to a neat dozen bottles for no extra charge! That's just $152.00 per case including FREE freight for Keys to Mudgee Club members. Click here to order now...

Launch of the Rocke Café and Shoppe

After months of planning, Elliot Rocke Estate have launched their café and Shoppe. The café is in the courtyard and the courtyard has been redeveloped with plants growing in half barrels and bamboo growing on the perimeter.

The café is open from Wednesday to Sunday and offers a different seasonal dish every week. Each dish is $10 and it is a bottomless bowl. And if you are a member you eat for free. Plunger coffee and tea is also available and there is a selection of cakes that change weekly. Again all this is for free if you are a member.

The Shoppe offers wine infused chocolates, soaps, wine jellies and many other goodies that you will find hard to resist.

Pink Ice

The 2008 Ice Wine has been released and is a stunning year for Ice Wine. We have been working on something that is special and different to the usual Ice Wine and now we are nearing the release date and so can tell you more.

The wine is the Pink ICE. It is in the same bottle as the Ice Wine however it is blended with 5% Shiraz from the 2008 year. The results are truly spectacular. The wine is a beautiful vibrant pink colour and the taste is of strawberries and Ice.

The Pink Ice is slightly less sweet that the original Ice wine but has the added complexity that the Shiraz offers.

The Pink Ice will be released on 4th October at our Many hands African Long Lunch at the vineyard and until then we will be taking pre-release orders for two bottles only for $50 freight free delivered to your door. Be one of the first to enjoy this wine and order here. Despatch of this wine will be on the week of 6th October 2009. Order your pre-release twin pack now...

Regional Heroes - What are they?

The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (the governing body for wine exported from Australia) in its Regional Heroes program- much lauded and talked about in wine circles globally, states that wines that are selected to be in this category are:

“Wines from somewhere rather than wines from anywhere." Regional Heroes are wines and producers that have blazed a trail for their region's profile with varietal choice and/or style dictated by who made them, where they were made, and why”.

To help consumers promote regionality, all grapegrowing and winemaking areas in Australia have identified a variety that they believe suits their area best. In MUDGEE this variety is CABERNET SAUVIGNON.

The 2006 Elliot Rocke Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has been chosen to represent Mudgee as one of the best of the region. It is unfortunate that this Cabernet has sold out however the 2008 Cabernet will be released soon. To reserve your bottles of 2008 Cabernet from one of the finest producers of Cabernet from MUDGEE simply follow the link below. A pre release 6pk of Cabernet is available at the discounted rate of $99 inlcuding freight for Keys to Mudgee Club Members. Release date will be November 2009. Click here to order now...