Mornington Peninsula,
26-29 October 2012
A Mornington Peninsula Spring cooking and gastronomic weekend with Marieke Brugman - exclusively for Accoutrement.
Celebrating the harvest and abundance from local organic gardens, fields and the sea, with matched wines. Residing at one of the Peninsula’s most exclusive private properties, Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat at Merricks North.
Tussie Mussie, an hour’s drive from Melbourne, is set in 30 picturesque acres with 7 acres planted to Pinot and Pinot Gris grapes. Six luxury ensuite rooms have beautifully appointed King or double beds, spacious bathrooms and private mudbrick courtyards. Public spaces include sumptuous courtyards, a theatre room, a tennis court and a semi commercial vineyard kitchen that also boasts a wood-fired pizza oven. There are also lovely areas for al fresco dining.
PROGRAM
The inspiration for dishes will come from the produce freshly harvested from my own + friends’ organic gardens, from local fisherman and local regional artisanal producers.
Friday
11 am Central Melbourne pick up point to be finalised with Sue Jenkins from Accoutrement who will meet you with a minibus and transport you to the Peninsula. Guests may also elect to make their own way to the Peninsula.
1pm - Arrive from Melbourne at Main Ridge. Main Ridge Dairy is a wonderful farmhouse cheese factory and goat farm owned by Damien and Bess Knoxon who pride themselves in producing a milk of the highest quality that is then handmade into a range of awarding winning cheeses.
Here you will meet the 200 “girls” and enjoy a hands-on workshop and demonstration of cheese making and a tasting under direction from Christine Lamin from Gippsland. You will have the opportunity to make your own camembert or feta to take home and observe
how haloumi and ricotta are made.
We will provide a light lunch.
5.30pm - proceed to your luxury accommodation for the weekend and take time to explore this gorgeous property.
Early evening, a tutored wine tasting with renowned Mornington Peninsula winemaker, Kathleen Quealy, founder of T’Gallant, “Aussie Queen of Pinot Gris” who now manages two labels as well as the Merricks Store. Quealy wines are new styles of wine, employing techniques developed after her many years of successful winemaking. In 2004 she and partner McCarthy purchased Balnarring Vineyards that has some of the oldest premium pinot noir on the Mornington Peninsula, and the vines are exclusively used for Quealy Seventeen Rows Pinot Noir.
The vineyard also grows the POBBLEBONK blend; Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat Giallo. Marieke will prepare a regional supper to follow.
Saturday morning
Breakfast at Tussie Mussie
Mid morning, an excursion to “Heronswood”, one of Victoria’s most significant gardens owned by the pioneering Clive and Penny Blazey and home of The Digger's Club: so a living catalogue of all the evergreen fruits and vegetables described in their catalogues and books with over 50 sub-tropical fruits integrated within flower borders.
Heronswood has five separate vegetable gardens within which they have rescued the best heirloom vegetables. The garden has extensive plantings of flowers, including perennial borders, dry climate and cottage, annual gardens. Subtropical camellias have been replaced with avocados as edible hedges. A feature of the garden is the integration of vegetables and flowers, with fruit and herbs. This interplanting prevents the build up of pest problems, and sprays and fertilizers are eschewed for compost and mulching and plant diversity. Also the gardens are water efficient in that water use has been cut by 60% in the last 3 years.
Later proceed to a Vineyard lunch with matched wines, at Port Phillip Estate, one of the most exciting vineyards to be built in recent years anywhere in Australia. Owned by the Gjergja family and designed by Wood Marsh Architecture, whose many design initiatives salute sustainability; the Estate is surrounded by mounds of native grasses and indigenous spotted gums, emerging from the landscape as a dramatic curved sculpture made of rammed-earth with panoramic views across the vines to the sea. Winemaker, Sandro Mosele, oversees winemaking. Chef, Simon West has spent much of kitchen life cooking for boutique winemakers. Paringa Estate and Montalto on the Mornington Peninsula, and Meadowbank Estate in Cambridge, near Hobart. And now here at Port Phillip Estate – a light-filled, architect-designed, restaurant and cellar door, with an expansive timber-slated outdoor terrace that takes in panoramic views across the vines to Westernport Bay and Bass Strait, where he prepares elegant light inspired dishes.
After lunch return to Tussie Mussie for the afternoon cooking class held in the Vineyard kitchen with Marieke that will segue into a wonderful season-based Menu Degustation matched with Peninsula wines.
After 30 years of cooking and teaching Marieke’s philosophy has arrived at perfect simplicity, where the inspiration is the produce, the context, the place coupled with an innate skill and intuition for cooking well and giving pleasure. With a legion of followers, Marieke always enthuses cooks with her innovative, accessible and achievable dishes that abound in flavours inspired by her garden and her extensive world travels.
“Anyone passionate about food is of course already cooking seasonally. Even more apt is to source local and organic produce. Spring is a time of new life, growth and energy producing an inspirational abundance of foods that lend themselves to fresher, lighter cooking. Ayurveda and TCM share the view that our diet prepares us for the upcoming season and at this time we need to eat foods with upward energies, such as young, green, sprouting aboveground vegetables”.
Retire to your lovely room for a peaceful night’s rest.
Sunday morning
Rise to a light working breakfast that is followed by a morning class that segues into an al fresco lunch: plattered dishes perfect for entertaining.
After lunch
Later enjoy a delightful walk, to the historic Seawinds Garden within Arthurs Seat State Park, McCrae Homestead or a walk along the pristine ocean beach, or to the sculpture garden at Elgee Park, or a wonderful private garden @ Moorooduc.
Later in the afternoon enjoy a tutored wine tasting at the delightful and renowned Willow Creek Estate. In 2008, Geraldine McFaul (originally from Mudgee) joined the team at Willow Creek Vineyard. The opportunity appealed to Geraldine for more than one reason: she would be crafting wine from some of the Peninsula’s oldest vines; it was family owned and operated; and she would work alongside Robbie O’Leary, Willow Creek Vineyard’s viticulturist of 16 vintages.
This allows her to combine her cool-climate winemaking expertise with his intimate knowledge of the vineyard. Geraldine has also helped reshape the winery’s course and future goals, to produce the best wines from estate grown fruit with as little winemaking intervention as possible. Geraldine says the biggest challenge in winemaking is “doing less rather than more” and avoids the temptation to overuse new oak or colour and tannin extraction techniques. For the wines from the Willow Creek Vineyard it’s all about letting the vineyard terroir shine through.
Dinner this evening is at the Long Table at Red Hill South.
Monday morning
Adieus after a leisurely breakfast and return to Melbourne.
BOOKING TERMS + CONDITIONS
The weekend is available to 10 privileged guests on double/twin-share basis only in King/Queen bed rooms. Email us now to reserve your place or express your interest.
All inclusive AOL Cost per person: $2600
Friday lunch – Monday breakfast
Deposit $500 per person, non-refundable unless a replacement is found.
Final payment to be received by 1 September
Inclusions:
Accommodation on double en-suite basis for 3 nights
All specified meals including restaurant meals
Water, wine and non alcoholic beverages
Daily breakfast
Excursions, entrance fees as specified
Cheesemaking workshop
Transport in 12-seater minibus from and to Melbourne. (Sue Jenkins
will be coordinating pick up and drop off points closer to the time).
Booking details to be provided:
Name of Guest
Address:
Telephone
Mobile:
Email:
Deposit sent:
Booking with:
Any Food Allergies:
Any Special ingredients or dishes you wish to see:
Payment:
Preferred payment is by cheque or Bank transfer,
All major credit cards are accepted but attract a commission.
Payment to:
MARIEKE'S ART OF LIVING PTY LTD
Art of Living Travel Trust Client Online Account
C/- ANZ Bank, Mahoneys Road Forest Hill 3131
BSB #: 013328
Account #: 480470182
By cheque:
PO Box 389
Blairgowrie 3942