Sipping a nicely chilled viognier on a sun-warmed verandah eating lunch and listening to a band play some of my old faves is how I spent Sunday - pretty good huh?
I was a guest at Ocean View Estates Winery's Unwind in the Vines, an annual event where you get the chance to enjoy beaut winter weather, wine, food and song.
Ocean View has been on my must visit list for a while as it's one of the closest wineries to Brisbane. Unfortunately I'm usually on the back of a bike, half way past the entrance before I remember that it's on the route and it's not so easy to negotiate a u turn on those curvy country roads. It's always been 'next time' that we'll stop.
Well this was next time and it was a very pleasant next time! Ocean View Estates Winery & Restaurant is located approximately 10 km from Dayboro on the Mt Mee Tourist Drive at Ocean View and about 45 minutes from central Brisbane. While you can't see the ocean from the road or the winery, I am assured that there are ocean views from the next ridge where winery owners Kate and Thomas Honnef live.
The altitude of the vineyard, at 450 metres above sea level, along with the strong sea breezes from Moreton Bay and the Pacific Ocean, provide a micro-climate that has facilitated the production of high quality red and white wines. Most of the wine sold at the Ocean View Estates is grown within a few hundred metres of the winery where it is carefully crafted.This year's unseasonal rain played havoc with the red wine grapes and some grapes have been brought in to supplement the winery's range this year. They are sold under a different label.
Lunch was an enjoyable and casual affair with a menu offering a choice of mains and desserts. The dishes for this special event were taken off the main menu.
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| Venison and OV Port deep pot pie with buttered beans tossed with prosciutto |
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| Twice cooked duck with asian greens and caramalised honey and cumquat jus |
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| Sesame crusted atlantic salmon with seared scallops, seasonal greens and citrus buerre blanc |
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| House made cheesecake of the day - pear and ginger |
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| Hot soft centred chocolate pudding with berry compote and double cream |
On normal Sunday mornings the restaurant opens for breakfast with a range of cooked and lighter breakfast offerings.
There are some guest cottages at Ocean View so you could make a weekend of it.
Bottom line - Stop for breakfast, lunch or just to buy some of the viognier from the cellar door like I did.
Ocean View Estates Winery and Restaurant
2557 Mt. Mee Road,
Ocean View, Queensland
Kerry Heaney
