Clovely Estate Cellar Door, Red Hill



Filled with local wine and plenty of cheese, Clovely Estate's city cellar door has been beckoning me for far too long.

Located on Musgrave Road at Red Hill, just up from Enoggera Terrace, it is stocked with a tempting array of wine made from 430 acres of Clovely Estate vineyards in the South Burnett, that's Kingaroy/Kilkivan/Nanango country.  It takes about three hour's driving from Brisbane to reach these rolling green hills where more than a dozen cellar doors are waiting tempt you.




The climate is high altitude with mild winters and warm summers, somewhat similar to the Hunter Valley when it comes to wine production.  It's also perfect for peanuts!

A celebration of the 2014 vintage with a winemaker's dinner saw me sitting down with a group of friends to a degustation with matched wines. The meal started with an assist of prawn, scallop and barramundi matched with a 2014 White Label Verdelho.  The verdelho was light and refreshing but not insubstantial, which is my most common complaint with light whites.




The 2014 White Label Rose which accompanied the poached Huon salmon with olive, prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella salad met with strong approval and I expect to return when my cellar stocks are low and purchase a few bottles of this.




Tender, twice cooked osso bucco with saffron and parmesan on a bed of creamed potato needed the heavier match of the full bodied 2014 White Label Cabernet Merlot.




This was followed by a spicier Peruvian lamb with quinoa and a spinach and tomato creation.  It sat well with the 2013 Left Field Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre.




Star of the evening was a very tender fillet migon with pommes noisette, sautéed cabbage and golden shallots.  We were treated to the 2012 Estate Reserve Shiraz for this dish.




It's always a pleasure to drink local wines, especially when they delight the palate.  If you are a Queenslander, the cellar door is a great opportunity to try your local wines without travelling to the regions.

However, if you are thinking of visiting the South Burnett to explore the area's food and wine, take a look at this food trail for inspiration and direction.

The cellar door is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm and there's plenty of parking.

Recommended for: Want to eat local?  How about drinking local too!
Best tip: Their 90 minute wine and cheese tasting for $20 per person is excellent value.
Bottom line: Wine bottle prices start at $15 for the 2014 White Label Verdelho which was very drinkable but the 2012 Estate Reserve Shiraz at $35 is definitely worth taking home.

Clovely Estate

Kerry Heaney

Disclaimer:  Ed+bK was a guest of Lloyd Grey Design