[Melbourne 2022] Red Hill Estate @ Mornington Peninsula

One of our to-do in Australia, and with Australia being a wine producing country, is to visit a vineyard and sample some wines. We had the opportunity to do so in Mornington. On our way to our AirBnb, we passed by a few vineyards. 

After doing some searches on Google, we decided to visit Red Hill Estate first. We reached there after lunch time and hence, we were like the last customers for the wine sampling. Another small group had just finished their session when we arrived.

Red Hill Estate vineyard

view from the carpark

at Red Hill Estate

vineyard

The estate is beautiful. We spent some minutes in the freezing wind to take some photos.

can see the sea from here

let's go sample some wine

Cellar Door

We were in a group of 4, and all are recommended to have the same wine for the tasting. Took the AUD10 per pax package where one gets to sample 6 different glasses of wine.

let's begin

We started with 2017 Blanc de Blancs. Lovely pale straw in colour, refreshing and crisp tasting. Mildly fruity with hints of lemon and apples. 

2017 Blanc de Blancs

Next, was the 2019 Cellar Door Release Chardonnay. A fuller/rounder taste when compared to the Blanc de Blancs. Nice.

 2019 Cellar Door Release Chardonnay

2020 Merricks Grove Pinot Noir

The 2020 Merricks Grove Pinot Noir was interesting...Its profile had described it as "sweet pungent Christmas spices of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon on the nose" and indeed, I was overwhelmed by clove. Pretty strong, I must say. This was the only one that I didn't finish.

Let's try something familiar, so we went for the 2020 Cellar Door Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. Balanced with juicy plum notes.

2020 Cellar Door Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Then, we ended with the 2018 Late Harvest Pinot Gris as it is the sweetest of the lot.

2018 Late Harvest Pinot Gris

Sweet and jammy, with floral honey hints. Good as dessert wine.

The staff who attended to us was friendly and cheerful. She was delightful and the ambiance was really casual. Although we were the last in the shop, she didn't rush us through and allowed us to pace ourselves. But of course, we drank pretty quickly too. Started at about 230pm and were done by 3pm. Hahaa!

Guess which wine we bought home...hahaa, did you guess it correctly?

2021 Cellar Door Release Rose @AUD34 per bottle

Thank you Ivan, Tracy and Hence for the experience!

Red Hill Estate 

Address:  53 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South VIC 3937, Australia

Website: https://www.redhillestate.com.au/

Contact: +61 3 5989 2838

Business Hours:

Daily: 11AM–5PM

6ixty 7even Restaurant & Bar @ 67 Neil Road

Went back with a group of friends as promised. Read more on our previous visit here. This time round, we opted for the upstairs dining experience.

table for six

Got ourselves a bottle of red, while some of us were having cocktails to start.

cheers~

Fries and wine, why not? Our small bowl of truffle fries were so delectable as it was served piping hot. Yums!

Truffle fries with gruyere cheese and truffle aioli @$15

Korean Yangyeom Style Crispy Chicken Karaage @$14

Pan Roasted Foiegras, Caramelised Granny Smith Apples, Mulled Wine Raisins, Feuille de Brick @$26

Loved the chicken karaage as it was well fried and not too tiny to bite. The foie gras was a tad challenging to be shared amongst so many of us, haha! 

Kurobuta Pork Chop Bone In, 250g @$42

For mains, we ordered the pork chop, chicken roulade and braised beef cheek. Everyone loved the mash that came with the roulade because it was so naturally sweet. The beef cheek was the standout dish for it was so flavourful and tender. Hits all the right spots. Loved the pork chop as well but it was just 250g. Limited edition but was good enough for everyone to have a taste.

Crispy Roulade of Farmed Chicken @$28

Signature Connor Stout Braised Beef Cheek @$32

To end our meal, we had the Basque Burnt Cheesecake. It was lovely.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake @$20

Cosmopolitan @$16

Had fun hanging out with the monthly buddies. Cheers and see you again!

Expect to spend about $80 per pax, inclusive of a drink.

6ixty 7even Restaurant & Bar (67 Restaurant)

Address: 67 Neil Rd, Singapore 088898

Website: https://6ixty7even.com.sg/

Contact: 6988 6767 

Business Hours:

Closed on Sundays.

Mon - Sat: 3pm – 10:30pm

Rosso Vino @ Robertson Quay

For this year's Christmas Gathering, Ivan suggested Rosso Vino for Italian fare plus, reasonably priced wine. We readily agreed and reservations were made immediately.

Our dinner was at 730pm on a weekday and the place was not too busy yet. There are alfresco dining area if you prefer but for us, we like the comfortable air-conditioned indoor seats.

interior

Festive Specials

Have to wait a bit for the rest of the party to arrive, so started with a Rose IGP (Negramaro) from Puglia.

Rose IGP (Negramaro), Puglia 2020 @$14

When the rest arrived, we made it a point for each person in the party to order one dish of their choice. Mine was the Gnocchi alla Sorentina. Reason is, I wanted to try the different gnocchi in Singapore. Thus far, the best one was at Club Street but unfortunately, can't recall the name of the restaurant. Next was from Gattopardo (but the gnocchi was only an accompaniment on a meat dish).

Appetiser

Started with Buffalo Mozarella cheese with Parma ham. And here, I was wondering why there's so little greens on this plate. Because there is another meatless option called Burrata fresca di Andria. Keke!

Buffala e Prosciutto @$22

let's start

Next appetiser was fried calamari. Thin batter and still tender. Fried to a nice golden hue. Good with the tartar sauce.

Fritto di Calamari @$17

Main Course(s)

Since we are celebrating the festivities, we picked 2 items from the Festive Chef's Special menu; pizza and the cod fish dish.

Gourmet Pizza al Vitello Tonnato

Didn't read the menu before I sank my teeth into the pizza and the dominant flavour turned out to be tuna! Now I know why. Because there's tuna sauce!

veal slice, white pizza with mozzarella cheese, tuna sauce

It's interesting to have veal as pizza topping. The dough has a nice chew to it. White-based pizza is usually not my first choice.

Tracy requested for a simple tomato based spaghetti and it came before the fish dish was served. We had a quick bite each for the spaghetti and it was lovely.

Spaghetti in tomato sauce

wholesome

The cod fish was served to our table only after we enquired about our missing orders. 

Filetto di Merluzzo Su Purea di Patate e Crema di Aragosta

Loved all the seasonal vegetables in there and the mashed potatoes were so yummy! Fish as expected, was smooth and had a good mouthfeel to it. My favourite dish for the night.

Baked Black Cod Fish on mashed potatoes and Lobster Bisque

But where's my gnocchi? I was ready to give it up but we enquired from the staff again and it arrived almost together with our dessert. Served piping hot, the cheese pull was incredible!

Gnocchi alla Sorentina

look at that cheese pull

The gnocchi texture was good, despite being baked. Everyone in the group enjoyed all the tomato-based pasta dishes. Lovely.

Dessert

The group went all out and ordered 3 desserts when everyone was already feeling full. But that's us.

Tiramisu @$16

Torta agli Arumi di Sicilia @$14

Tiramisu was ok, and I preferred the Traditional Italian Cream Pie more. The homemade citrus jam was good. 

hello chocolate gelato

But my absolute favourite dessert that night, was the Affogato. Simple espresso coffee that's strong with a nice aroma (not burnt!) and topped with vanilla ice-cream that melts faster than you can say Affogato. Hahaa! Thank you guys for not wanting to share this. All mine!

Affogato @$9

My table was attended to by Cyan and Eva. Both are friendly and doesn't mind the intermittent orders for wine top-ups or that random pasta. Plus, one of them is quite proficient in helping guests to take group photos, with multiple shots from various angles.

We also had the friendly owner/manager dropping by to say hello and to offer us limoncello to end our meal. Grazie!

limoncello

Overall, Rosso Vino is a good choice for dinner and for a good time with family/friends. I spied other diners having penne pasta, so next time it is.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rosso Vino

Address: 15 Merbau Rd, Singapore 239032

Website: https://www.rossovinosingapore.com/

Contact:  6733 7735

Business Hours:

Mon - Sat: 3pm to 12am

Sun: 11.30am to 12am

[Tasting] Winestone's Immersive Christmas Experience @ NOVOTEL Singapore on Stevens

Congratulations to Winestone on its achievement in securing the Singapore Environment Council’s (SEC) Eco F&B certification. The award is in recognition of the restaurant’s efforts on sustainability. Besides its ongoing efforts in its management of energy, water and waste practices, one noteworthy effort is its implementation of the green purchasing policy is the use of locally sourced fish and vegetable produce.

Are you ready to experience an immersive journey towards new inspirations, new rituals and new tastes for this Christmas?

Be inspired by four local makers - Dannon Har (Section D), Leon Hay (Hay Dairies), June Chen (Floral Mikelle) and Jas Rehan (A Poet’s Terroir) as Winestone presents a series of festive cocktails, sustainable floral wine hampers, freshly made cheese from locally harvested goat's milk and lastly, the art of taste, wine art from palate to palette.

Festive Cocktails

by Dannon Har, Section D Bar

A Berry Christmas – wheat beer, spice syrup @$20

Candy Rush – peppermint vodka, lemon, Cointreau, prosecco, candy cane @$23

Taste the Snow – gin, heavy cream, vanilla ice cream @$18

Santa’s Mudslide – cognac, coffee liquor, bailey’s Irish cream, heavy cream, chocolate shavings @$28

Warm Hugs – dark rum, spiced syrup, butter, cinnamon @$20

My favourite would be Taste the Snow. Ice-cream in my alcohol? Yes please!

Discover Local: Goat’s Milk

by Winestone’s culinary team

Goat’s Cheese Salad – prosciutto, fresh goat’s milk ricotta, rock melon pickle

Christmas Wine Hampers

by June Chen, Floral Mikelle

Elegant Blanc @$140

Elegant Blanc

A rosé and white wine packed in a modern chic red bag paired with winter wonderland in tones of elegance – white, silver and gold. Free delivery included.

• Hecht and Bannier Languedoc Rosé Languedoc, France
• Famille Perrin Luberon Blanc, Rhone Valley, France

The Art of Taste

by Jas Rehan, A Poet’s Terroir

• An artistic experience of tasting and painting your wine

• A visual journey of wine and art as we take you through the wine tasting experience

• Explore it on a colour filled canvas, along with a 3-course lunch

• Priced at $220 per person, seats are exclusive and limited

• Available on 26 November, 27 November, 4 December and 5 December 2021

Shop festive at Winestone. Merry Christmas!

Festive 4-Course Dine-In Menu

15 Nov 2021 - 30 Dec 2021

Pepper Tuna Salad

Seafood Bisque

Grain Fed Rosedale Ruby Pure Australian MS 2 Ribeye 

medium rare

Mille Feuille, Apple Croustillant, Molten Chocolate Log Cake

For the main course, one could choose either ribeye, free range organic chicken or sea perch. The ribeye was cooked just the way I liked it, flavourful and lovely texture.

The salad was good too and loved the micro greens with a burst of bright yellow. Visually pleasing and tasted refreshing.

For dessert, my favourite were the Mille Feuille and the Molten Chocolate Log Cake. The pastry was crisp while the chocolate was melt in your mouth.

Mille Feuille

Molten Chocolate Log Cake

Thank you to Juliana, Cheryl and Stephanie and Novotel for the invite, and Winestone for hosting the tasting. Special thanks to Christina for taking care of us.

Winestone, interior

Winestone

Address: 30 Stevens Rd, #01-09, Singapore 257840

Website: http://www.winestone.sg

Contact: 6491 6100

Business Hours:

Closed on Mondays.

Sun to Thurs: 12pm to 10pm

Fri to Sat: 12.00pm to 10.30pm