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I’ve been visiting Peppers Creek for almost 30 years. My in-laws used to have a vineyard in the Hunter and I spent a lot of time there with my family in the ’90s and early 2000s, when I first met PJ and Chrissi. I bought an engagement ring for my wife-to-to be in the antique shop that used to be run by the people who built Peppers Creek, Pam and John Ireland. Indeed, one of the first things I see as I walk into the completely refurbished Charteris cellar door there is the word “Ireland” scrawled on one of the wooden roof beams.

The last time I was in this barn it was home to David Hook Wines. It looks different now: the brown ceiling has been painted white; a few of the barn doors have been replaced with glass; big floppy-leaved pot plants are dotted around; that stunning tasting bench with its blonde wood sets the tone for Chrissi and PJ’s side of the barn (they share the space with the also-new Wild Ren Wines cellar door, owned and run by Renee Burton, former owner and co-founder of Gundog Estate).

It’s all very contemporary, with more than a hint of mid-century modern, Scandi design flair. Especially in what Chrissi calls “the nook”.

The ‘nook’ is a cosy area where, in the near future, visitors might be able to enjoy listening to their favourite album while imbibing.  

In a corner to the side of the tasting bench are three chairs arranged around a low coffee table, with a long, sleek sideboard off to one-side. It’s a welcoming space that draws me in, as PJ grabs a couple of bottles and starts pouring tastes of wine.

He and Chrissi talk about what they’d like to do with this “nook”: add a turntable and some big, old-fashioned headphones, fill the sideboard with vinyl, invite visitors to choose an album, sit back and enjoy the chardonnay or pinot listening to a favourite tune or two.

It’s a beautiful idea: the wine, the space, the comfy chairs, the music – not to mention the nostalgia of coming to Peppers Creek again after so long. I almost start to cry.

NEED TO KNOW
The Charteris Wine Room at Peppers Creek Village in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW, is open seven days a week and offers three 45-minute to 60-minute tastings, ranging from $10 per person for the introductory experience, to $110 for a masterclass, which includes tastes of museum wines from the cellar. Tastings must be booked ahead: charteriswines.com

Charteris Wines: tasting across the ditch

 

2021 Le Fauve Rouge (Orange / Hilltops)
The new Le Fauve range, made from grapes sourced outside the Hunter, includes a gently spicy, crunchy 2021 Pinot Gris and a fine, creamy, pale dry 2021 Rosé (both $30) and my pick, this deliciously approachable, vibrant, cherry-fruited blend of juicy pinot noir from Orange and snappy tempranillo from Hilltops. Lovely, lively bistro red. $35

2021 Charteris Chardonnay (Hunter Valley)
PJ Charteris is no stranger to Hunter chardonnay (or semillon for that matter), having made squillions of litres of both during his time at Brokenwood. This example shows a really deft touch with the variety: gorgeous, textural expression of grape and place, generosity but finesse, too, rich nectarine fruit balanced by citrus and chalk. $40

2017 Charteris The Hunt Vineyard Riesling (Central Otago)
The last vintage from a tiny patch of riesling at the base of a granite outcrop in Central Otago: the grower, who’d planted the vines with his wife 20 years before, died in the spring before harvest, and this wine is a tribute to him. Really enticing, ripe riesling, intensely flavoured, with a cavalcade of citrus, green grape and pineapple rind, and a touch of sweetness to balance all that intensity. Will age beautifully. $40

2014 Charteris The Winter Vineyard Pinot Noir (Central Otago)
One of the unexpected advantages, says PJ, of sales to restaurants falling off a cliff for almost two years, is being able to open a new cellar door offering back-vintage bottles that show how well your wines can age. This pinot, from a small vineyard in Bannockburn, Central Otago, is drinking really well right now, with lifted macerated wild strawberry and rose petal notes leading onto a sinewy, savoury mouthful of red fruit and silky tannin. Really elegant expression of Otago pinot. $75

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