Canberra: It has four distinct seasons, bushland and paddocks stretching in all directions and an altitude range from nearly 900 metres to 600 metres. The variety of soils and slopes offers a challenge to winemakers. Happily the challenge has been met. There are over 140 vineyards around Canberra with 35 cellar doors open for wine fanciers. Many of the cellar doors also sell locally made olive oils, jams, preserves and condiments. It’s a complimentary arrangement that shows off the best products available.

Accommodation has broadened its base finally to include a few deluxe countrified guesthouses as well as a number of urban hotels that match any in the other capital cities. Cafes and restaurants are serving top-notch tucker with commensurate levels of table service. Old Canberra represented by the idée fixe of urban desert populated by even drier public servants mixing in with shady pollies has gradually shifted to one of a bushy oasis with great wines, superb restaurants and produce purveyors, though driving around Canberra mid-week after 10pm may still have a haunting affect on some (like me…where is everyone?) and some of those pollies are shadier than ever. As to the latter observation, la plus ca change…

For anyone who hasn’t been to Canberra in the last five years or so, I heartily recommend a visit. Sure, go to the War Memorial, the Old Parliament House, the National Gallery and National Museum, etc. but all that cultural and historical stimulation also requires sustenance of a more basic kind: food and drink.

I’ve done the hard yards and condensed the array of dining, wining and shopping choices to the following summary. It’s by no means a locked in and secure list. Instead it’s a subjective approach to what I’ve experienced and is certainly open-ended. Future hotels, wineries, restaurants, cafes and purveyors are in planning mode or on the drawing boards. All I can say is that this is a thriving region for hungry, thirsty people like me. Bring it on.


Wineries:

Canberra’s wineries are more or less spread out in two different directions from the city centre, east to Bungendore and north to Murrumbateman with a few others closer to town and a few nestled into the slope bordering on the ever mysterious Lake George, though the Lake George wineries are usually included in maps that focus on Bungendore.

It’s best to divide your visits accordingly and try not to combine the two centres in one day. Spend at least one day in and around Bungendore and do the same for Murrumbateman. This will reduce driving time and allow for a relaxing lunch and shopping.

The Canberra District Wine Industry Association & Spirited Communications has produced a very good free map.

www.visitcanberra.com.au is a useful website.

Be sure to check opening hours for all wineries. Some keep public holiday and weekends only visiting hours or require an appointment first.

Clonakilla Winery
Crisps Lane, Murrumbateman
+61 (2) 6227 5877
www.clonakilla.com.au

Tim Kirk is one of Canberra’s gifted-with-the-grape geniuses. What he can do with Shiraz and Viognier verges on alchemy. Clonakilla slays them at the wine shows when it enters. Tim’s cellar door is charmingly rustic, much like the man himself. Like so much of Canberra’s terrain, the Clonakilla vineyard appears weathered, old and hunkered down. Shiraz loves it. The wines are pure cool climate, spicy and incredibly complex.

Helm Wines
Butts Road, Murrumbateman
+61 (2) 6227 5953
www.helmwines.com.au

Ken and Judith Helm are local heroes having owned and operated their eponymous winery since 1973, one of the oldest in the district. Ken makes a standout Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Riesling is ethereal, seductive and lifts itself from the glass like a ballerina on point, all grace and beauty. The cellar door, formerly the local schoolhouse, is a pure delight. Check out former school mistress Miss Minnie May Young’s photo near the door. She taught there from 1897 until 1904 and ran temperance classes where you now sample Helm’s wines. Further irony… she married an Armstrong who didn’t drink and later became former National Party leader Ian Armstrong’s great aunt.

Gallagher Wines
2770 Dog Trap Road, Murrumbateman
+61 (2) 6227 0555
www.gallagherwines.com.au

This charming winery has a typical cool climate range of Canberra-friendly grape varieties. Trophies on display usually mean that there’s good stuff to taste. There are plenty of awards and trophies adorning Gallagher’s wines but what entranced me most was that Mrs. Gallagher also makes what I’ve learned is Canberra’s only regional cheese, marinated labne, a soft cheese perfect for spreading over a slice of wood fired sourdough bread.

Shaw Vineyard Estate
34 Isabell Drive, Murrumbateman
+61 (2) 6227 5827
www.shawvineyards.com.au

At over 30 hectares, Shaw is one of Canberra’s largest as well as newest vineyards. It’s definitely worth a look to see what the newest kids on the block are doing. With so much area to work with, Shaw is doing an interesting range. This is a great opportunity to catch a rising star.

Pankhurst Wines
Old Woodgrove Road, Hall
+61 (2) 6230 2592
www.pankhurstwines.com.au

Set in a stunning location overlooking the Brindabella Ranges stretching across to the southern horizon, this winery does a mean Chardonnay among other varieties. As it’s close to Hall, try stopping there to have a look at what was the local village before Canberra was built. Hall has retained its colonial roots and hosts a large produce and crafts market the first Sunday of each month except in January.

Mount Majura Vineyard
RMB 314 Majura Road, Majura
+61 (2) 6262 3070
www.mountmajura.com.au

Majura is on the outskirts of Canberra at the foot of Mount Majura. The spanking new cellar door also houses an evolving contemporary art gallery space. Very funky. Winemaker Frank van der Loo is doing wonderful things with Majura’s Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz, Pinot Gris and Tempranillo. All five of these varieties are showing up splendid examples under Frank’s expert skills. The Dinny’s Blend, a Cabernet Franc dominant house blend is also a little ripper. The Tempranillo is certainly one of the best I’ve tasted made in Australia. Frank also makes a Riesling based Vino Cotto (cooked grape must) that is a gift to any enterprising cook. Majura conducts a walkabout “Gumboot Tour” of the vineyards offering the visitor a rare opportunity to get close and personal with the grapes, the soil and the “terroir”.

Lerida Estate
Federal Highway
Lake George, NSW 2581
www.leridaestate.com

Only a kilometre from the dry shores of the amazing disappearing Lake George, Lerida Estate is going great guns. Having acquired next door's vineyards (formerly Madew Estate) Lerida combines its wonderful reds with fresh dry whites: Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay. While Australia continues its struggle to produce interesting Merlots, Lerida does a fine job with its Merlot Cabernet Franc blend.

Lambert Vineyards and Café
810 Norton Road, Wamboin
+61 (2) 6238 3866
www.lambertvineyards.com.au

Steve and Ruth Lambert established their winery in 1991. The café came along a little later and has proved to be a win-win combination. Steve’s wines are uniformly terrific, particularly his Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Shiraz and an easy on the palate Rose. The Lamberts have provided a needed lift to the Bungendore food scene. The views over the countryside and vineyards are sublimely peaceful.

Lark Hill Winery
521 Bungendore Road, Bungendore
+61 (2) 6238 1393
www.larkhillwine.com.au

Owner/winemaker family, Dave, Sue and Chris Carpenter comprise a biodynamic trio. This is the Canberra district’s highest vineyard; the scenery from 860 metres up is beautiful and wildlife abounds. The biodynamic pesticide free environment attracts the friendliest of furry and feathered neighbours. (Like the very large mob of roos when I visited.) The cellar door is all old stone and atmosphere. The wines are dead set excellent, yields are at the extreme end of low and the vines suffer for their success. Benchmark Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay set a hard-to-follow standard for the Canberra wine community. Qantas has both Lark Hill Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on offer in its Business Class. Un-miss-able.

Eating:

Canberra’s foodie scene has developed to such an extent that a list of noshing, imbibing, cooking and grazing options is no longer a brief outline.

Fyshwick Markets
Dalby and Mildura Streets, Fyshwick
Weekly Thursday to Sunday

This is Canberra’s main fresh food market open for retail as well as wholesale. Check out what the restaurateurs are buying. Talk to the purveyors to ascertain the best on offer. Check out The Mart (ask directions to which corner of the market it’s located in) for the Canberra deli to beat all other delis.

Old Bus Depot Market
Wentworth Avenue, Kingston
Every Sunday from 10am until 4pm

All Australian made arts, crafts and farm grown products place this market in the special category. Talk to the growers. Meet the makers. Shop with pride.

Silo Bakery
36 Giles Street, Kingston
+61 (2) 6260 6060

This café/bakery does the best bread in Canberra. It also offers some of the best lunch options anywhere. The walk-in cheese room is full of what can’t be bought elsewhere in town. Stock up now and don’t forget the fruit pastries.

Flavours Culinary Centre
Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets
Cnr. Dalby and Mildura Streets, Fyshwick
+61 (2) 6295 7722
www.theculinarycentre.com

With cooking demonstrations, cooking classes, wine themed dinners, gourmet products and displays, the Culinary Centre provides for both the hungry-for-knowledge and the just plain hungry. Check its website before visiting and book into a cooking class or dinner. The training, the chef’s consummate expertise with which the training is conducted and the quality of the food and wines included are bar none. For me, this venue proved that Canberra has lifted its game to another gourmet level.

The Ginger Room
Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes
+61 (2) 6270 8262

This is one of Canberra’s best restaurants. I can’t mention them all but the Ginger Room stood out for me for its glimpse of Canberra’s past. The restaurant occupies one of the member’s dining rooms and after the room was stripped of layers of paint, smoke stain and dirt it revealed wonderfully painted wall panels of ginger flowers. The room now reeks with an undeniable style of its own. An adjoining cocktail bar open on Friday nights is well worth a pre-dinner drink or three. Chef Janet Jeffs’ food is her take on French/Vietnamese flavours and the wine list is more than adequate.

Benchmark Wine Bar
65 Northbourne Avenue, Civic
+61 (2) 6262 6522

This is Canberra’s best wine bar. The choice of wines is breathtaking. Opt for a flight to sample three related wines at the one time, pausing to compare and contrast the differences between them. Dining here is certainly wine focused but the food usually matches the pace set by the high standard of the array of wines for sale.

Kingston Grind Café
Green Square, Kingston
+61 (2) 6295 8189

Arguably serving Canberra’s best coffee though I realise that making a claim like that invites a certain degree of wrath. I like the Grind, its position on the square in trendy Kingston, its big windows looking out to the mundane YMCA second hand store across the road and its switched on friendly service. Breakfast isn’t bad either.

The Julep Lounge
Level One, 8 Franklin Street, Manuka
+61 (2) 6239 5060

This den of insobriety is Canberra’s most sophisticated cocktail lounge. Sink into an Empire chair, sip an expertly made cocktail, (the bartender is an award winner) and let the chill winds of winter or the heat haze of summer pass you by. This is surely an adult’s refuge. Bliss.

Poachers Pantry Smokehouse Café and Wily Trout Vineyard
“Marakei”
Nanima Road, Hall
+61 (2) 6230 2487

What a lovely place this is! The 1930s era weatherboard farm cottage graciously restored into a café restaurant and tasting room is unique. Certainly the smoked meats on sale and for tasting are like none elsewhere. Smoked chicken, quail, duck, lamb, pork, emu and kangaroo present more choice than even the most dedicated smoked meats fan can narrow down to a couple of favourites. The kangaroo prosciutto is so succulent it melts in the mouth. The smoked duck breast floats my boat any day. Try the Wily Trout wines while at Poachers, mix or match them with the smoked meats. Even better, eat at the café and see what the resident chefs do with this superb produce.

Grazing Restaurant and Café
The Royal Hotel
Cnr Cork and Harp Streets, Gundaroo
+61 (2) 6236 8777

This is definitely one of Australia’s finest country restaurants. The food is home-hearty but refined. Flavours are distinctly delineated; nothing is too jumbled or confused. A country terrine arrives warm and sautéed rather than cold and congealed. The house made savoury tomato relish that accompanies it contrasts nicely against the unctuous fattiness in the terrine. A Guinness, beef and mushroom pie with mash would normally feed a football team. Here it more than feeds one without leaving a bulge around the midriff, its flavours being more important than mere bulk. A quince and vanilla custard tart with sour cream ice cream left me speechless with delight. The wine list comprises solely Canberra District wines. This is not only a Canberra treasure. It’s a national treasure.

Tip: The venues listed here are all very popular with the in crowd. Ring ahead to make a booking or be prepared to wait. The markets are at their best either very early or very late when the “specials” are available for a bargain price.