A quick trip to Spain and Argentina.
August 23rd, 2010
I recently went on a quick trip to Spain and Argentina. Okay, it was only overnight. And it was less than a two-hour drive from Melbourne. My girlfriend Beth and I went to a Tapas Night at Rocky Passes Estate in Whiteheads Creek near Seymour. Rocky Passes is owned and run by Candi Westney and Victor Oles (who is also an incredibly gifted wood craftsmen). Candi is Australian and Victor is Argentinean, but they whip up some of the best Spanish tapas I have ever eaten. And it was all washed down with their delectable red wines. We started with a bottle of Shiraz Cabernet blend (their most popular) and moved onto a bottle of… we’re not sure. The wine was so nice, and was going down way too quickly, that we can’t recall what we drank next. I did recall what we ate, though. Well, I kept a copy of the menu at least and I knew what we’d eaten because we ate EVERY tapas on the list. Just to make you salivate a little this is what we ate:
Albondigas (herbed meatballs in rich tomato salsa)
Alcachofas borrachas (Artichokes in a wine reduction)
Bunuelos de coliflor (Cauliflowers and cheese fried dumplings with mustard salsa)
Chorizos (Grilled Spanish sausage)
Empanadas (Sweet spiced pork parcels in pastry)
Gambas piri piri (Grilled prawns with a ginger, garlic and chilli salsa)
Pimientos y alcaparras (Roasted red peppers with capers)
Queso de obeja (Sheep’s milk cheese)
And then, if we weren’t full enough, we had both desserts:
Panna cotta con frutillas (Creamy pudding with strawberries and coulis)
Torta de almendras (Almond cake with orange liquor syrup)
We pretty much rolled out of place after all that food and wine, but thankfully we didn’t have to roll too far. We stayed nearby at Saratoga Lodge just out of Seymour, which was lovely and blissfully quiet. Oh, besides the odd neigh from the other guests. The owner Sharyn is also a racing horse trainer and in the breakfast room are framed photos of horses that Sharyn trained winning the Kentucky Derby.
We headed back to Rocky Passes in the morning (for a leisurely stroll around the stunning vineyard). Candi and Victor were fresh and sprightly – which was rather impressive considering that they cooked and served all the food plus served drinks all night (and knocked a couple back themselves along the way). We bought a few more bottles of that wonderful wine and promised to come back again in summer (where tapas are served out in the delightful outdoor terrace). And next time we’ll try to remember what wine we drank.
It’s well worth the drive, so if you’d like to go to the Rocky Passes Tapas Night it is held on the last Friday of every month (the next one is on Friday the 27th August). In winter it’s held in the cosy tasting room (see pic below). Go to their website for reservations.
Tapas night at Rocky Passes Estate
Another bottle of Rocky Passes por favor
Tapas night is held here in summer.
Candi and Victor at Rocky Passes Estate
One of the guests at Saratoga Lodge
The view from Saratoga Lodge B&B
On August 23rd, 2010 Epiphanie said:
On August 23rd, 2010 Fiona Ellis said:
On August 23rd, 2010 Brian Thacker said: