WINE’S HERITAGE A BLAST FROM THE PAST

IT’S worth taking a drive to the NSW Southern Highlands tourist township of Berrima to taste the wines of small family winery, Blue Metal Vineyard – and at the same time try the local produce on tasting and sale in their café-cum-shop.

Blue Metal was planted in 1999 and covers just 10ha of rich red soils and free-draining clay loams over basalt rock, a heritage from aeons past of neighbouring one-time volcanoes Mt Gibraltar, Mt Jellore and Mt Misery.

And remarkably small as this vineyard is, innovative winemaker Nick Spencer has been able to produce an amazing range of lip-smacking wines from it, including four whites, eight reds, a non-vintage Rose and a fortified.

One that’s certainly destined for recognition on the local and international scene is the super-premium Blue Metal Ignis Merlot, a medium-bodied wine with great intensity of flavour, more-ish chocolaty notes, and wonderful dark berry and plum fruit aromas.

At $45 at the cellar door, serve with braised lamb ravioli and wild mushrooms.

Blue Metal Vineyard is just over an hour’s drive south of Sydney in the NSW Southern Highlands; as well as the Cellar Door that’s open Thursdays to Mondays, their café offers local cheese platters and Devonshire Teas and you can buy Highland cheeses, chutneys, jams, sauces, breads and olive oil.

Phone (02) 4877 1877 or check them out at www.bluemetalvineyard.com