“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” – W.C Fields.

I often cook with wine.

After a short flight on Virgin Australia from Sydney to Hobart, my friend Bert and I were amazed that the hire cars GPS knowingly directed us to Moorilla Estate Cellar Door located in the northern suburbs of Hobart. As we entered the gorgeous glass building and made our way to the second floor overlooking the vineyards, a young staff member greeted us, “The tastings of 17 wines are $10 of which you receive that back on a purchase of wines”, we nodded our heads enthusiastically.

Moorilla Estate was established in 1958 with the first wines being produced some four years later to produce Morilla first vintage. In 1995 the estate was purchased by David Walsh a professional gambler and art collector, and now sits alongside MONA – Museum of Old and New Art.

The original Riesling cuttings were sourced from David Wynn’s South Australian Vineyard and the cool climate wines now produced also come from the grapes of a second vineyard, St Matthias in Launceston.

Moorilla produce three labels, the Cloth Series of which feature 3 wines, The Praxis Series, new world traditions with wines often best drunk young and The Muse Series using old world traditions – it was described to us as ‘wood vs steel barrels’.

After a sparkling wine, we were introduced to the white varieties and you could really taste the finite difference between the Muse and Praxis labels. My favourite was the 2013 Muse Botrytis Riesling with hints of citrus and a peel finish, with the 2013 Muse Gewürztraminer coming in a close second. Bert’s choice was the 2013 Muse Sauvignon with earthy flavours “Like cut grass. Acidic, Fresh” critiqued Bert. Other whites tasted were Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, which were still as impressive.

The reds, light to medium in colour and boldness with slightly more tannin notes are representative of cooler climate dark grape skin wines. But if we had to pick one, the Praxis Pinot Noir was a hit with a delicate and fruity flavour that could pair well with most fine foods. For us though, it was the whites that hit the spot and a couple of bottles were purchased before we continued our sightseeing of Hobart.

The wines we purchased were the 2013 Muse Botrytis Riesling AUD49.95 and the 2013 Muse Sauvignon AUD29.95. Both would have been superb match for our Barilla Bay Oysters we purchased the next day, perfect to indulge with and not use in cooking however, we enjoyed them that evening before we we hit the town of Hobart – no GPS or car needed – with its relaxed yet cool vibe.

Moorilla Estate Winery
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Hobart, Tasmania

All wines were purchased independently by Bert and FreakyFlier.