A perfect afternoon in the Grampians
On a rainy winter's day, after spending a few hours walking and driving around the Grampians, my boyfriend and I pulled in to Halls Gap Estate to see what the Grampians Wine Region had to offer. The winery is just a stones trow away from the Grampians National Park, in a small town called Halls Gap. The winery was previously called 'The Gap Vineyard' but has recently been re-named to 'Fallen Giants' with a change of ownership.
The cellar door is small and boutique with a lovely outdoor seating area on the deck which i'm sure would be great in spring and summer. We walked in to the cellar door and were greeted by Laura, our wine expert for the afternoon, who invited us to try some of the Fallen Giants wines. They were just out of the riesling, but had the shiraz and cabernet sauvignon in stock. We tried the shiraz, and loved it. Then tried the cabernet sauvignon, and with a slightly richer and more intense flavour loved it even more. I'm not going to pretend to be a wine connoisseur, but I can appreciate and enjoy a good wine and this was by far one of the best wines I have had.
We stayed and chatted to Laura for a little while, and then she offered us to have a seat next to the fire and enjoy a cheese platter and a couple glasses of our pick of wine. After a day of exploring, this is exactly what we wanted to hear, and we opted for the cab sauv.
We sat by the fire and Laura delivered the cheese and wine, and it was honestly so close to heaven. The cheese was a sheep's-milk feta, which was paired with shiraz jelly (which is so much better than it sounds) which was absolutely amazing. The luxurious couple of smooth sheep's cheese and sweet shiraz jelly just melt in your mouth, and make you really savour the moment.
The perfect combination of sheep's milk feta and shiraz jelly. yum!
We sat by the fire and enjoyed our wine and cheese, while a few other couples came in, bought wine, and left, and we just soaked up the experience. We were eventually ready to leave, so we thanked Laura for her hospitality and bought a couple of our favourite bottles of wine on our way out. As soon as we got in the car, we started talking about how lovely and generous Laura had been, and didn't stop talking about it all weekend. The atmosphere, wine, cheese (and shiraz jelly), and friendliness all added up to an unforgettable experience that we won't stop talking about anytime soon. If you are in the Grampians area, do yourself a favour and visit Halls Gap Estate. Louis and I are currently planning our next trip back.