Wow…what a fantastic little winery and cellar door! Foxey's Hangout is located in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula about an hour from Melbourne, operated by the very experienced winemaker- chef Tony Lee and winemaker brother Michael. We came to be there by way of an invitation for a vigneron's lunch perfectly matched to their award winning wines. A small but impressive building, a long narrow room with a wall of glass perfectly framing the growing vines and the amazing outlook . Mostly beautiful timber and a very impressive fireplace just near the entrance which was welcome after the bitterly cold Victorian winter weather. A small but well appointed chef's kitchen at one end of the room for sampling tasty morsels such as BBQ Quail served with lemon wedge and Pear with tuna bresaola, vinocotto and radicchio which I had the pleasure of savoring both of these tasty dishes.

Upon arrival a taste of their sparkling white which is fresh with lovely citrus notes quickly followed by a mushroom roll, not sausage but mushrooms, YUM! Then we were treated to a demonstration by Michael showing the process that goes into making their sparkling wine. He demonstrated how the dosage (sugar syrup to the layperson) is added to the bottle prior to corking to better balance the acidity and sweetness, using the sparkling white and rose. Also a bottle personally styled by me to take home and drink in a few months, incidentally all the lucky guests got to style their own too!

Soon enough we were seated for a taste of their 2011 Chardonnay and Pinot Gris which were both very drinkable wines, especially the Gris for me which I found delicious. All the aromas and palate you would expect from a good Gris. These were accompanied by warm bread, an exceptional olive oil and a pistachio crumb which when all three are combined, delicious! A tasty little ball of silver beet and onion was so full of flavor and perfect with a white wine. Pear with tuna bresaola, vinocotto and radicchio (pictured) followed and matched the wine perfectly, so did the leeks with blood orange and goats curd finished with fresh mint. The 2011 Foxey's Hangout Pinot Noir made an appearance, and rightly so, a very good Pinot with lovely morello cherry nose and a hint of cinnamon on the palate ( which due to different tastes maybe only I pick up) suits my palate perfectly. I would happily drink this particular wine on any occasion. The quail arrived to a drum roll, succulently barbecued little legs, drizzled with lemon juice, my mouthy is watering, right now. The 2011 Shiraz with it's floral aromas and long finish is another outstanding wine. A little avocado, crispy pancetta and walnuts went wonderfully with this. The late harvest Pinot Gris is a very fresh sticky, beautifully balanced with clean finish went superbly with the triple cream brie which just melted on the plate, a divine cheese on lovey warm soft bread, the perfect finish to a very enjoyable afternoon.

A trip to Foxey's Hangout is the perfect way to spend an afternoon, great atmosphere,very welcoming and knowledgeable hosts, very efficient staff and not to mention, in my opinion some of the best wines the Mornington Peninsula has to offer.

Cheers!

Approximate cost: $N/A

The hubby turned 40 and I wanted to take him out for lunch, I wanted it to be somewhere he had never been before but also it needed to be special, impressive and fitting for a man of his age (tehehe). At the Foxey's tasting a few weeks back we again met up with Peter who runs the Fork to Fork restaurant at the beautiful Heronswood garden and historic National Trust house in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. The house on the slopes of Arthur's seat was designed in 1866 and built in the 1870s is a stunning bluestone Gothic style mansion, but was designed as a family house so inside is quite intimate and homey. Bought by the Blaze family of the Diggers Club the gardens are amazing, some of the biggest trees I have ever seen including a Moreton Bay Fig for which the word massive is an understatement! The gardens are extensive and very established, well worth the small fee to explore. The shop has everything you'll need to create the perfect veggie patch or deck yourself out in gumboots and gloves, they also stock a range of books which are all based around growing and cooking produce.

I visited the gardens some time back with my friend Deb and her mum, I was in my twenties then so all I wanted to do on a sunny Sunday was find the nearest beer garden, but I was suitably impressed with everything, if memory serves I had a char-grilled veggie stack which they grilled in front of you on a BBQ. Since then they have built a thatched roof building with exposed timber beams, beautiful timber floors and open kitchen so everyone in the small but lovely room can see what the chefs are up to. Also there is an extensive outdoor area which is paved and bathed in sunshine….obviously only when the sun's out.

Home baked bread and olives
Once at our table we had a chance to look at the impressive menu, most of the fresh produce, herbs, vegetables, fruits, and garnishes, here in herbivore heaven, either grow up around you or are sourced from producers in the region. Whilst we were deciding the waitress delivered a small house baked cob loaf along with olive oil for dipping and marinated Ridge Estate Kalamata olives, which were warmed and absolutely divine. Perfectly matched to my glass of Foxey's Hangout Pinot Gris, I awaited our next course. For starters we shared the amazing mussells with kale possibly the best mussels and broth I've ever tasted and trust me I've had lots! I then settled down to my main which arrived in good time, heirloom beetroot, walnuts, mizuna, poached duck breast with honey and rose reduction, oh my, I don't remember eating such fresh and beautifully prepared produce. My hubby chose the slow cooked beef with root vegetable stack and watercress salad, which I savored a small morsel and of course he wouldn't give anymore away, we also ordered platter of mixed produce and goats curd which showcased their home grown produce in all it's finery. During our enjoyable visit to Fork to Fork we sampled different wines from the impressive list, Foxey's Hangout and Moorooduc Estate to name a couple, and of course these vineyards are within 15 minutes of Heronswood.

If you are looking for somewhere to take the family visiting from interstate or overseas this is the perfect place, also kids are very well catered for with plenty to see and do. With Spring here and summer just around the corner Heronswood and Fork to Fork can't be missed.

Approximate cost: $120