Margan Winery & Restaurant
Review Summary
Pros
Sustainably grown food from their own farm and local producers
Most of the menu was already gluten free
Freshly baked gluten free bread
Impeccable service
Cons
Regular pasta was replaced with a 'naked' option rather than gluten-free pasta
Disclaimer: All reviews are valid at the time of the visit, however as restaurant menus and staff change over time it is important to do your own due diligence and ask your own questions to ensure that your health is protected.
Full Review
It’s always a treat to head out of the city to the Hunter Valley, however this day was especially good because I was booked on the Ultimate Margan Experience at the Margan Winery and Restaurant in Broke.
The Margan family pride themselves on their ‘estate grown, estate made’ ethos, and create their menus around seasonal produce from their one-hectare garden and orchard. They also source olive oil, poultry, milk, and sustainably reared animals from other local producers.
The tour involves a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the winery and sustainable farm (with wine tasting), followed by a 5-course degustation lunch in the restaurant. When I booked online I could nominate my dietary requirements from a drop-down list.
Margan Estate with the beautiful Broken Back Range in the background. It was a cold winter’s day, so all the vines and blossom trees were bare, but this allowed the natural beauty of the landscape to shine.
The Tour
Our guide Steve led us on an informative tour of the winery buildings, where we learnt how wine is made and tasted some unfinished wines.
Then we headed out to the vineyard and learnt about the different varieties of wine and the soil types they grow in. To our delight bottles of wine hidden amongst the vines emerged, Easter egg like, for tasting. A very generous wine tasting experience with some superb wines among the tastings (the 2019 Ceres Hill Barbera, an Italian variety, was a favourite).
Steve feeding the chooks under the bare fig trees. Everything from the kitchen gets reused in the garden.
The most interesting part of the tour was visiting the orchard and veggie gardens. It was fascinating to hear about the circularity of the garden processes. Kitchen scraps are combined with a somewhat magical mix of worm poo and seaweed to form an incredibly rich compost that allows veggies to grow in record times. Steve made it all sound so simple, I was inspired to start putting more effort into my home garden, although I strongly suspect the results would not be the same.
After more bottles of wine emerged from the garden, we were invited inside to take our seats in the restaurant.
The wine tasting area leading into the restaurant.
The Fine Dining Experience
I was given one of the best tables in the house (I think the staff took pity on me, being the only solo guest) - which was right next to a window overlooking the vineyard and the mountain range.
Being a degustation menu, there were no choices to be made, which was an enjoyable adventure. Each course was brought out at a relaxed pace. In all there were 8 courses, including a pre-starter, a palate-cleansing ice-cream between the main and dessert, and petit fours to finish.
As you would expect from a fine dining establishment, the staff were attentive and knowledgeable throughout the service.
Matching wines were available at an extra cost, however I chose the non-alcoholic hazelnut liqueur mocktail which was delicious.
It was a mainly vegetarian menu, apart from the wagyu beef course.
The food was a delight from start to finish. Never have winter veggies tasted so good or been used so creatively. Flavours and textures were combined in so many interesting and unexpected ways. The highlight was the buttermilk curds with pumpkin, beets, pepita and a gluten free gremolata. The pumpkin was so sweet and fresh it was almost mango-like, and combined with the curds and the crispy gremolata toppings it was a flavour sensation.
Buttermilk curds with pumpkin, beet, pepita and gremolata
The Gluten Free Experience
I was informed by my server that the menu was already mostly gluten free, with only the bread and the pasta dish needing to be altered.
The bread I was served was a small slice of freshly baked gluten free focaccia bread, which was delicious topped with cultured butter. Other guests were served small ciabatta-style loaves.
The contents of my pasta course came wrapped in a spinach leaf instead of the cannelloni. I would have preferred some gluten-free pasta, rather than a ‘naked’ option, although I understand that changes like this are not always possible.
Overall Experience
A beautiful winery and restaurant who take their sustainability ethos seriously. Highly recommended for special occasion gluten-free dining.
