St Aidan Wines, Ferguson Valley, WA
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
The great thing about staying in boutique accommodation is getting recommendations from local owners about their favourite places to eat, drink and explore. Coming up in several recommendations, St Aidan Wines rated highly in the Ferguson Valley.
St Aidan Wines is easy to find, with its namesake, the historical St Aidan Church, at the entrance. The red brick building is a striking contrast to those wonderful Aussie blue skies.
Part of the larger Geographe Wine Region, the family-operated vineyard, cellar door, restaurant, and events centre are in a picturesque part of the Ferguson Valley. The public facilities are on slightly elevated grounds with window walls leading down to a well-manicured lawn bordered by willow trees and other natives. It’s blues and greens as far as the eye can see.
Besides lunch in the restaurant and wine tastings at the cellar door, St Aidan Wines is a popular location for events such as outdoor cinema, music, theatre and even stargazing nights.
We stop in for a quick bite to break up our travel with a Bites Banquet (AUD 35 per person) and Wine Tasting Flight with Nibbles (AUD 10) prepared by resident chef Scott Savage.
Bites Banquet
The first on our bites banquet is House Bread with house-made dukkah, balsamic syrup and Preston Valley Grove extra virgin olive oil. We drench the slices in oil and pile the dukkah high.
Substantial bites, the Smoked Eel Croutes are next. They’re plump little towers of roasted nori, wasabi crème fraîche, pickled shoots and cucumber on a crunchy pastry base.
Jalapeño Poppers are Aussie-sized, larger than any I’ve indulged in prior to this meal. Their crisp coat is nearly bursting at the seams with its generous cheese filling. They’re sided with a tangy blue cheese dip, which is hardly needed with all of that cheese in the filling, but with a nice bite to it all the same.
Watermelon has a lovely char on its flesh, a tasty vegetarian dish with fetta and oregano. It’s refreshingly juicy.
Seared Far West Scallops are an attractive line-up with the golden rounds each topped with caramelised onion, apple, crisp prosciutto and St Adian sriracha. Each is a mouthful of sweet, savoury, tender and crunchy.
Our bites banquet concludes with a large serving of Pan-seared Baby Squid. Potato and spinach combine with a creamy rather than spicy tom yum broth, filling the plate.
Wine Tasting Flight
Guests can pick five of 13 wines for the tasting. There’s enough variety to allow for a white, a red or a mixed tasting. We celebrate diversity so pick a little of everything.
The Sparkling Chardonnay 2022 (AUD 39) is made in the traditional method with secondary fermentation in the bottle—that’s what gives the wine its superfine bubbles. The aroma is fresh with honeysuckle, apple pie, and lemon sherbet.
Time in oak is obvious with the St Aidan Chardonnay 2021 (AUD 39), with nutty notes sitting alongside melon and pear. It’s well integrated though, suggesting partial oak, older barrels, or larger puncheon fermentation.
Fiano is not often seen on this side of the world, so it was a pleasant surprise to taste the “Myra” Fiano 2024 (AUD 30). A relatively new crop for St Aidan Wines, it sports a light nutty nose with pear and rind in the finish.
One of the original plantings, the “Ferguson” Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (AUD 40), is worth a sip. It’s a typical expression of the grape, with some wood, tobacco, and mild smokiness, followed by some herbaceous character. It’s nicely integrated with juicy tannins.
We finish with St Aidan’s most famous wine, “Zena” Liqueur Muscat (AUD 45), winner of Best Fortified Wine GWS 2018. Made in Solera style, it’s treacly and sweet. This viscous drop could quite easily replace dessert.
Reasons to visit St Aidan Wines, Ferguson Valley: lovely green views; kind and friendly staff; the Bites menu is a good option, especially if you enjoy trying a variety of dishes but might not have the stomach capacity to devour several full portions; must-try the Fiano.
St Aidan Wines
754 Ferguson Rd, Ferguson 6236, Western Australia
Link to St Aidan Wines on Google Maps
+61897283007
[email protected]
www.saintaidan.com.au
St Aidan Wines Hours
Monday to Friday: 11 am – 4 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm
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