Tag: Trofeo Estate

Open for Business in the Peninsula

There is a further easing of restrictions by the Victorian Government beginning on 1st June 2020. You will be able to stay in tourist accommodation like ours! The Beach Club cottages now accept bookings. However, the Beach Club communal BBQ and laundry must remain closed.

You can visit the Mornington Peninsula now!

We will continue to update the following list of places which are Open for Business. Social distancing rules still apply, see the Government website for more details.

Public Places & Parks

  • Beaches – Open!
  • Playgrounds and Skateparks – Open!
  • National Parks – Open except for the Point Nepean National Park and its visitor centre.
  • Fishing from boats, piers and beaches – Allowed!
  • Diving from the Rye pier – Allowed! See the popular octopus garden.
Rye Bay Beach
View from Arthurs Seat
Diving from Rye Pier
Hiking to Bushrangers Bay
Beach boxes near Safety Beach
Bushrangers Bay
Bushrangers Bay
Hiking to Bushrangers Bay
Diving from Rye Pier

Enchanted Adventure Garden

Enchanted Adventure Garden
Sky Scramble
Sky Scramble

Peninsula Hot Springs

  • Bath House bathing and café will re-open from Sunday 7th June 2020 at noon
  • Spa Dreaming Centre bathing, spa and café will re-open  from Friday 12th June 2020
  • Essential information before visiting, advanced booking is necessary, and information on our stay and bath package.
  • What to expect at the reopening of the Hot Springs.
Bathing at the Peninsula Hot Springs
Bathing at the Peninsula Hot Springs

Wineries and Restaurants

  • Pt Leo Estate – Restaurant and cellar doors opens from 1st June 2020.
  • St Andrews Beach Brewery – Restaurant opens from 1st June 2020 through booking only.
  • Crittenden Estate – Restaurant opens from 3rd June 2020.
  • Trofeo Estate – New wine room now opens for tastings.
  • Hotel Sorrento – Open from 4th June 2020.
  • Dromana Estate – Open for wine tasting on weekends 12-3pm.
  • Foxeys Hangout Winery – Open for wine sales and take-home food 11am–5pm Fri–Sat–Sun-Mon. Sit-down lunches start Monday 1st June.
  • Paringa Estate – Open on Saturday & Sundays from 11am-5pm for wine tasting, maximum 30 minutes. Wear very warm clothes for your visit. Bookings recommended.
  • Green Olives at Red Hill – Open for dine-in tapas and wine from Wednesday 3rd June.
  • Montalto Vineyard – Restaurant opens from 6th June on weekends only. Wine sales, “Heat and Eat” pizzas available for take away.
  • The Vanilla Slice Cafe – Open for take away.
  • Sisco Pizza Restaurant– 800m from the Dolphin and Starfish, opens Wed – Sunday for takeaway pick up.
  • Two Bouys – Open for take away, Winter Wine Weekends scheduled on 6-7th June.
Paringa Estate Winery
Paringa Estate Winery
Pt Leo Estate Restaurant
Pt Leo Estate Restaurant
Pt Leo Estate Winery
Foxeys Hangout
Crittenden Estate Winery
Dromana Estate Winery. They provide picnic baskets with matching wine when requested.
Fine dining at the 1930s building of The Trofeo Estate Winery
Fine dining at the 1930s building of The Trofeo Estate Winery
Many of the Trofeo Estate wine are aged in their Terracotta Amphorae.

Cinema

Dromana 3 Drive In Cinema
Dromana 3 Drive In Cinema

Golf

Moonah Links
Golf at RACV Cape Schanck Resort
Golf at RACV Cape Schanck Resort
Moonah Links
Moonah Links

More to come, please stay tuned!

Zucchini Carpaccio with Wine Aged in Terracotta

The Cottage Chef takes on a new recipe and wine pairing challenge, with emphasis on retaining the original favours of freshly harvested organic zucchini. She came across these delicious vegetables after a visit to the Peninsula Fresh Organics in Baxter.

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Pairing Zucchini Carpaccio with the Trofeo Estate Amphora Chardonnay

A “less is more” approach is therefore taken. The Cottage Chef will use a recipe which adds little seasoning, to ensure diners are actually enjoying the zucchini, a “light taste” vegetable itself. The same is required from the wine, best if it is nothing but grape juice; well fermented grape juices. Luckily the Mornington Peninsula offers a good variety of wine making styles and methods.

At Trofeo Estate they make wine which is aged in terracotta. According to Trofeo, “Terracotta does not impart any flavour, so the wines produced in the Amphora display all of the delicate fruit aromatics and flavours, pre-existing in the grapes. Terracotta is an inorganic medium, and as such does not harbor spoilage micro-organisms, thus reducing the levels of Sulphur required to safeguard the wine.” The Cottage Chef found their Amphora Chardonnay to be a good match. The Chardonnay grapes were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed. The wine is aged in Terracotta Amphorae for 10 months accompanied with periodic stirring of the lees. Besides the natural favour of the fruits, there is mouthfeel texture and complexity, adding a good natural contrast to the zucchini.

Zucchini Carpaccio
Zucchini Carpaccio

Zucchini Carpaccio

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil, rocket salad, lemon juice, rind, sea salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Methods:

  1. Trim the ends of the zucchini and slice diagonally into wafer-thin rounds. Place in a bowl.
  2. Combine the oil, lemon juice and rind, and season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture over zucchini and leave for 5 minutes. Pile the rocket onto serving plates, then top with the zucchini and finish with the parmesan. Serve as a first course or as an accompaniment to simply grilled meat and fish.

This is such an easy dish to be prepared and enjoyed at our cottages. Getting the wine and vegetables at the Trofeo Estate Winery and Peninsula Fresh Organics are great attractions themselves. We recently had guests asking for a bigger fridge to keep the food they brought in. To our dear guests, why are you bringing your own?! Let’s just enjoy all the Mornington Peninsula can offer.

 

Movie Night at the Trofeo Estate Winery

The standard of hospitality has been improved each day with the increasing popularity of wine tourism in the Mornington Peninsula. The bar is being raised, no, smashed from time to time. New investments, new ideas and offerings are brought to the market each day. Drinkers and diners continue to be spoiled. There is now much more than a good meal and a perfect matching wine over the peninsula wineries. Live music, Aussie smoked BBQ? Nice but kind of a given these days. How about a sculpture park? If the owner is a real estate tycoon and an art collector, why not. But you can also implement new ideas without having to invest millions.

Fine dining at the 1930s building of The Trofeo Estate Winery
Fine dining at the 1930s building of The Trofeo Estate Winery
Fine dining at the 1930s building of The Trofeo Estate Winery

 

Trofeo Estate has been offering an unique wine & dine experience. We have been visiting their cellar door and restaurant regularly for more than 3 years. We saw their wine and hospitality standard increasing, the food and the dining hall at their 1930s building are always superb. Spending time there is like visiting an old friend at her tasteful heritage home, spoiled with good food and wine of course, in a casual atmosphere, chatting and having some laughs. After dinner, your friend plays a movie and everybody watches it over a few good glasses of wine.

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Cine, Wine & Dine at the Trofeo Estate Winery

Yes you saw it right, Trofeo Estate runs movie nights like your friend’s place. You join them for an a la carte dinner, then enjoy a movie and dessert on the house. Dinner service starts at 6pm, movie starts 8.30pm.

With the long summer days, this is quite perfect. We spent the day at the beach, arrived at the estate in the late afternoon, enjoy fresh air and a glass of bubbles over their deck, followed by dinner and a movie night. I swear that I had worst days …

The Rose, Chardonnay and a lesser known and tried Cabernet Sauvignon are my favourites
An old basket press at their cellar door.
Many of the Trofeo Estate wine are aged in their Terracotta Amphorae.
Claire at the Trofeo Estate cellar door, very nice person and very knowledgeable.