On a holiday in South Australia on the Great Ocean Road we revisited one of those lovely off the beaten track winery finds.

In this case Cape Jaffa Wines on the Limestone Coast, which we had visited a number of years earlier, and now returned to renew our acquaintance.
The previous trip we had been passing through on a Great Ocean Road trip from Adelaide to Melbourne, this time we were spending a week based at Robe in perfect visiting distance of Cape Jaffa.

The winery itself is tucked away off the Southern Ports Highway in a gentle rolling grazing district. The cellar door is a lovely rock building situated on a rise with views out over the countryside. Outside are picnicking and bbq facilities while inside on the summer days we visited was cool and inviting.

The wine list was 10 wines long on the day we dropped by with an even mix of white and red, with half of the wines being certified biodynamic. The quality overall is high, from 7 to 8 on our scale, with the stand out being the La Lune Shiraz. As always our budget couldn’t meet our tastebuds however we still headed off with a 1/2 dozen mix, and the usual regret a year later that we should have bought more.

On our days tasting at Cape Jaffa wines averaged 7 out of 10

Highlights included:

• Cape Jaffa La Lune Shiraz, Limestone Coast, 2010, $45, 8/10
• Cape Jaffa Pinot Gris, 2011, $24, 8/10
• Cape Jaffa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, $24, 7/10

Cape Jaffa Wines Website

The review list for Cape Jaffa

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Tags: Winery Visit by Winequaffer
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Deep in the hills outside Melbourne lies the township of Olinda and there you will find an excellent wineshop by the name of Olinda Cellars. We have been going there for a while now of a Friday Night to purchase from their excellent selection an end of week beer and a Friday Night Pinot to have with dinner. So when I heard they were doing a wine-tasting, and it was Pinot it wasn’t a particularly hard decision. And since it was Friday night after a long week there could only be one response. “What Time?”

So 10 past 5 sees me wandering in the door to be greeted by 6 bottles of Pinot Noir ranging from $20 to $40, and for those not of the red dispensation a range of chardonnay was also on offer.

Our hosts, Ross and Jenny, started us off with a tipple from the Nolan Winery priced at $20 and we continued from there.

Highlights included:

• 2012 Nolan Pinot Noir,Yarra Valley AUS , $20 7/10
  • A good quaffing Pinot, especially at the price.
• 2012 Lansdowne Vineyard Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills AUS, $40 8/10
  • A big Pinot
• 2012 Brownes Block Pinot Noir, Kilmore AUS, $40 8/10
  • This needs food, specifically a big steak, although duck would work equally well.

After the Pinot’s I decided to try one of the chardonnay’s, specifically the one to which one of our fellow samplers had let out a little ‘wow’. Oh, well that was yummy, one of the tastiest chards I have had. Noting of course that my exposure is limited. However at $60 a bottle I don’t think we will be purchasing a large number of them

• 2012 Golden Ball La-Vas Chardonnay, Beechworth AUS, $60 8/10
  • Close to the first Chardonnay I would happily drink a bottle of, light and fresh.

Tastings at Olinda Cellars

Tastings are Friday Nights 5-8pm, occasionally a small charge may apply.
Olinda Cellars

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Tags: Red Wine, White Wine by Winequaffer
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