Gippsland Wineries: Blue Gables Vineyard – Pizza & Vino

I’m ticking off my 19th of 600 odd Victorian winery cellar doors on my ‘to visit’ list with Blue Gables Winery here in Gippsland. Before visiting the cellar door in Eastern Gippsland, I’d tried their Pinot Gris at the Criterion Hotel here in Sale. It only took me a sip to know that we had to venture out to Upper Maffra West to try more of their range.

From where we are based, it took about 30 minutes to get there. We booked a table the day before. Which was a wise move, as even though we arrived only 1 hour after they’d opened, they were already pretty busy.

Visiting Blue Gables

Being only open on Saturday and Sunday from 11am till 5pm, it really means you need to go out for an afternoon to do it properly! We stayed for a bite to eat after our cellar door tasting. And they even had live music on the day we visited, which was very good timing on our part.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway I knew exactly how they got their name. Yep, you guessed it, a gorgeous farmhouse with bright blue gables. It’s a stunning sight with the vineyard in the background. I can see why Blue Gables is a popular wedding venue here in Gippsland.

What I am loving about the Gippsland wineries is that they seem to feel like they are in the middle of nowhere. Blue Gables has a wonderful relaxing serenity to it, well I felt pretty relaxed after a few glasses of wine and those beautiful views anyway 😉

The Wines

When you arrive at Blue Gables you can do a tasting at the main bar. The bar did get a bit busy with other people ordering drinks and food, however, we were well looked after and really enjoyed hearing more about the property and the wines.

On the 7 acres, these guys are planting Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Shiraz grapes. They produce everything from a dry bubbles to a Moscato, red, white and even a liqueur.

Not surprising, we opted to have a bottle of the 2016 Jesse Chardonnay with our lunch. It went down very well as we soaked up the sunshine and listened to the live music.

We also grabbed a couple of bottles to enjoy at home:

Blue Gables 2016 Pinot Gris

It’s a crisp lemon colour in the glass. Notes of lychee, melon and preserved lemon come through on the nose for me. While in the mouth it’s juicy and rounded with a floral spicy-ness to it. YUM!

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!

Blue Gables 2016 Sauvignon Blanc

It’s a crystal clear lemon-silver colour in the glass. Notes of kaffir lime, minerality, pineapple and lemon come through on the nose. While in the mouth it’s fresh, crisp and 100% refreshing with its tasty tropical fruit salad and lime characters.

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!

I am looking forward to heading back soon to try the new release Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Gris. It was sold out when we visited and having never had a bubbly made from blending those 2 grapes, it intrigues me!

The Food

Mr Spittoon and I can never turn down pizza. We’d previously heard about Blue Gables’ reputation for wood-fired pizzas. So it was a must!

We ordered a garlic and cheese pizza and an inferno. Being the chilli nuts that we are, the inferno wasn’t quite spicy enough for us, but both pizzas complimented the wine well. The pizza’s range from $15-25 so they’re a pretty good deal.

I also hear the cheese and antipasto platters are pretty tasty! The cheeses and produce are sourced locally for these.

All up we had a lovely afternoon at Blue Gables and I have no doubt we’ll be heading back again soon. These guys have plenty of events on throughout the year, including their big Blue Gables Oktoberfest.

And on a last note, this might be a little weird, but I loved the bathrooms! Yes, I had to take a bathroom selfie even!

Address: 100 Lanigan Rd, Maffra West Upper VIC 3859
Phone: (03) 5148 0372
Website: www.bluegables.com.au