Lunch in the Swan Valley at Black Swan Winery

There is a classy cool elegance about Black Swan Winery. Two of my favourite things about this Swan Valley property came about before I even stepped foot inside! First there was the ‘Black Swan shuttle service bus’ parked out front which shows this spot likes to have a bit of fun, yet in a responsible way! The next thing was that as you walk up to the tall entry door you can see directly through to the vineyard. I was truly mesmerized and yes Mr. Spittoon was getting a bit annoyed at me taking 10 photos too many! As per usual I just couldn’t capture that surreal view through my camera lens.

When we finally got inside we were shown to a lovely table on the covered in veranda type area which had floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard so that we could really soak up our surroundings. Our waiter for the day was simply superb. Throughout our whole dining experience he seemed just so happy with life and his job. Nothing beats terrific customer service and his happy vibe rubbed off on us… although that could of been the wine!

I am probably the biggest potato fan out there (see my fries & wine matching post for proof), so as a teaser to our meal we ordered the beer battered fries with aioli (AU$10) – they are actually a side however we asked for it as a sneaky entree and that was no problem. The chips were awesome, so crisp on the outside and light and fluffy in the inside with minimal greasiness. The Black Swan Sparkling washed them down very well, read my tasting note here.

Check out the Black Swan menu here. For the mains we ordered:

• Lamb shank Wellington, mushroom duxelle, Paris mash, Shiraz jus, $36
• Slow roasted cider braised pork, colcannon potato cake, braised red cabbage and apple jus, $40

Both meals were awesome. Mr. Spittoon thought I won the ordering challenge, however his lamb shank was just so succulent. I have to admit the crackling on mine was absolutely to die for. Both our meals were very generous with the amount of meat on the plate. I couldn’t actually finish all mine, but don’t worry Mr. Spittoon wouldn’t dare let it go to waste.

Once done we ordered a glass of the Autumn Harvest each (read my tasting note here) to enjoy with a dessert. I know.. I know.. I said I couldn’t even finish my main meal, but there is a completely different stomach for dessert right? We decided to share a slice of the whisky chocolate cake with cream, it was super moist, with a pleasant touch of whisky that wasn’t overpowering but perfectly complimenting to the chocolate. We ended the meal with coffees and decided to purchase a couple of bottles from the cellar door to end a very lovely afternoon out.

By this time we were both truly rammed, so we decided to have a walk down by the vineyard which was simply stunning. The winery dog was roaming about the place, the most gorgeous, rather shy border collie – I really did want to coerce it home with me!

Black Swan is a lovely spot in the Swan Valley, with a very intimate feel, generous size meals and the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is absolutely divine (read my tasting note here). For more information, please check out the Black Swan Winery website here.