Hunter Valley wine and Food Pairing: Wild Ren Wines x Cafe enzo
Boasting over 150 wineries, the Hunter Valley can be a tad overwhelming unless you arrive with a plan – especially if you’re only there for a few hours over lunch! So here’s a one-stop location to get your food and wine fix stat!
The clouds sit low as the sun rises over the horizon. The sky layered, shades of pink and pale blue. It’s 7:13am and I am headed south from Murrurundi driving the New England Highway on route to the Hunter Valley.
I pull into the drive at Peppers Creek Village – this is my first visit here – and as I stroll through the entrance I’m charmed by the old world, Tuscan-inspired courtyard home to boutiques and cellar doors. Among them are Cafe Enzo and Wild Ren Wines.
Swinging open its doors late 2021, Wild Ren Wines is a new boutique wine brand and cellar door producing distinctive wines to inspire.
After a stroll around the courtyard, I’m met with a warm welcome by the creator and CEO Renee Burton, who brings with her over 20 years’ experience in the wine and tourism industry, previously a co-founder of Gundog Estate, which she sold in 2019.
Nicknamed ‘Ren’ by her friends, she says that naming the new brand came naturally when she found that, like her, wild wren birds face each day with brave and courageous hearts. There is so much more to them when you look past their beautiful shade of blue.
Renee worked with local designer Krysten Jade to create Wild Ren’s brand identity, and noted “it is the perfect expression of the brand and an instrumental part of the business”.
I take notice of the delicate yet bold graphics on each wine label and see you can also purchase the graphics as a print or card at the cellar door, too – a thoughtful touch!
Taking a seat at the table, today myself and a few other guests are being treated to a tasting of Wild Ren’s current and new release wines paired with tasty bites from Executive Chef David Warren of Cafe Enzo.
Established in 1996, Cafe Enzo was started 27 years ago – making it the longest-standing cafe in the Hunter Valley! Good friends and co-owners David and Mel Blanch say that their key to success has been mutual support and keeping each other grounded.
Let the lunch begin…
We begin our lunch with a 2021 Hunter Valley Vermentino served with whipped blue cheese, walnut and pear; a wine or two later we wind up sipping a 2022 Hilltops Sangiovese, tasting duck breast confit in butter with carrot puree and lentils; and ended on a big note with a not yet released 2022 Hunter Valley and Hilltops Shiraz paired with a showstopper – the new dish on the menu at Cafe Enzo – pork belly confit with crispy crackling topped with Enzo honey almond glaze and sided with prosciutto wrapped baked apple stuffed with goats cheese, pommes parisienne, sage butter and drizzled with jus.
Like a well-rehearsed dance, we watched as the team plated up each element on every plate – a performance that was a joy to behold and one I’ll be sure to come back and watch again.
Visit
Open seven days
Sunday – Friday 10am–4pm
Saturday 10am–5pm
Open seven days
Breakfast 8am–10:45am
Lunch 12pm–2:45pm
