CANBERRA is more accessible than ever for Sydneysiders. The massive WestConnex road system begins at the back of Newtown on the edge of the CBD and a drive to the nation’s capital now takes under three hours. It’s a great incentive for more frequent visits as Canberra is constantly changing with new cafes, restaurants, hotels and some of the finest new buildings in the country.
Canberra’s three cool climate wine regions are a major magnet for tourists. On a recent visit, we decided to focus on the Lake George area, including Bungendore and Wamboin in NSW. First stop the much-lauded Lark Hill Biodynamic Winery. Founded in 1978 by Sue and Dave Carpenter, the property was certified biodynamic in 2006. Four grape varieties are planted to the original vineyard – riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and gruner veltliner. In a second vineyard acquired in 2011, there’s shiraz, viognier, sangiovese, marsanne and roussanne.
The adjoining D&K Kitchen at Lark Hill is alone worth the trip. We enjoyed goat cheese and zucchini tartlets on salad with lime dressing with a 2019 gruner veltliner, followed by sumac pan-fried salmon served with potato roesti, market vegetables and lemon butter sauce with a glass of 2019 sangiovese.
Lake George Winery is one of the oldest in the district and co-owner, Sarah MacDougall, picked up the owner/operator gong at the 2019 Australian Women in Wine awards. All the grapes are hand-picked using sustainable practices and the property’s wines appear on some of Sydney and Melbourne’s most vaunted restaurant wine lists. Varietals to stock up include pinot noir, chardonnay, tempranillo, riesling, shiraz and cabernet merlot.
Mount Majura has the honour of being the first vineyard within the ACT. With vines covering just nine hectares, the property was first planted by the late Dr Edgar Reik, a scientist and renowned district wine-making pioneer, in 1988. The winery also boasts the Naked Cubby Collective, which calls itself hassle-free camping rather than glamping, but the experience is a long way from basic.
Lerida Estate Winery is centred by a Glenn Murcutt-designed cellar door and restaurant. Wherever you go in the building you access views of the great outdoors. Visit for the wine and stay for the food is the promotional tagline and you should follow the advice. We started with smoked fish rillettes and figs stuffed with blue cheese before moving on to spice roasted duck breast with fennel, cinnamon, pomegranate, molasses and quinoa salad.
Thirteen years ago, local truffle farms specialising in the famed black truffles of Perigord started the region’s annual Truffle Festival. The event is now synonymous with winter in Canberra for visitors and locals. From June to August, the leading farms open their doors for truffle hunts where you can meet the dogs, enjoy truffle tastings and take some of the “black diamonds” home. The names to note are Blue Frog Truffles, Durran Durra Truffles, L’Air du Wombat Truffles, Macenmist Black Truffles and Wines, Tarago Truffles and Turalla Truffles and bookings are essential. For true truffle lovers, you can’t go past the truffled cheese on bread with truffle butter at Turalla.
I normally stay in the city centre when I visit Canberra, but hadn’t explored Braddon before even though it’s a short walk away. Formerly, a light industrial zone, the area has become a hip precinct of boutiques, cafes, bakeries, restaurants and bars. Beer lovers should start with a stop at BentSpoke Brewing Co, where you can sip on one or more of 18 locally crafted brews.
The epicentre of Braddon is Lonsdale Street, which is full of arty boutiques, regional providores and more. A highlight is the ORI Building, inspired by the origami-like folds on its facade. Sweet tooth’s should make a beeline for Enigma Fine Chocolates and the Frugii Dessert Laboratory, owned by Ed, Leon and John Marshall. There’s truffle ice-cream, of course, to point up Canberra’s pre-eminence and one-offs like Vegemite ice, along with usual suspect flavours such as salted caramel, chocolate and raspberry.
Another unique offering in Braddon is Rizla, which claims to be Australia’s first bar focused on riesling. Helmed by Andy Day, you’ll find many of Canberra’s new vintage and cellared rieslings, in addition to versions from the other states, Alsace and Germany. We topped off the evening with a 2017 Wallaroo Sparkling Riesling – lemony and long on the finish. There are other varietals but I strongly advise sticking to the riesling theme.
Paranormal Wines in Campbell is the brainchild of hospitality and wine expert, Max Walker (ex-MoVida in Melbourne and LP Quality Meats in Sydney). The emphasis, no surprise, is on organic and natural wines from Australia and around the world. A hybrid wine bar and shop, you can pop in for a glass of wine and charcuterie plate or pick up a bottle to take home.
Good coffee is considered a basic rite in Canberra. I love The Cupping Room in the city, where Sasa Sestic, 2015 World Champion Barista, holds sway as one of the nation’s leading coffee visionaries. If you want a grander setting to sip your short black or latte, the Bookplate in the National Library of Australia has a huge terrace with panoramic views. Or try the Pollen Cafe in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where keen walkers can stretch their legs on the 1.4 kilometre Main Path.
Blending two cuisines – Peruvian and Japanese – is the major point of difference at Inka, the most talked-about new restaurant opening in Canberra this year. Dubbed Nikkei cuisine, this moreish hybrid has become a world force. Many consider Nobu Matsuhisa, the founder of the successful Nobu restaurants, as the standard bearer of Nikkei cuisine. Inka looks like it has been transported from New York, with its luxury fit-out, quipu-inspired tapestries and woven lamps. An absolute must-visit for foodlovers for dishes such as nikkei ceviche, wagyu sirloin MB5 and chilli chocolate fondant with pisco guava sorbet.