Pilgrimage to chocoholics' Promised Land

DISCOVER the sweet side of a favourite foodie destination, writes Ian Gilbert.

chocolaterie

CHOCOLATE appeals to the inner child in all of us but in the hands of experts it can become very grown-up indeed.

Master artisans, or "chocolatiers", create alchemy with fine couverture chocolate, adding quirkiness (perhaps a mini chocolate log with popping candy) and creativity (Chinese five-spice truffle - cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves and pepper).

If you're now craving a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style pilgrimage, visit the new Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery.

The Yarra Valley chocolatiers have devised wonderful ways to express their craft, such as chocolate tennis balls during the Australian Open, or bubblegum ganache.

An essential ingredient is fun; children will love the sense of playfulness, such as the "name the chocolate frog" competition for a ginormous confectionery amphibian (to my chagrin, the frontrunner was "Gilbert"), and the free tastings.

Wine tourists will enjoy the diversion (and the reasonably priced lunch menu) and the range of 150 chocolates will satisfy the fussiest food snob.

The chocolaterie also augments the Victorian region's credentials as a destination for food lovers as well as wine lovers. Its owners Ian and Leanne Neeland had looked at possible locations in Japan and the US before settling on the Yarra Valley for its culinary renown and proximity to Melbourne.

"It's a region that's famous for food and beverage," Ian says, "so we're another offering."

Six chocolatiers were recruited from France and Belgium - the Premier League of the chocolate world - and they are in turn schooling three local apprentices.

For the serious chocoholic, a guided chocolate tasting is a snip at $8. Led by one of the experts, such as Valerie Gobdeeris, of Brussels, this is molecular gastronomy without the attitude.

The pina colada will revamp your view of tired old chocolate liqueurs, or try the chilli ganache with its subtlety and delayed oomph.

The strawberry truffle mimics a berry, right down to the green leaf, and it tastes exactly like a strawberry, rather than some sickly, synthesised imitation of one.

After something Australian? How about wattleseed and bush tomato from the bush tucker range.

Plush pear? Lush. Earl Grey? Confectionery aristocracy.

My number one was a spearmint creation that captured all the freshness of the herb. (So I wasn't surprised to hear the spearmint is grown in the chocolaterie's very own herb garden.) The surrounding area provides other raw materials, such as cherries and the Yarra Valley Tea Company's wares for the Earl Grey chocolate.

The chocolatiers are artisans, scientists and fanatics rolled into one. Encased behind the huge plate glass window that fills one end of the room, they are just bursting with ideas for new flavours.

"These are the tip of the iceberg," Ian says. "We're holding them back."

And don't forget the ice cream, with flavours such as wildberry sorbet - a rich, textural wonder with a fresh fruit hit and a world away from the frozen slush that sorbet can sometimes become.

Make a trip down to Yarra Valley and you'll feel like you've won a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

If you're making an epicurean getaway of your visit, Balgownie Estate is only a stone's throw from the chocolaterie.

The apartment-style rooms have privacy and views across the rolling hills and vines of the Yarra Ranges.

Even on a stinking-hot day, the cool green shadows of the vegetation provide relief from the sun.

When you're done with sampling chocolate try a tasting of the vinous variety, with Balgownie's range full of delights such as a pinot noir packed with luscious cherry notes.

You won't even have to leave the estate - Rae's Restaurant offers excellent dining - but there are also several choices in nearby Yarra Glen.

Go2 - Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery

Getting there: There are regular daily flights between Brisbane and Melbourne. The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery is about a one-hour drive from the airport.

Doing there: The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, 35 Old Healesville Rd, Yarra Glen, ph [phone] or see yvci.com.au. Open daily 9am-5pm.

Staying there: Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort and Spa, 1309 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen, tel [phone]. The Valley Views package, from $416 a couple, includes overnight accommodation in a spa suite with private balcony, two-course dinner at Rae's Restaurant and a fully cooked breakfast.
 

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