Quick bite: Cullen Wines, Wilyabrup, WA
We all know that, when the bomb goes off, the southwest of Western Australia is the place to be.
We all know that when the bomb goes off, the southwest of Western Australia is the place to be. The air is clean. The water salty. The beaches fab. And they have the major food group of wine pretty well sorted. From the established varieties by the big guns, to emerging grapes and techniques/styles by new, smaller players, there’s a lot of great stuff being bottled within the broader Margaret River appellation. Enough to suit most, unless you’re a pinot noir purist anyway. Oh yeah. They have food too.
Fish. Marron. Venison. And restaurants. Some, like Cullen Wines, which as you may know produces very good wine, grow a lot of their own foodstuffs organically and biodynamically, like their grapes, which means we get “pure” and they should get a little “profit.” Wine-win, I mean win-win.
The pitch: Enjoy a meal that reflects the values of our wines. Local, with a sense of terroir; elegant, without fuss; ethically and sustainably grown, with those aforementioned organic/biodynamic boxes ticked; hospitable. And eat food that complements our wine (a subject I’m not qualified to speak to, but if anyone offers you a glass of Cullen Kevin John chardonnay, ever, say yes. Even if you don’t drink.)
The reality: Winery restaurants everywhere are subject to the nomadic nature of chefs, although Margaret River has a few notable exceptions to the rule (hello Leeuwin Estate, Vasse Felix). It takes a strong hand, and a meeting of minds, for a restaurant to forge its path despite a change of chef. It’s about mutual respect and licence to do — creatively — the right thing by the boss. In that context, Cullen’s Colin Anderson, recruited late last year from Quay in Sydney, seems to fit the “quality, integrity and sustainability” mantra pretty well.
The cuisine: I’d call it the sensible end of fancy vineyard food. Anderson’s tucker is refined, home grown, locally sourced and not at all out of place in the rustic granite cellar door/restaurant complex that is hub of the Cullen winery.
Highlights: The wine, of course. Drinking at many of the Margaret River estates is a bargain and Cullen is no exception. Yallingup Wood bread with Cullen’s oil. The snacks menu, which has a goat cheese version of churros, with truffled house-produced honey, that is sweet-salty irresistible. The raw dishes, such as Cullen’s take on steak tartare with discs of apple and octopus, served with a side of bitter garden leaves with a horseradish dressing. And raw local (Gracetown) wild kingfish with pickled cucumber, daikon, radish, ginger and pureed avocado. Buttery and gelatinous Cone Bay barramundi, seared black and served in a lapsang souchong-shiitake broth. And for those who eschew meat, the colourful seasonal combination of vegetables with black garlic, all grown within metres of the dining room, is a joy.
Lowlights: Not low, but not high either, a main course of locally grown Arkady Lamb rump needs more thought. The meat’s excellent, but it’s really just meat on feta, smoked eggplant puree and toasty puffed rice.
Will I need a food dictionary? No, but can somebody please tell the chefs and waiters of Australia that the “h” in heirloom is soft. If it’s on the menu, pronounce it correctly, please.
The damage: Starters around $25, mains around $38, desserts $15.
Cullen Wines, 4323 Caves Road, Wilyabrup, WA, (08) 9755 5656. Open: lunch Fri-Tue. Food: fancy vineyard. Rating: 3½ stars