Ideal spot to dine among the vines in the Huon Valley

This beautiful winery at Ranelagh is the perfect place for a leisurely lunch and I found the menu and wine list so good, I’m already planning my next visit, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis

The stunning outlook from of Home Hill’s winery and restaurant.

It’s hard to beat the Huon Valley on a crisp almost-winter’s day and a recent weekend was no exception. A clear blue sky provided the perfect backdrop to the region’s rolling hills and, with the harvest over, apple trees and grape vines displayed their gnarly branches. A seat in the restaurant at Home Hill winery in Ranelagh was the perfect place from which to admire the view, which included vines, lush paddocks and a newly born black Angus calf. The light-filled, pavilion-style dining room sits lightly in the landscape, with the walls of glass – anchored between sturdy pillars of rammed earth – offering an expansive and uninterrupted outlook.

We begin with a serving of burnt onion and mustard focaccia with pinot butter. I love focaccia in all its oily, fluffy goodness and was thrilled when it made a comeback during the pandemic. The Home Hill version is brilliantly executed – two very generous pieces that have been chargrilled and come with a side of olives. The pleasingly pink pinot butter is creamy and light, melting easily into the still-warm bread topped with rosemary, salt flakes and sesame seeds.

Wild Clover lamb ribs ($20) with Tongola goats curd are fall-off-the-bone tender with plenty of meat on them (which is not always the case with lamb ribs). Topped with finely chopped eggplant and a dusting of bright dukkah, these are elegant finger food and the focaccia comes in handy for mopping up the tangy goats curd.

Looking through the window from the Home Hill restaurant at the picturesque view. Picture: Roger Lovell

Our other entree is a twice-baked French onion souffle ($20) with pine nuts and the heady scent of truffle oil. Airy and light, flavoured with the richness of caramelised onions, the souffle is the perfect foil for the puddle of melted cheese it’s sitting in – pass the focaccia!

Of course, given that Home Hill is a winery, the wine list is a crucial part of the meal and our server, Jane, is happy to offer more information about anything on the list, which is all from

Home Hill restaurant’s beautifully tender lamb sirloin with creamy, rich white bean and chorizo cassoulet. Picture: Supplied

Home Hill, with the exception of two Bream Creak rieslings. A glass of the 2021 Reserve Chardonnay ($14) pairs well with entree – it’s made from the oldest vines on the family-owned and run estate and has been fermented in French oak barrels. To accompany our mains, we go with the 2021 Landslide Pinot Noir ($13), dark ruby in colour with the robustness my husband enjoys. The landslide itself is visible from the dining room and although it’s apparently stable, there’s a cottage that’s slightly too close to the edge of it for my comfort.

Home Hill restaurant’s market fish with Spring Bay Mussels. Picture: Supplied

I’ve gone with a vegetarian main of Kent pumpkin with braised chickpeas ($38) – it’s a substantial dish with an Indian influence that’s warming and delicious. Large hunks of pumpkin, roasted until they’re soft and sweet, are surrounded by chickpeas in a tomato sugo and topped with finely julienned fried onion. A crisp floret of pickled cauliflower to the side provides crunch and tang.

Home Hill restaurant’s burnt onion focaccia.

My husband has ordered (and reluctantly shares) the lamb sirloin ($42) – four thick slices of perfectly pink lamb resting on a bed of white bean and chorizo cassoulet. The lamb is beautifully tender and the cassoulet is creamy and rich, with a little tangle of finely shredded cabbage to offset it. I’d be happy with a bowl of the beans by themselves – with the lamb they make a lunch dish worth leaving town for. Twice-fried potatoes ($14) aka fancy chips are dark and crunchy – dip them in the relish provided if you like, but they’re pretty darn great by themselves.

Home Hill restaurant’s whipped quince cheesecake. Picture: Supplied

Dessert is a no-brainer, it’s Sunday after all, and the whipped quince cheesecake ($15) is definitely worth making room for. I’m not generally a fan of cheesecake, which can be heavy, but this wonderfully light confection has me swooning. The whipped quince mousse is corralled by a delicate tuile crust and crowned with a lightly torched cloud of Italian meringue. A traditional cheesecake base has been replaced by chunks of chocolate-coated shortbread within the filling. Perfumed quinces are one of autumn’s many delights and in this dessert they’ve been handled brilliantly.

A leisurely lunch is a thing of beauty and Home Hill has created a venue, menu and wine list that has me planning our next visit already.

Home Hill’s stunning rammed-earth restaurant and winery.

HOME HILL

38 Nairn Rd, Ranelagh

Opening hours: Thurs-Mon, 10am-5pm

On the menu

Burnt onion focaccia, $10; lamb ribs with Tongola goats curd, $20; twice-baked French onion souffle, $20; Kent pumpkin with braised chickpea and sugo, $38; lamb sirloin with white bean and chorizo cassoulet, $42; whipped quince cheesecake, $15.