Chrismont Wines’s sleek new King Valley cellar door could be considered a sharpened-up new-world version of ‘Streamline Moderne’ – an architectural style of the late Art Deco era that emphasised long horizontal lines and often nautical elements.
The most striking example of this grand-scale ocean liner element becomes apparent upon stepping onto the vast alfresco deck that links the cellar door tastings area to the venue’s produce store and expansive restaurant. Built on a ridge overlooking the vineyards, with Powers Lookout to the west and Black Range to the east, its ultra-modern architectural design belies the traditional Italian cooking and cheery hospitality within.
Andy Pye, director of hospitality at Chrismont, was introduced to owners Arnie and Jo Pizzini by Matt Wilkinson at one of the many special events the Melbourne restaurateur catered for Chrismont in the early 2000s. The relationship developed as the couple enticed Pye out of a semi-retirement of landscape painting to front the team at Chrismont. Gathering a talented team around him, including the chef Giovanna Jones, who draws on her Sicilian heritage, and ex-St Kilda Pelican staffer Corneilius Scott for front of house, Pye sees a bright future for the Upper King Valley.
The cellar door, with its panoramic views, offers about 20 wines from both the Chrismont label with its French varietals, and Italian varietals under the La Zona brand, for free tasting. The produce store’s shelves are stacked with sott’olio – vegetables preserved under olive oil, Italian nougat with almonds and citrus rind, crostoli, cherries in syrup and almond biscotti.
The new dining room is resplendent with clear lines, moulded furniture and a wide deck for al fresco dining. Behind the pans in the kitchen, Andy brings a light, modern touch to Sicilian regional classics such as slow roast shoulder of lamb with peperonata and fried potatoes – perfect with the newly released La Zona nebbiolo.
At around six months since first opening, the restaurant at Chrismont has proven a huge success and is the perfect place for diners to learn about pairing Italian varietal wines with traditional Sicilian and Italian fare. A recommended match for prosecco for example might be the tasting plate which has a little salad of Sicilian green olives, grilled zucchini with garlic, parsley mint and a splash of vinegar and the sarde al beccafico. In this dish sardines are stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins and pinenuts, splayed tail-up, to simulate the beccafico, a little Sardinian songbird the aristocracy would feast on.
251 Upper King River Road, Cheshunt, Victoria
Tel 03 5729 8220
www.chrismont.com.au
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