Winery events

2008 events

Murrumbateman Moving Feast (Sat 4 & Sun 5 October 2008)

Tantalise your taste buds this October long weekend on Saturday 4 & Sunday 5, October, 2008 at Mundoonen and other wineries & restaurants in the Murrumbateman area. The Murrumbateman Moving Feast offers a weekend of premium local wines matched with scrumptious food provided by the Makers of Murrumbateman.

Just a 30 minute drive from the centre of Canberra, or a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney, you can move between wineries and cafes and discover exceptional wines matched with gastronomical delights!

Spend a day, or a long weekend, indulging in the best of Canberra Region food and wine at the cafes, wineries and B&Bs.

The weekend starts at the National Murrumbateman Cool Climate Wine Show public tasting on Saturday 4 October from 10 – 2 at the Murrumbateman Recreation Hall with wines from across Australia, if you’d like to attend. Then you can select the food and matching wine you may like to sample and travel from winery to winery according to your taste. Each participating winery will offer a Main meal (entrée size, $18) and a Dessert ($12) served with a complimentary glass of matching wine, in a souvenir engraved glass.

Mundoonen’s Menu:

Main – Chargrilled Ocean Prawns split in the shell with garlic butter and Mediterranean salad, served with Mundoonen Riesling.
Sweet – Spotted Dick (steamed currant pudding) with Brandy custard, served with Mundoonen Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc.

Check out the following web site for the full menu across all wineries and for other events and details or call us on 02 6227 1353.
Further Information: www.murrumbateman.org.au

Designated drivers - The winemakers of Murrumbateman are committed to a safe environment and encourage responsible service of alcohol. As part of the Feast all dishes can be accompanied by a free soft drink, tea or coffee in place of wine.

2007 events

Come to ‘Days of Wine & Roses and all that Jazz’ at Mundoonen : 03 - 04 November

In addition to wine tasting in our 1860’s barrel shed, during the weekend of ‘Days of Wine and Roses & All that Jazz’, Mundoonen will be offering a variety of free rose flavoured cakes baked fresh on the premises by the winemaker, with free tea and coffee available. Terry’s rose flavoured cakes have become ‘must haves’ as visitors return each year for the Festival asking for their favourite cakes to eat under Mundoonen’s lovely trees.

Celebrate the opening of the Mundoonen Antiques & Collectables shop at the winery and browse or buy amongst the fascinating collection of antique, vintage and retro items, which include a wide range of household and kitchen items and some wonderful vintage and retro costume jewellery.

Visitors can also picnic on the tables by the river, play Petanque on the open grassy areas and ask for chilled bottles of wine to have with their picnics.

Mundoonen 2002 Riesling won a gold medal at the 2005 Hyatt Riesling Challenge, still the only Canberra wine ever to do so and was listed in the Top 10 Australian Rieslings. This limited release Riesling, along with rich cabernet sauvignon, light and luscious rosé and richly sweet botrytis sauvignon blanc will be available for free tasting and sale during the Festival this year.

Murrumbateman Moving Feast : 29 - 30 September

Tantalise your taste buds this October long weekend on Saturday 29 & Sunday 30, September, 2007 at Mundoonen and 10 other wineries in the Murrumbateman area. The Murrumbateman Moving Feast offers a weekend of premium local wines matched with scrumptious food provided by the Makers of Murrumbateman.

Just a 30 minute drive from the centre of Canberra, or a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney, you can move between wineries and cafes and discover exceptional wines matched with gastronomical delights!

Spend a day, or a long weekend, indulging in the best of Canberra Region food and wine at the cafes, wineries and B&Bs.

The weekend starts at the National Murrumbateman Cool Climate Wine Show public tasting on Saturday 30 September from 10 – 2 at the Murrumbateman Recreation Hall with wines from across Australia, if you’d like to attend. Then you can select the food and matching wine you may like to sample and travel from winery to winery according to your taste. Each participating winery will offer a Main meal (entrée size, $15) and a Dessert ($10) served with a complimentary glass of matching wine, in a souvenir engraved glass.

Mundoonen’s Menu:

Main – Sizzling Ocean Prawns with a Tarragon & Fino Sherry Dressing, on Buttered Rice with a Fresh Green Salad. Served with Mundoonen’s 2002 Hyatt Challenge Gold Medal Riesling.

Sweet – Home made Meringue Nests filled with Liqueured Raspberries & Cream. Served with Mundoonen 2006 Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine Harvest Festival : 31 March - 1 April

At this year’s Harvest Festival on Saturday 31st Marchand Sunday 1st April, Mundoonen will be providing a taste of wine heritage, along with free winemaker’s cakes, tea and coffee for all visitors to the winery, as well as an opportunity to taste its trophy winning Top Ten Riesling.

Mundoonen winery is on an historic farming property in the Yass River Valley, with an 1860’s hand made brick settler’s cottage and 1860’s stables framed in river red gum cut from the banks of Yass River and converted to the current barrel shed and cellar door.

While using the most up-to-date equipment in the modern winery, winemaker Terry O’Donnell strongly believes in maintaining the winemaking traditions which produce the best and more natural wines and wants to ensure that the vigneron traditions are not forgotten. He has accumulated and has on display in the old barrel shed, a fascinating array of old cooper’s (wine barrel maker’s) tools, hundreds of antique corkscrews, tasting, corking and vine dressing tools, and other winemaking artefacts. Terry also has the stories that go with these artefacts and the historic site that enrich their viewing. Visitors can at the same time see the modern equipment and how operates in the winemaking processes of today, while tasting award winning wine and seeing how it is made.

Mundoonen 2002 Riesling won a gold medal at the 2005 Hyatt Riesling Challenge, the only Canberra wine ever to do so and was listed in the Top 10 Australian Rieslings. This limited release Riesling, along with rich cabernet sauvignons and light and luscious dessert wine, will be available for free tasting and sale during the Harvest Festival on 1-2 April this year. Visitors will also enjoy, free of charge, delectable cakes made by Terry, and tea and coffee and are encouraged to picnic or stroll under the River Red Gums on the banks of the Yass River.

2006 events

Murrumbateman Moving Feast : 30 September & 1 October 2006

Tantalise your taste buds this October long weekend on Saturday, September 30 & Sunday, October 1 2006 at Mundoonen and 12 other wineries in the Murrumbateman area. The Murrumbateman Moving Feast offers a weekend of premium local wines matched with scrumptious food.

Just a 30 minute drive from the centre of Canberra, or a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney, you can move between wineries and cafes and discover exceptional wines matched with gastronomical delights!

Spend a day, or a long weekend, indulging in the best of Canberra Region food and wine at the cafes, wineries and B&Bs.

"The Canberra District has emphatically arrived on the scene" says James Halliday in his 2006 Wine Atlas of Australia.

Mundoonen is offering a Main dish of Steak & wild mushroom pudding with a rich gravy and spring vegetables, served with its 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and Dessert of Spotted dick with crème anglaise, served with its Late Harvest Riesling. Check out the following web site for the full menu across all wineries and for other events and details or call us on 02 6227 1353.

Further Information: www.murrumbateman.org.au

2005 events

Days of Wine and Roses : 12 - 13 November

During the weekend of 'Days of Wine and Roses & All that Jazz', to a lively background of recorded traditional jazz, Mundoonen will be offering a variety of free rose flavoured cakes baked on the premises by the winemaker, with free tea and coffee. Visitors can also picnic or stroll under old River Red Gums by the banks of the Yass River, discuss the wine with the winemaker, Terry O'Donnell and taste the Chief Minister's Trophy winning, gold medal 2002 Riesling, recently listed as one of the Top Ten Rieslings in Australia at the Hyatt International Riesling Challenge.

Mundoonen is a small Canberra District winery intent on producing high quality, carefully perfected cool climate wine. All the wine is made by the owner, winemaker Terry O'Donnell, in his winery from hand picked grapes and with state of the art winemaking equipment. The first wines were released in August 2003 and currently include medal and trophy winning Riesling, Late Harvest Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. They can only be tasted and bought at Cellar Door or in a few select restaurants.

The winery and cellar door are located in scenic country surrounds beside the Yass River behind one of the oldest (c. 1858) settler's cottages in the beautiful Yass River Valley. The tasting room and barrel shed at Mundoonen are built of river red gum cut from the banks of Yass River by the valley's first European settlers in the 1850's and has an atmospheric, historic ambience, including a wonderful display of antique corkscrews, cooper's tools and wine artefacts.

"Mundoonen is open every Sunday and Public Holiday from 11 to 5.30 as well as by appointment and we welcome guests who are interested in our wine as well as the history and picturesque quality of the Yass River valley", says O'Donnell. "We are only 10 minutes off the beaten track and 35 minutes from Canberra but it feels like a world of its own and is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon".

Harvest Festival : 23 February

Harvest festival visitors can explore the newly restored banks of the Yass River and original farmstead buildings as part of the experience at Mundoonen Winery during this year's Harvest Festival. Free cakes, delicacies, tea and coffee complement the experience and their prize-winning wine.

The cottage and barrel shed at Mundoonen Winery were built of river red gum cut from the banks of Yass River by the valley's first European settlers in the 1850's.

The river's banks were cleared for grazing and invasive brittle willow was introduced.

In more recent times vineyards have replaced the livestock at Mundoonen and gums and river grasses are slowly returning, helped along by appropriate native planting.

The riverbank rehabilitation continues at Mundoonen along with the grape harvest.

Mundoonen Winemaker, Terry O'Donnell, sees the river as one of his small winery's greatest assets but as he observes 'river red gums are much slower growers than shiraz'.

O'Donnell is passionate and selective about cool climate wine making and chose the Canberra District for its climate and outlook as well as its ability to produce top quality grapes for his wines. Mundoonen wines are handpicked and are made only from Canberra District grapes.