NSW - Hunter Valley Wine Reigon
By David Ellis and John Rozentals
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Cairns - Kuranda Railway | 
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If getting it right in real estate jargon means position, position,
position, then it’s a safe bet that the Hunter Valley’s Holman Estate
guest house is one place that's got it right.
Located right in
the middle of the parish of Pokolbin, itself the very heart —
geographically, historically and spiritually — of the valley’s renowned
wine country, Holman Estate has that position, position, position…
From
it’s broad verandah you can look across the estate’s own vineyards to
the corner of Broke Road and McDonalds Road, where Hunter Valley
Gardens rubs shoulders with Brokenwood Wines and the futuristic Tempus
Two. Or take-in the Valley’s magnificent landmark, the
oh-so-Australian, Brokenback Range.
A 10-to-15-minute drive will
have you sipping reds, whites, sparklings or fortifieds at several
dozen wineries, almost as many restaurants in which to dine, and a
range of galleries, craft-shops and antique dealers to browse and buy.
And if you don’t want to drive, it’s just a stroll across the driveway
to Scarborough Wines, recently named as having the Valley’s best cellar
door,
Yet for its seemingly busy surroundings, there’s a
tranquillity that appears to remove Holman from the touristy hustle and
bustle normally associated with the Hunter. It’s silence is interrupted
only by the few vehicles that make their way to the end of Gillards
Road.
The house’s boutique accommodation is of a quite grand
scale for three couples in double bedrooms, with twin beds in another
room and an option of two pull-out single beds in the billiards room if
you’ve maybe a large family or group of friends staying for a couple of
nights.
Part of the Mount Eyre Vineyards, the property also
includes the Three Ponds Vineyard which was established in 1999 by the
Iannuzzi and Tsironis families, migrants respectively from Italy and
Greece and with a naturally goodly amount of wine culture in the their
blood.
They have created magnificent gardens around the hilltop
Holman house, which has been lavishly furnished to reflect their love
of fine art.
The long, painting-lined hallway leads past the
bedrooms to an enormous combined lounge and dining area whose plush
furnishings and huge fireplace provide the feel of a European chateau.
The
modern kitchen has top-of-the-line appliances and all the utensils
required by even the most ardent foodie. Essentials such as tea,
coffee, sugar, olive oil, etc are provided, and there’s a supply of
Mount Eyre wines to help yourself to on an honour system,
And
then, of course, there’s the billiard room. The table isn’t full-size
but it’s a good one for a few games of after-dinner billiards,
snooker and pool – and best of all, there’s no slot marked “insert
coins here”.
It’s easy to spend a few days relaxing in the house
and doing some touring without having to leave Gillards Road: at the
end of the road is the small tasting room of Constable Estate —
surrounded by immaculate parklike gardens that include more than 70
varieties of camellias, separate rose and herb gardens, and an
impressive sculpture garden featuring work by prominent Australian
artists.
The latest addition here is a larger-than-life bronze of renowned English cellist Jacqueline Du Pre.
At
the other end, where Gillards Road intersects with McDonalds Road, is
Il Cacciatore, which for seven of the past eight years has been named
the Hunter’s best Italian restaurant in the Restaurant & Catering
NSW Awards for Excellence. They’re still trying to figure out what
happened in 2006.
Run by Mark and Noreen Gottaas, it’s part of
Hermitage Lodge, and executive chef Michael Haines has put together a
scintillating menu of Italian-inspired delights, including his
speciality of pan-fried gnocchi with local chorizo, roast pumpkin, wild
rocket and basil pesto.
And after lunching here on a Saturday or
Sunday you can always do a tasting at Scarborough as you toddle the few
minutes back to the house.
Tariffs at Holman Estate range from
$1350 to $1800 for two nights for eight adults, and the bonus is that
with the vast living and entertainment space you don’t feel like you’re
living out of a suitcase in a motel room.
For further information:
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