Mudgee Food and Wine

Creativity from natural abundance

Mudgee is a mecca for those who love creativity in food and wine.

A natural abundance of agricultural produce provides great inspiration for its many food and wine makers. Traditionally agriculture in Mudgee has been noted for beef cattle, fat lambs, cereal crops, vegetables, fruit, grapes and honey.

Mudgee discovered

Shortly after the settlement of Bathurst by Europeans, local aborigines told William Lawson of fine, well watered, country to the south. In 1820, Lawson, with the aid of an aboriginal guide named Aaron, set out to find this land, which would become Mudgee. They crossed the Turon Mountains, passed through Tabrabucca Swamp and travelled as far as the granite hill now known as Aarons Pass. From a vantage point on its slopes, Aaron pointed to the bald hill of Bocoble and told Lawson that this was the land he was seeking.

Lawson continued on to the Cudgegong River and recognised the potential of the land. One year later, Henry Cox drove 500 head of cattle to the area. Cox and his crew camped at an area known by the local Aboriginals as “Moothi”, meaning a ‘nest in the hills’. The modern name Mudgee is believed to have derived from “Moothi”.

Wakefield Estate

Over time, Cox’s cattle made their way from their original resting ground to a swamp known as Burrundulla swamp. Cox saw advantages in his cattle's new location and drained the swamp, developing it into agricultural pastures. The swamp later became an extensive manor called Wakefield. Cox leased the land at Wakefield to tenant farmers. An Isabella grape vine planted in the Wakefield courtyard by Henry Cox thrives today, and is reputed to be the largest vine in the district.

Early Settlers of Mudgee

From its earliest days Mudgee was the food basket for the region. In the days of the gold rush Mudgee provided miners with flour, onions, potatoes, apples, peaches, figs, grapes, wine, beef and mutton. Grapes were one of the earliest fruits grown in the area.

First wine makers

The Land Bill of 1861 made 40 acre blocks available for farming and many German immigrants took advantage of the land grants. English and German settlers had brought vine cuttings into Australia. They collected these cuttings on their way to Australia, from places including Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town. Initially wine was made for the personal consumption of the winemaker and his family. Soon though the goldminers developed a taste for it, and the wine industry was born.

The Lowe family were among the first settlers of Mudgee. Robert Lowe was responsible for bringing the first plough to Mudgee, in 1864. He was also awarded a gold medal for killing a bushranger called Eather. Today David Lowe, a descendent of the original Lowes, continues the family tradition, growing grapes on his ancestral property.

First commercial wine makers

By 1858, there were three commercial winegrowers: Adam Roth, Frederick Buckholtz and John Wurth. In 1881 a Shiraz wine made by Frederick Bucholtz gained two medals at the Sydney International exhibition, four at the Melbourne International Exhibition and a first class certificate at the Calcutta exhibition. Adam Roth’s wineries have continued to the present day. Today their well known wines go by the name of Poet’s Corner.

<Mudgee’s MF-A1> famous Black Muscats

By the 1970s Mudgee was well known for its Black Muscat grapes, whose aroma and taste of rose petals won medals at the Royal Easter show. The famous Mudgee Mail train took the produce to Flemington markets once a week. <Mudgee’s MF-A1> Back Muscat grapes became a favourite fruit for the Christmas table.

Birthplace of Chardonnay

Mudgee can be considered the Australian ‘home’ of Chardonnay as the grape first appeared in Australia in the Kurtz family vineyard at Eurunderee. An unidentified white grape on the Roth’s Craigmoor property caught Kurtz’s eye. He took cuttings and 4 years later was making a ‘white pineau’ from the fruit. A French vine expert with the CSIRO later identified the virus free grape as Chardonnay. As the popularity of the variety grew, this block became the source block for much of Australia’s Chardonnay.

Recognising a Mudgee Wine

The red wines of Mudgee can be distinguished by their deep red and purple hues and soft tannins on the palate. The white wines are characterised by their golden colours and fruity flavours. Around 4500 hectares of the Mudgee region is under vine, and there are about 40 cellar doors that you can visit in order to taste their wines.

The natural location of <Mudgee’s MF-A1> vineyards is unusual, but its environment is considered excellent for grape growing. It lies between 450 metres and 650 metres elevation, has a latitude of 32 degrees south, and rainfall at 605 millilitres per annum. Its continental climate results in cooler nights and warmer days than are experienced in marine climates. The cooler temperatures at night preserve acidity in the grapes. Mudgee has a longer and cooler ripening period than coastal areas at the same latitude. <Mudgee’s MF-A1> red to red-brown soils are typical of those in the grape growing areas of eastern Australia.

You can spot a Mudgee wine by its concentration of flavour, deep colour and high levels of alcohol. The continental climate, similar to that of Tuscany in Northern Italy, leads to lively wines with bright, exaggerated flavours. Mudgee wines are not often described as subtle. High levels of alcohol act as a solvent, and the flavours are slow to develop. The effect on red wine is to give it texture, while in white wine, this creates a hint of sweetness.

Grape varieties of Mudgee

<Mudgee’s MF-A1> white grapes varieties include Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Traminer, and Verdelho. Red varieties grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sangiovese and Barbera. Originally Mudgee grapes were mainly used for wine blending with grapes from other regions. In recent times Mudgee branded wines have come into their own.

Experimentation in Wine Making

<Mudgee’s MF-A1> creative spirit comes alive in the wine making process. You can experience many of the emerging trends in its vineyards, a number of which are fully organic operations. The gentle climate means the crops enjoy good air flow, and do not require too much spray, which are an integral part of organic viticulture. The first organic winery was established in Mudgee in the 1970s

Meet the Makers

Mudgee is unique. Despite its recognition for fine foods and wines it remains open and friendly, and the place to meet the wine and food makers. The farmers market is the perfect place to meet food producers. When you visit a cellar door in Mudgee you will often be greeted by the winemaker.

Mudgee Flavour Laboratory

The Mudgee Farmers Markets are a flavour laboratory. There are many market favourites including salt bush lamb, whose name and distinctive flavour come from the native salt bush on which it feeds, and verjuice, an inspiration from France, which has been made in the area for 20 years. Verjuice is made the unfermented juice of unripe grapes. It is used in salad dressings and as a substitute for lemon juice in marinades and sauces. It beautifully complements fish and is ideal when used to deglaze. When you are at the markets, be on the lookout for gourmet hazelnuts, wine jellies, chemical free goats cheese, Persian style fettas, fresh olives and delicious field tomatoes.

Local fare made by local produce

The flavours do not all reside at the Farmers Markets. Mudgee also has an excellent selection of restaurants. Many of the chefs favour local produce, including the local Mudgee meats, which are distributed through Hodges Butchery. Hodges Butchery has been in operation in Mudgee for over 140 years.

Other products of the area include olive oil, mustards, jams, preserves, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts, almonds and seasonal fruits. Fresh vegetables are grown on the river flats of the Cudgegong River. Local fruits include peaches, Black Muscat grapes, apricots, plums, pears, apples, nectarines, persimmons, cherries, figs, olives, and quinces. In summer, orchards of red apples, crimson persimmon and yellow quinces colour the countryside. Boutique farms in the region add even more diversity of flavour adding trout, yabbies, eels, rabbits, hares, quails, and wild ducks to the menu.

The many flavour notes of olive oils

Connoisseurs of olive oils savour the many varieties of flavour to be found in Mudgee. Tasters are likely to find flavour notes as diverse as hay, wood, tea leaf, mint, fig leaf, almond and chilli. The first olive trees were planted by pioneers, but commercial olive groves only started in the 1990s. There are a number of olive oil processing plants in the Mudgee district.

Gourmet Preserves

Henry Lawson once wrote about the school teacher’s quince trees that line the road out to Eurunderee. Today local people pick the fruit from those trees each autumn to produce jellies and preserves. There is a vast array of preserves, pestos and pastes on offer in Mudgee, and many can be sampled at the farmers market. Many are award winners and the enormous range available includes roasted tomato relish, beetroot relish, red onion jam, and a variety of gourmet wine jellies. You will also find, to name but a few, black olive tapenade, roasted capsicum and coriander tapenade, rocket, pistachio and chilli pesto, roast capsicum, mint and coriander salsa, roast beetroot and horseradish dip, basil and macadamia pesto, and white bean and roast garlic paste.

Country roads are often narrow and winding.
Bends and curves are often dangerous due to a build up loose dirt and stones.
Be prepared for changing road conditions and surfaces in wet weather.
Always drive to the conditions, which is not necessarily the posted speed limit.

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