An afternoon wine tasting in the city

At the weekend, on Saturday, I went to the ‘Taste the Great Southern’ event in the Postal Hall, the elegant foyer next to Petition Wine Bar and Merchant. From 12-4pm, we were spoilt with significant nibbles, canapés and international cheese not to mention amazing wine and all for $30. The location of the event was perfect, very central; just on the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street. I thought it was so well organised and the wines on show were different, interesting and some of the winemakers and business owners were even there on the day; fantastic! I love meeting the people behind the label, such a privilege to be able to meet such dedicated individuals.

I started in the far corner talking to Andrew of La Violetta and tasted through the four wines on display. I love the artwork on his labels, they remind me of town signs in France – with the red line bordering the sign. And he’s experimenting with some very unique grapes (unique to Australia) such as Spätburgunder. Then I met Matt Swinney of Swinney wines. I love the texture and styles of their Rieslings, so much going on there with such vibrant freshness.

I then tried through most of the range that was available at the Larry Cherubino stand where Larry and Edwina were on hand to answer any questions. Since leaving Houghton Larry has gone on to achieve so much, not to mention creating a number of wine brands with different styles, some of which I was able to try on the day.

A Riesling and a Pinot Noir were available to try from Castle Rock and it was great to meet Rob Diletti again. Wonderful fruit in the wines and I love the intensity of the Riesling.

Another great producer on the stand was Castelli which had some award winning wines available to taste. James explained the wine making process for each wine as tried through the range, so important to learn and appreciate.

I tried the sparkling Jeté from Howard Park, so refreshing on the palate, especially after tasting a range of wines and struggling to feed my small child minus high chair. I then managed to try a few wines from  Willoughby Park which are actually attached to Boston Brewery down in Denmark. I’ll need to re-visit them at cellar door again!

I was also keen to try the full range from 3drops as well as catch up with Joanne there and taste the olive oil. I managed to try the whites which were well balanced with refreshing acidity but it was becoming more and more crowded and pushing a pram around was becoming less of an option. Reality hit… I couldn’t taste everything. I was glad I had arrived just after the tasting started. So I headed home just before 3pm, what a wonderful afternoon! The full list of the wineries were:

  • La Violetta
  • Swinney Wines
  • Castle Rock Estate
  • Willoughby Park
  • Larry Cherubino Wines (Cherubino, Laissez Faire, Pedestal, The Yard, Ad Hoc)
  • 3drops
  • Howard Park & MadFish wines
  • Castelli Estate

I can only try and appreciate that it must take some courage after all the brainstorming and planning, to actually set up and start running your business. So when an event like this comes along held at a beautiful centrally located building with delicious food and wine on offer and the opportunity to meet business owners, I couldn’t resist!

And what a stage to host an event! There’s so much history here, apparently, about 130 years worth and it’s all been refurbished beautifully. Recently re-opened in October last year, I have no doubt these buildings are going to see an increase in many many visitors over the next 6 months.

It’s not just the State Buildings that has seen such refurbishment, there’s also been the development of Cathedral Square next door as well as a public plaza for St George’s Anglican Cathedral, a new City of Perth library and 33-level office tower. Pity I didn’t make it to the Postal Hall before now but in a way I’m glad I waited because it was wonderful to be surprised by the beauty of the inside of the building, the restoration, the light and open space.

Reading the State Buildings website, it used to house a police court and cell block, land titles office, treasury, immigration office and office of the Premier and Cabinet. Since it was last used in about the mid 1990s, the space saw very little life until restoration began about 9 years ago. There’s Petition Kitchen, Petition Beer Corner and Petition Wine Bar & Merchant which are all along Barrack Street (in the State Buildings). I’m a bit of a geek for history (as well as wine) so it was interesting to learn the name ‘Petition’ derives from actually people who petitioned along Barrack Street over 100 years ago.  These heritage buildings are all connected inside with a number of bars and restaurants as well as Petition Wine Bar and Merchant where you can buy wine to drink off premise. There’s also a luxury hotel; COMO The Treasury hotel, other restaurants and small businesses within the building. I’ll need to come back here, to try the different restaurants and bars and soak up the buzzing atmosphere!

I was lucky also to meet the team at Petition, I can’t wait to hear about the next events. April events are here, click on the image below.

Events at State Buildings

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