Balnarring Winery

This was a good find, open every day. A proper farm and vineyard where you honk your horn to attract attention and someone comes out to greet you. There is not effort to put on a facade here. It's a farm. You walk through a busy, messy office/lab into the large shed fillled with barrels to the roof. The tasting wines are laid out on planks of wood atop barrels. A very intimate experience where the host is with you, tasting as you go, rather than across a bench. There were some very interesting wines here including a dry white muscat which was very fruity and luscious. A grape I'd never heard of, Senza Nome produced a bizarre wine that starts off like a Sav Blanc and finishes like a Riesling. And something called Fruilano. I must admit I'm at the stage of my wine appreciation where I like having these exotic and unusual varieties to try, even if I don't know too much about them. I liked the light, only slightly wooded Chardonnay, which is rare for me - I usually go for the heavily oaked types. I liked both the Balnarring Pinot Noirs, the single clone and the blend for more complexity. And then the sweet stuff. I know that many wineries throw in a Rose or a dessert wine, maybe a late harvest Riesling to appeal to the sweet tooth who doesn't feel comfortable leaving without buying something. But these sweet wines were really good. Really good. Overall a surprisingly unique experience for an off the road tasting, with a large and interesting range of wines. Very enjoyable.