WITH TONY LOVE
After all the end-of-year what’s hot, what’s next and best ofs, on my list there’s one favourite mini-trend I’ve loved and want to see more of. It is… drum roll… cabernet franc.
Volume-wise and recognition-wise, it’s quite the rarity here. Its better-known relation, cabernet sauvignon, has gained all the glory as one of our traditional reds. In grape DNA/ancestry terms, cabernet franc is a parent of cabernet sauvignon.
In France and here in Australia, it’s best known as one of the key varieties of Bordeaux-inspired blends, as well as a single varietal in France’s Loire region where it’s styled in a light to mediumbodied, fragrant and fresh, red-fruited wine with trademark acidity.
Over the past year, however, it has increasingly found a way out of its more regular appearances in the cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and petit verdot blends, from regions such as the Coonawarra, Yarra Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa, Margaret River, and even Tasmania’s north.
Cabernet franc has been growing at Holm Oak’s estate in the Tamar River region for 34 years, with the fruit directed into its cabernet-merlot mix. But this year, Rebecca and Tim Duffy put some into a single varietal release, and what a joy the Holm Oak 2017 Cabernet Franc ($35) is. Pure elderberry crush to start and, as you taste: tempting, intriguing, juicy and fragrant with a light to medium grip and hold. It’s fresh, spicy, casual and beautifully drinkable.
Tim Shand at the Yarra Valley-based Punt Road and Airlie Bank labels has been an early adopter, crafting a house-style, fresh-vintage version now for three vintages. The latest Airlie Bank 2017 Franc ($22) is bang on with its 100-per-cent whole-bunch modern senses, juicy red berries and sappy stem notes.
Coonawarra-based Leconfield put the variety in lights with its Leconfield 2016 Cabernet Franc ($29) and took out the trophy for best alternative red variety at this year’s Limestone Coast Wine Show. Its winemakers note that it has a rose blossom perfume during fermentation that still wafts from the glass, with further complexities of crushed red berries, spices, and a subtle grip for mouth-watering length.
A fuller-bodied style comes from nearby Wrattonbully, where Xavier Bizot’s Terre a Terre 2015 Cabernet Franc ($39) leaves you without doubt of its ancestry. Crushed blackberries, blackcurrants and elderberry with a dash of oak and fine dusty tannins all add up to a deep-set wine without heaviness. It drinks delightfully.
They’re all a contemporary view of the cabernet varietal experience and perfect for barbecues, Christmas dinner and pizza. bout once a year, usually around the time of the office Christmas party, I am struck by the kind of hangover that can only be shifted by one thing – a burger.
Dragging myself out of bed just before noon after a night of festive frivolity at Seagrass in Sandy Bay, that annual urge returns with a vengeance. But where do I go to find the magical meaty cure? After consulting my much more burger-worldly niece and recruiting a luncheon companion, we head off to Belles at Bellerive.
It’s hosing down in Hobart as the city receives its average rainfall for the entire month of December in just a few days. This seemingly relentless deluge follows a recordbreaking spate of hot November days.
When we arrive at Belles – which opened about a year ago in a beautiful old sandstone building perched above the Bellerive Boardwalk – we are greeted by a friendly young chap behind the street-facing bar. Directed through to the rear of the eatery overlooking the boat-bobbing quay, we pull up a stool at a long timber bench running along the window to watch the waterlogged world go by. There are several other tables, occupied primarily by young couples with kids. The interior is bright and modern, with timber tables and an open kitchen decked with white subway tiles. Smooth jazz tunes are playing at a volume that does not stifle conversation.
With an Asian-American theme, the menu starts with a range of snacks and sides, moving on to quesadillas and through to burgers – including a classic cheeseburger, haloumi and even a cauliflower patty. It also offers a selection of cocktails, wines and local and imported beers. But I will perhaps leave these for a day when I don’t feel like I have been run down by a beer truck.
In the absence of smashed avocado, which seems to be on brunch menus everywhere, I opt for some guacamole and a plate of pickles. They arrive together, the guacamole topped with a spicy sauce, dotted with chunks of crumbly feta and accompanied by lightly charred flatbread.
The pickles are a garden of vinegary goodness. Included are crisp green beans, cauliflower coloured a brilliant yellow using turmeric, tangy red onions and cucumber. The only component we cannot conquer is the shredded chipotle chilli, which is mouthtingling spicy but something I can only manage in moderation.
While crunching on the pickles, I hear the hiss of the grill. The antidote to my selfinflicted ills must be taking shape. After a short interlude, our burgers arrive with a side of salty seasoned fries.
My other half has ordered the classic cheeseburger, which comes with a succulent beef patty, white onion, pickles and lashings of mustard. He’s particularly pleased he can approach it with two hands and does not have to dislocate his jaw to get his mouth around it.
My fried chicken burger is similarly satisfying but comes with a higher vegetable count thanks to the inclusion of shredded veg in a kimchi mayo. Even the inside of the bun has been imbued with flavour, having clearly spent time on the smoking hot grill. It’s a pity I filled up on pickles and fries as I cannot quite finish it all.
After settling up and dashing back to the car as rain continues to fall, the restorative powers of Bellerive burger therapy begin to kick in. So how did Belles compare with other between-the-bun offerings around town? Pretty darn good. It will certainly be near the top of the list the day after next year’s Christmas party.