Do Sundays well with a luxe lunch in the heart of mid-town. Make a booking >
Lark Hill Winery Visit
We Visited Lark Hill Winery For Our Upcoming Bopp and Tone Produce Dinner.
From touring the vineyard, to tasting the delicious range of wines, it was an action-packed day down in The Canberra Wine District.
Our Head Chef Daegyeom Kim, Applejack Director of Culinary Patrick Friesen, and Applejack Group Sommelier Amandine Rouviere, ventured down South to visit our friends at Lark Hill Winery.
Keep reading to find out more about Lark Hill Wines, our trip to the vineyard, and how we will be showcasing their wine at our South Coast-inspired Dinner this May.
Let’s Find Out More:
Who are Lark Hill Wines?
Lark Hill was established in 1978 by Sue & Dave Carpenter, in Bungendore, 30km North East of Canberra, in 2002 their son Chris joined the winemaking team. Lark Hill is a cold vineyard and at 860m elevation, is one of the highest plantings in the Canberra District. The soils are shallow depleted shale over clay, and the vineyard receives around 600mm of rainfall annually.
The vines at Lark Hill are not very vigorous, giving intense flavours but limited crops. The Lark Hill vineyard grows Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Gruner Veltliner. The vineyard is certified Biodynamic since 2008.
in 2011 Lark Hill purchased a 2nd vineyard in Murrumbateman and renamed it “Dark Horse Vineyard”. Dark Horse comprises Shiraz, Viognier, Sangiovese, and small amounts of Marsanne & Rousanne. Dark Horse is also certified biodynamic, it is lower than Lark Hill and planted on deep granite soils. It has good vigour and delivers very generous, rich fruit.
The winery trip:
The team road-tripped 3 hours down South to Lark Hill in Bungendore, in the Canberra Wine District. Greeted by Wine Maker Chris Carpenter, we explored the vast vineyards, as Chris highlighted the different vines and varieties of grapes grown.
Chris explained the history of Lark Hill, and what makes the Canberra district ideal for growing grapes, explaining that the vast differences in climate, and elevation make for unique-tasting grapes. We then tasted the range of wines, as Chris talked us through the flavours of each wine. Favourites included their famous Reisling, the unique Gruner Vetliner and Chardonnay.
It was a fantastic day, learning more about the history of Lark Hills Wines, the Canberra Wine District and tasting the delicious range of wines.
A word from our Sommelier:
“Lark Hill Winery is a beautiful local winery from the Canberra district, it is a certified Biodynamic, and family-owned estate, which is why i love it. The Lark Hill vineyards surround the cellar door, so we had the chance to walk through the vines just before the harvest starts. Chris Carpenter, second generation winemaker talked us through the different grape varieties they have on the estate and different clones of the Pinot Noir. We also had the chance to see their Gruner Veltliner which was the first Gruner Veltliner planted in Australia, which is very exciting.”
– Applejack Group Sommelier Amandine Rouviere
How are we showcasing Lark Hill Wines at our South Coast Inspired Produce Dinner?
We will be showcasing the Lark Hill wines at our South Coast Inspired Produce Dinner this May. Group Sommelier Amandine and Winemaker Chris have worked together in creating a delicious paired wine list to go with each dish.
Starting with Reisling, the guests will be taken on a journey discovering all the top Lark Hill wines including Gruner Vetliner and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Chris and Sommelier Amandine will be in attendance at the dinner, giving insight into the wines and taking guests through the Lark Hills range.
Join us for a night with Lark Hill Wines this May at our South Coast Inspired Produce Dinner.
We look forward to taking you on a journey to the South Coast of NSW and tasting these delicious wines.
Book your seat at the link below.