Every 1st Sunday of the month, the Visitor Centre hosts FREE live music…….. Matt Scullion and Lawrie Minson, Tamworth’s musical geniuses, will once again be playing at Banalasta, on Sunday 4th November, 12-3pm.Haling originally from Sydney, Matt Scullion has traveled extensively across Australia, USA and India and has written and recorded songs for the likes of American legends in Nashville, USA, for Cathy Louvin, Mark Chestnut and Steve Ford; and in Australia for Tom Curtain and the Davidson Brothers, Tanya Kernaghan, Bobby Cash and Jonahs Road. In December 2006 Matt headed over to the Middle East to perform for the troops to boost morale. (more…)

Source: The Armidale Express

A Bendemeer winery has featured heavily in the award section of the New England Wine Show, held at Glen Innes on Friday and Saturday.

Blickling Estate came away from the show with three awards, two gold medals, two bronze and an overall award, cut of the six wines they entered into the show.

Winery owner Rolf Blickling said they entered wines across a range of categories.

“We got gold for our Riesling and wooded Chardonnay, bronze for the unwooded Chardonnay and bronze for the Cabernet Sauvignon,” he said.

“We also got a trophy for best aromatic white wine at the show,” he said.

“I am very pleased with our results”.

Judges at the show included renowned wine writer James Halliday.

Mr Blickling said the judges were impressed with the wine in the region.

“In his new book James Halliday will make special mention of this new wine area and we have applied to be recognised as a new wine area, like the Hunter Valley.

“This region produces high altitude, good quality cool climate wine.”
Mr Blickling said the winery has been in operation for eight years, and is really starting to ‘come into its own’.

“These days there is not one show that we are not getting an award at,” he said.

However, other wineries out of this area are getting better too.”

Mr Blickling said the winery produces there varieties of whites, three of red, two blends and sparkling wines, as well as a straight Riesling and a vintage.

“Our grapes are sent to the Hunter Valley to a very renowned wine maker, Ross Pearson.”

Gold for 2006 Wooded Chardonnay (Class 6: Dry White – Chardonnay wooded)

Gold for 2006 Riesling (Class 2: Dry White-Aromatic whites)

Bronze for 2006 Unwooded Chardonnay (Class 4: Dry White Chardonnay unwooded)

Bronze for 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Class 18: Dry Red – Cabernet Sauv.)

Go on, buy one!

In mid September we started to harvest the eucalyptus trees for our essential oil use, leaving a wonderful clean, fresh aroma in the distillery.

These trees are cut at about 50cm, they then grow to the same height within the year for the next harvesting season. Don’t forget when you visit us, you are privy to experience a tour of our lavender and eucalyptus distillery and lavender plantation.

Our Blickling Estate wines have won some prestigious awards of recent – bronze medals for our 2006 Riesling and 2006 Wooded Chardonnay at the ‘Cowra Wine Show’ plus bronze medal for our 2006 Chardonnay in the ‘2007 Boutique Wines of Australia Wine Awards’.

For the second year running, Blickling Estate has been rated 4 stars and “Consistently Produces High Quality Wines” as quoted by the 2007 James Halliday Wine Companion. This is a great coup for us! So come and experience our success.

Additionally we are now licensed to serve wine by the glass – what better way to relax by sitting on our lawn, soaking up the scenery and enjoying a glass of our award winning wines, especially now that the weather is warmer!

Our Blickling Estate wines have won some prestigious awards of recent – bronze medals for our 2006 Riesling and 2006 Wooded Chardonnay at the ‘Cowra Wine Show’ plus bronze medal for our 2006 Chardonnay in the ‘2007 Boutique Wines of Australia Wine Awards’.

For the second year running, Blickling Estate has been rated 4 stars and “Consistently Produces High Quality Wines” as quoted by the 2007 James Halliday Wine Companion. This is a great coup for us! So come and experience our success.

Additionally we are now licensed to serve wine by the glass – what better way to relax by sitting on our lawn, soaking up the scenery and enjoying a glass of our award winning wines, especially now that the weather is warmer!