Five wines from MEREDITH will feature on the set menu. Photo: Supplied Three Blue Ducks.
Three Blue Ducks at Nimbo Fork near Tumut is hosting a Meet the Makers lunch on 23 November featuring MEREDITH wines made by the Ducks’ own beverage manager Mem Hemmings.
The Three Blue Ducks group owns five venues around NSW and Victoria and has a strong focus on sourcing local produce. This Meet the Makers series will showcase a series of different makers who supply its various restaurants.
Mem Hemmings was born in the UK and had worked in hospitality for a decade when a day trip to visit a winery changed her life.
“I’d always loved food and drink but I’m from the UK so there wasn’t much winemaking happening around me as a young person, but visiting this winery was like a lightbulb moment for me. This is it, this is what I want to do,” Mem told Region.
“I loved hospitality but I never understood passion until I started making wine.”
Mem Hemmings makes organic wines and mostly packages them in sustainable tinnies. Photo: Supplied Three Blue Ducks.
At this special collaboration lunch five MEREDITH wines will be paired with dishes designed by Nimbo Fork chef Francesco ‘Frankie’ Mauro, who hails from northeast Italy. His menu has been curated to bring out the flavour of the wines and showcase the best of what the region has to offer.
“When we do these Meet the Makers events we want to show off these small producers to the people coming here to eat our food. When we prioritise the product we can really get people interested in where their food has come from,” Frankie told Region.
The menu for this lunch will feature Gundagai lamb, Snowy Mountain Trout, and vegetables from the Riverina. Frankie says that citrus is usually sourced from on-site, or occasionally from his own backyard. One dish is maltagliati pasta with a white anchovy butter sauce and chives.
“The maltagliati is a pasta we make in-house, and the white anchovies are pretty subtle and mellow. It’s a little bit zesty too which works really well with the Chenin Blanc. Mem makes mostly herbaceous, fruity, light wines so we’ve paired those with lighter seafood dishes.”
Local trout will feature on the Meet the Makers menu. Photo: Supplied Three Blue Ducks.
Wines in the MEREDITH label are made with grapes from a range of vineyards across NSW, as Mem aims to source mostly organic or biodynamic fruits. Much of her fruit comes from Tumbarumba, Young, Tumut and Gundagai and she’ll be showcasing these wines at the lunch.
“It’s a nice time of year to be doing a wine and food event because in spring, the chefs have loads of produce available to them. The style of my winemaking is quite gentle, so it lends itself well to fresher, lighter things … This is definitely a good time of year to be pairing my wines with food,” Mem said.
The menu will feature six courses – including a lamington sandwich dessert – paired with five MEREDITH wines.
Gundagai lamb will feature on the menu for the lunch. Photo: Supplied Three Blue Ducks.
MEREDITH wines are available for purchase in cans, an innovative approach that improves sustainability and makes the wines more accessible for people who just want a glass rather than a whole bottle.
Mem said she wanted to use an Australian made product for her packaging (most wine bottles are imported) and enjoyed the fact that the cans were easily transportable – apparently they’re popular with the locals at Nimbo Fork who take them trout fishing.
Three Blue Ducks restaurant is located at Nimbo Fork Lodge, 330 Nimbo Rd, Killimicat, NSW.
Find out more and book a seat at the lunch on Saturday 23 November.
Follow Three Blue Ducks on Instagram. Follow MEREDITH on Instagram.
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