What our vineyard team is cooking for their family this Christmas

A Christmas Menu

It’s not exactly holiday season for the Handpicked vineyard and winery teams – we’ll be picking grapes in about 52 days, but who’s counting? Nonetheless, we’ll take whatever days and minutes we can to gather with our loved ones over Christmas. Here’s what we’ll be eating and drinking to make it a special time together…..

Karl - Capella Vineyard Manager

We’ll be celebrating with extended family and it will be a fairly traditional dinner of turkey and ham with all the trimmings. I’ll be serving Capella Vineyard Chardonnay (of course!), but I also like a heavier wine and there will be a Handpicked Collection Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon on the table too.

Rohan - Assistant Winemaker

I’m a fan of the Ottolenghi cookbooks, so we’ll start with Ottenlenghi dips and Handpicked Trial Batch skin-contact Riesling; the spice and texture of the wine will match the spicy and smoky Middle Eastern flavours of the dips. Then I’m doing a turkey on a rotisserie (total fire bans permitting) and I’ll go for two local Mornington Peninsula wines – our Collection Chardonnay and Collection Pinot Noir. 

Jonathon - Winemaker

We’ve already had our Christmas with family from interstate. My wife’s family is from Denmark, so we honour their traditions with roast pork and Danish side dishes. The Handpicked Trial Batch Nebbiolo Rosé and Capella Vineyard Chardonnay kept everyone happy.

Peter - Director of Winemaking

It will be a locavore Christmas for us – Mornington Peninsula seafood, salads and vegetables, and a Milking Yard chicken from Kyneton, just north of Melbourne. I’ll keep it fairly local with Capella Vineyard Chardonnay, Handpicked Collection Tasmania Pinot Noir and Trial Batch Nebbiolo Rosé. 

Joanne - Administration Manager

We’ll still be getting over Christmas Day when I host my mob at the end of the week, so I’ll keep it light with salads and herbs from my garden and fish and beef on the barbecue. That way we might be able to stay awake for a swim at the beach after lunch! Rohan has entrusted me with the recipe for his famous whole salmon cooked in newspaper, so I hope to do it justice. I’ll cater for all tastes with a Handpicked x Gorman Yarra Valley Rosé, Highbow Hill Vineyard Chardonnay and Handpicked Regional Selection Barossa Valley Shiraz.

Andrew  - Senior Viticulturist