Farm To Table Vino…
I will have a glass of farm to table vino, pretty please!
Farm To Table Fowles Wine, and this fabulous Chardonnay (pictured above) is Australian wine from cool-climate Strathbogie Ranges in Victoria. Part of the Fowles winemaking philosophy is matching wine to food, particularly farm-fresh produce and sustainably raised meat.
As a wine lover, I have a fascination for cooler climate wines. Cool-climate wines are a fantastic area to explore— full of elegance, freshness, and nuanced expression. Victoria, Australia, is one of the country’s diverse and exciting wine states, especially revered for its varied topography and proximity to the Indian Ocean, Bass Strait, and Tasman Sea.
As you can perhaps tell, I am very partial to Chardonnay and love the food pairing options too.
My tasting thoughts for this fantastic Farm To Table— Chardonnay:
Appearance is pale straw with a hint of green hue.
Aroma is fresh stone fruits like white peach, and nectarine, complemented by citrus zest, and touch of oak.
Palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Flavors mirror the nose— peach, citrus, and hints of melon with a creamy texture.
Finish is clean and refreshing with a lingering citrus and whisper of vanilla.
So, for instance, my food pairing tips for this awesome Chardonnay would be white meats and seasonal vegetables.
Visualizing just a few food-pairing ideas below:
Grilled or Rosted Chicken - Maybe free-range chicken in a lemon-herb marinade.
Pork Tenderloin- Especially with apple compote or a semi-sweet mustard cream sauce.
Fresh Seafood- Think pan-seared scallops, grilled snapper, or crab cakes.
Vegetarian- Creamy risotto with mushrooms or butternut squash, or roasted root vegetables with goat cheese.
Cheese Pairing- Brie… or lightly aged goat cheese.
Well, I’m heading in the direction of Vegetarian… getting my veggies in today on this Meatless Monday. How about making some stuffed Portobello Mushrooms on Herb Quinoa???
You see, portobello mushrooms are available year-round, so you can make this elegant main course any season. If interested the recipe it is outlined for you at the bottom of this blog post.
I also love the Fowles full-line of Farm To Table vino. These wines are all especially crafted to complement any meal and cuisine. Big bonus for me, I recently tasted all of these great Farm To Table wines noted in the photo below, as well as other magnificent wines at the Wine Victoria 2025 USA Tour Masterclass, walk-around tasting, and media-dinner event in April.
To my delight, you can easily find these Fowles Farm-To-Table wines within the Houston metro area. Fowles Farm To Table— Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon… oh my! Please send me a note and I’ll let you know where to find them.
Adding to further my fascination of cooler climate wines, and some of the other incredible wines tasted at the Wine Victoria 2025 USA Tour Masterclass event… below is a simple breakdown of the wines I tasted, and just a few notes from Masterclass behind these key wine regions in Victoria:
Yarra Valley signature varietals Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon… and cool-climate Shiraz (Syrah) some notable producers De Bartoli.
Mornington Peninsula signature varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the notable producer of the Handpicked Collection Morington Peninsula.
Heathcote… while much of Heathcote is warm, eastern and higher altitude sites, especially those near Mount Carmel, offer more refined, restrained expressions— especially of Shiraz and new plantings of white varietals too, like the Tellurian Marsanne.
Grampians wine region in western Victoria is one of Australia’s most scenic cool-climate or cool to moderate climate wine areas producing exceptional Shiraz…
Rutherglen in northeast Victoria, stands apart from the cooler climate regions—it is warmer and drier, yet it is an essential part of Victoria’s wine story, especially for those curious about fortified Muscat wines and heritage vineyards.
Strathbogie Ranges where the altitude and granite soils make for fresh, high-acid wines. The signature varietals such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and my featured recipe post on the Fowles Farm To Table Chardonnay!
From the Wine Victoria 2025 USA Masterclass the photo and summary of the white wines tasted:
Bullswamp Chardonnay by winemaker Patrick Sullivan who is leading the new generation of growers in the area of Gippsland, with a dedication to farming and making world-class Chardonnay.
Red vino please! From the Wine Victoria 2025 USA Masterclass photo of red wines tasted, and an incredible fortified Muscat listed below:
Had a bunch of fun mingling and tasting more vino at the walk-around session … All Saints Estate Rutherglen Marsanne 2022!
In Grampians, Mount Langi Ghiran famous for its Langi Shiraz is also famous for their outstanding Cliff Edge Riesling!
Yarra Valley signature varietals Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon… and cool-climate Shiraz (Syrah) some of notable producers De Bartoli… I loved the De Bartoli Chardonnay 2023
From the Yarra Valley, Innocent Bystander’s Pinot Gris 2021 is a standout example of Victoria’s cool-climate winemaking. Loved it!
The 2022 Riorret Eastern Ridge Chardonnay by De Bartoli is grand expression of cool-climate winemaking from Victoria’s Yarra and King Valleys.
Pretty incredible, from Grampians the Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz…
Diving deeper into Grampians terroir with these higher-tier Mount Langi Ghiran expressions tasting the 2021 Cliff Edge Shiraz and a second delicious taste of the 2022 Talus Shiraz.
At the media dinner visited with Lisa Lambertus, CSW- North America Manager, Rathbone Wine Group. Boy, what a treat!! Wonderful wine conversations, and tasting more wine…
The white wines tasted at the evening media dinner:
Redbank Sunday Morning Prosecco a delightful sparkling wine from Victoria’s renowned King Valley, another region celebrated for its cool-climate viticulture. Apparently, the Glera grape as well as other Italian grape varietals hail in this cool climate too. Who knew!
Stanton & Killen Arinto 2024
Cliff Edge Reisling 2023
This photo is compliments of the wine writer Katrina Rene The Corkscrew Concierge.
The phenomenal red wines tasted at the media dinner…
Attwoods Moorabool Pinot Noir 2019
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Shiraz 2020
All Saints Estate Durif 2021 A rather unique red wine. Durif is a cross variety of Peloursin and Shiraz. Durif is a local hero in Northeast Victoria and is often referred to as “Rutherglen Durif”.
Yering Station Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
This photo is compliments of the wine writer Katrina Rene The Corkscrew Concierge.
Drum roll please for something extra special in dessert wine! Muscat of Rutherglen is a Muscat like no other. The unique combination of climate, grape variety, and soils resulting in wines which are intense, rich and sensuous. What I learned is the Muscat of Rutherglen is impossible to replicate. These Muscat wines are lovingly handcrafted from aged stocks nurtured by renowned vineyard owners and managed by families with generational winemaking presence in Rutherglen.
This photo is compliments of the wine writer Katrina Rene The Corkscrew Concierge.
Sharing a photo below with the winemakers Matthew Fowles and Angela Brown . Angela is part of the family of the Rutherglen region and All Saint’s Estate.
Sharing another fun photo with the wine writers, Michelle Williams, Melanie Bianco Ofenloch, Amy Gross, Dr. Jeff Kralik, Sandra Crittenden, and front center my wine bestie Katrina Rene… The Corkscrew Concierge.
You did want the Stuffed Portobello Mushroom recipe? Right?!?
(Note this recipe is a modified version of the “Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms on Porcini Couscous” found in the Lifestyles cookbook, page 91, by Williams-Sonoma. I modified the recipe for a gluten-free version and oven-baked the mushrooms instead).
Here you go…Stuffed Portobello Mushroom on Herb Tossed Quinoa!
The prep time for this recipe is approximately 30-minutes and cooking time about 30-minutes too.
Ingredients you will need:
4 fresh portobello mushrooms, each 3-4 inches in diameter.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
1 shallot, minced. (since I was lacking a shallot, I used one boiler onion instead).
1/2 cup of Vegetable stock (perhaps, Knorr Vegetable Bouillon).
1 sweet potato peeled and coarsely grated.
1/2-pound spinach leaves coarsely chopped.
1/2 cup part-skim or whole ricotta cheese.
4 cups of cooked quinoa (I cooked the quinoa with the Knorr Vegetable Bouillon).
4 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley.
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme.
This recipe serves four people:
Preheat to 375°F .
Brush the portobello mushrooms clean, then cut off stems and you can attempt to remove the dark inside grills. I cooked with the grills, not a big deal.
Arrange mushrooms on baking sheet and massaging them with a little bit of olive oil then set aside.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add shallot and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, and raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and add sweet potato. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5-8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add ricotta to the spinach mixture and combine. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, dividing evenly. Place mushrooms filled side up, in the oven for 13-15 minutes.
Meanwhile with the cooked quinoa fold-in the fresh chopped parsley, and minced thyme. Fluff with fork and season with salt and pepper. Keep quinoa warm until the portobello mushrooms are ready.
Happy “Meatless Monday” and enjoy…
Thank you, Wine Victoria, for hosting a memorable tour to Houston, Texas!
¡Felicidades!