Oysters and wine? When there was a mention of visiting Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed in Dunalley, there was no need to think twice.
It is no secret amongst family and friends, just how much I enjoy oysters, so our trip to Tasmania was pretty much one oyster experience after the other… there are no shortage of oyster options on Tassy menus. But the point of difference that Bangor has, is that they are oysters from the oyster lease of one of the owners, so they can tell you exactly where they come from by just pointing to a tiny island in the distance from the deck of the Bangor building.
Dunalley is a sweet little town on the way to Port Arthur. Tiny – pretty much see the water on one side or the other in the few seconds it takes to drive through town. We stayed at a lovely B&B – Casilda House B&B – on the way into town. It is a waterfront historic house, complete with black and grey bunny families that you could see hop around the front lawn in the morning *little Squeal*.
Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed is a short drive out of town, perched on the hillside looking back over Dunalley. It is the collaboration of two passionate families, the Dunbabin’s and the Gray’s, bringing to the table wine and oysters – definitely a match made in food and wine heaven.
Matt Dunbabin grew up in the Dunalley region, the fourth generation of a farming family begun by his grandfather in 1890. The farm, some 6,000 hectares, approximately 85% of which is still bush, grazes 6,000 sheep for meat and wool, as well as cattle for meat, and a further 20-30 hectares cultivating poppies for the medicinal industry.
I always find it quite hard to fathom the Tasmania/6,000 hectares bit… the day before I was speaking to someone and they were talking about a property down the road, which was 80,000 hectares… Tassy doesn’t feel expansive enough to have farms that big! Clearly, there is a great misconception of Tasmania’s vastness on my part! Yet everything feels so close.
Bangor’s vineyard was planted in 2010, the cooler climate lending itself well to pinot gris, pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, and through the collaboration of friends, and now business partners, Alice and Tom Gray, who own the oyster lease, Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed opened to the joy of locals and tourists in 2014.
Bangor Shed subscribes to the ‘keep it simple method’, so everything offered, is down to natural essentials highlighting the natural flavours of each ingredient. Most of the produce comes from the property, the wine, of course, beef and lamb, and the oysters from just ‘over there’. Everything else is sourced locally wherever possible as well. The scallops from Dunalley, mussels from Oxford, abalone from Swansea, and so it goes on.
I did a quick wine tasting, stocked up on a couple of bottles for home as well as a glass of the Jimmy’s Hill Pinot Gris to contemplate life and the menu out on the veranda overlooking the vineyard.
Ordering some oysters to start was a no-brainer. I decided that I couldn’t decide, so chose the ‘non-deciders’ option (lucky they had one!) of a tasting plate consisting of 2 natural oysters, 2 Thai lime, 2 soy and ginger, 2 mignonette, 2 Kilpatrick, 2 macadamia pesto, and yes, they were sensationally fresh AND delicious.
I was keen to try the abalone. Years ago I had the displeasure of trying some abalone that my brother had brought home from a spearfishing trip. We didn’t really know how to prepare it so we fried it and ate it on toasted bread. We were all pretty unimpressed. Hard, rubbery, sautéed rubber thong – I can’t really think of any positive descriptions. Tasmanian abalone is considered quite the delicacy, especially to Asians who buy up these morsels in copious quantities to take home. I found this rather hard to believe considering my rubber thong experience. But in the spirit of food tourism I decided to revisit this food specimen to see if I could improve the memory. Which I have.
The abalone is just sautéed in garlic and butter and served in an abalone shell, simple. Slice of crusty bread, and a light salad. It is a much-improved version of my rubber thong memory imprint, so I was quite pleased and have a better understating of why abalone is such a popular delicacy. Alas, I also have a clearer understanding that at this point in time, my financial status will not allow me to eat much of it… so it is unlikely I will get tired of this newfound delicacy any time soon.
My hubby enjoyed the Ashmore’s Cajun hot smoked salmon AND the Bangor pie, which true to the Bangor ethos is made with lamb from the property. My husband is not very good at sharing when it comes to good food, but going by the tiny shard I managed to steal from his plate when he wasn’t looking, it was pretty good.
My suggestion is to leave yourself time if you are dropping in enroute to Port Arthur. Linger a little longer… secure yourself a room in town, leave the car behind, and then take a stroll to Bangor and spend the whole afternoon there! It closes at 5pm, so you will have to leave eventually, but my advice is to draw it out as long as possible… eat as many oysters as you can, and enjoy the wines while you contemplate life… it seems to be the Tassy thing to do. Heaven 🙂
Oh… and don’t forget to stock up on some of the other Tasmanian produced gourmet goodies while you are there.
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This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds. Petra’s visit was paid for.
