Cassegrain Wines
10 Winery Dr
Port Macquarie, NSW
Having visited wineries all around New South Wales, Australia and the world, it’s become something of a staple for us when we’re travelling to drop by one or three. We were visiting Port Macquarie and Cassegrain was the place to go. It didn’t hurt that we were also having lunch at the renowned TwoTripleFour there too (see our separate write up here). It’s a pretty spot only a short drive out of the hub of town and there’s also plenty of parking right at their door.
The entrance takes you straight into a room full of wine barrels. It makes everyone stop and take it all in. It’s impressive. In the background are much larger stainless steel tanks and there are also some bigger wooden barrels around the edge. It’s certainly a room with atmosphere - and the smell of wine too!
The tasting room is inside the building and you get to it through that barrel room. It’s a spacious area that’s well set out. We grabbed a table and Matt gave us some background on Cassegrain Winery as well as asking us what types of wines we liked.
We actually started our tastings with a few roses. We tried the 2020 Seasons Spring Rose with grapes from the Central Ranges and Hilltops was light with good delicate flavours. We added some to our collection.
Moving on to some of the reds, we had a fresh but full 2019 Chambourcin with grapes grown in the Northern Rivers (again grabbing some of these) and a tasty 2019 Sangiovese with grapes from the Hilltops.
The 2017 Reserve Falerne was a treat. Falerne was the top wine they had in ancient Italy. It originated from the Napoli area but became famous across the country. Some vintages were said to last up to 100 years! Sadly it disappeared so this is their interpretation of Falerne - and it’s worth tasting if you get the chance.
We finished our tasting with some of their dessert wines. While the Old Yarra Tawny Port had initially caught our eyes, it was the Cassae that won out. This intense, fruity and honey-like drop was simply beautiful. We added both to out stockpile.
Cassdegrain buys in most of their grapes and then makes their wine on site. They do grow some there though. It certainly adds to the vibe of the place too.
Cassegrain Winery was a lovely place to visit. The wines themselves were great but so too was the attention we got from Matt there who was both knowledgeable and entertaining. We left with some tasty additions to our collection too.