Overview
Yarra Valley winery Helen & Joey Estate has just leapt into the world of dining and accommodation by setting up Re'em within its vast 200-acre property. The new Victorian site has been designed to take full advantage of the estate's rolling vineyard and ornamental lake, with the dining rooms and each of the 16 boutique rooms boasting views across the winery and surrounding region.
In the 80-seat restaurant, guests can cosy up in booths by floor-to-ceiling windows or head to the shaded terrace to sample an impressive selection of contemporary Chinese dishes, each of which have been designed to match well with the estate's new-world wines.
The menu honours owners Helen and Joey's Chinese heritage, but they've given culinary consultant Mark Ebbels (ex-The Fat Duck, Bacchanalia, TarraWarra Estate) and Head Chef Abe Yang (ex-TarraWarra Estate and Levantine Hill) plenty of room to leave their own mark on Re'em.
This collaboration has resulted in plenty of raw dishes like the Sichuan beef tartare, plus dry-aged Buxton trout covered in a vibrant ginger, soy and star anise sauce. Hot dishes from the kitchen's woodfired grill also make an appearance alongside fried veggie dumplings, Hainanese chicken and crispy eggplant slathered in a capsicum doubanjiang (fermented bean paste and chilli sauce). The food offerings champion both traditional and contemporary Chinese cooking techniques while heroing seasonal Aussie produce.
The team has also relocated its cellar door to the new site, where guests can sip their way through Helen & Joey Estate's new and aged drops — yet again boasting views across the winery. They've even set up a private wine-tasting room downstairs, so patrons can have a more intimate drinking experience surrounded by oak barrels and custom-made artworks.
Stay at these two drinking and dining spots to catch the sunset over the vineyard, or sneak away to one of the boutique hotel rooms to stick around till sunrise the next day. Each of the 16 rooms has been designed to take advantage of the natural landscape — either through the floor-to-ceiling windows or balconies and patios. King beds, deep standalone baths, sleek kitchenettes and olive oil bath products add some luxury touches to the experience as well.
Find Re'em Yarra Valley at Helen & Joey Estate, 12-14 Spring Lane, Gruyere, open every day of the week. For more information, head to the venue's website.