Jack Bruce and Emma Shaw both work at local wineries during the week and pour wines at the pop-up on Saturday. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Emma Shaw is a passionate advocate for Canberra Region Wines.
During the week, she is a winemaker at Collector Wines, and on Saturdays, you can find her pouring tastings of some of the region’s best wines for visitors at Regatta Point.
In 2019, Emma started running wine appreciation classes under the brand Pique Nique, which has transformed into Canberra Cellar Door. Emma says that wine is meant to be fun – not snobby, stuffy or scary. I can attest that her appreciation classes are definitely fun and accessible, and her latest pop-up project is no different.
“I’ve been doing classes for five years now, and I wanted to continue the educational experiences but in a more informal setting,” Emma told Region.
“By making it even more casual where people can pop in, I can bring the wine region into the city, capture people where they are and hopefully inspire them to visit the wineries and cellar doors.”
Emma selects a range of Canberra region wines to showcase each week. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The Canberra Cellar Door Pop-up runs every Saturday at the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre and features a hand-picked selection of Canberra Region wines, which rotates regularly. Emma chooses the wines to demonstrate the strengths of local winemakers.
“There is always a riesling and always a shiraz. And there’s usually a couple of well-known wineries, but I also mix in a few under-the-radar producers as well. There’ll definitely be something you’ve never heard of, so even for Canberrans who know our region, there’ll be something to pique your interest.”
The day I visited, there were familiar wines like the Nick O’Leary Tempranillo, McKellar Ridge Shiraz, Dionysus Gamay and Collector Wines Chardonnay for tasting, alongside soon-to-be-known Chroma Riesling and Gounyan Rosé. Chroma Wines are made by local hairdresser turned winemaker Leslie Henshaw, and Gounyan Wines is a family operation based between Murrumbateman and Yass.
Emma explained that these smaller producers usually don’t have their own cellar doors, so she enjoys being able to provide that experience. I enjoyed learning more about some of the lesser-known producers in our region and hearing Emma’s insight into the winemaking process and her passion for local wines.
Even if you think you know Canberra’s wine region well, Emma includes lesser known labels and different varietals so there is always something new and interesting to try. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
While Emma and the team are hopeful the tasting experience will inspire more visitors to branch out on a cellar door tour of the region, the central location acts as a convenient way for tourists short on time, or locals just starting on their wine appreciation journey, to learn more about what the Canberra area’s wineries have to offer.
A few locals have even incorporated a visit to the Canberra Cellar Door as part of their weekly walk around the lake! And there’s also a selection of Questacon games and activities at the visitors centre to keep kids entertained while parents swirl, sniff and swill.
In addition to the regular cellar door tastings and introductory wine tasting classes, Emma also offers masterclasses.
The next deep dive is all about Shiraz with Sydney-born Steph Eyles, who has spent years living and working in the Rhone Valley, the French spiritual home of Syrah Viognier. Participants will get to taste a range of different styles from the French region as well as some of Canberra Region’s finest examples (including the Jimmy Watson Trophy-winning Shiraz from Four Winds).
You can find Canberra Cellar Door at Canberra and Region Visitor’s Centre, Barrine Drive. Wines are poured from 11 am to 3 pm every Saturday. Tastings are $10 per person, with the cost waived upon purchase of wine. Follow Canberra Cellar Door on Facebook or Instagram, and visit their Canberra Cellar Door for more events.
