These days the words paddock to plate are heard more and more in city restaurants around Australia, as diners become increasingly interested in where the produce on their plate originated from.

It’s about sustainability and freshness. Considering the bounty of produce available at the doorstep of restaurants in most of our towns and cities, paddock to plate dining has great scope to grow in Australia.

There’s paddock to plate, and then there’s plate to paddock. Rosby Wines is a small family-run vineyard in Mudgee, NSW, three and a half hours north-west of Sydney. Looking over Rosby’s Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon hillside vines is a hand-built mud-brick hut where the Norton-Knight family host special launching events and tasting appointments.

A Rosby launch is first and foremost about the wine, and typically starts with a vineyard walk with the vigneron, Gerry Norton-Knight. So not just plate and paddock, but also vine to glass.



A three-course meal at the Mud Hut follows, prepared by a local chef. Menus are based on seasonal and local produce found in the wider Mudgee area, and usually include grass fed Hereford Prime beef from nearby Cassilis, High Valley Cheese, Cudgegong Valley Olive Oil and vegies from the Rosby garden.

Paddock to plate is about being able to trace the origins of produce, and you don’t get much closer to the source of things than at a Rosby launch, as Amber Norton-Knight from Rosby explains.

“It’s not unusual to find the beef farmer sitting next to you or the vigneron sitting the next table down. The launches focus on great local food, good company and wine education without going over the top. Our wine speaker (or the Rosby Wine Oracle as we like to call him) takes the guests through each variety of wine included in the launch and opens up discussion about the fine art of wine tasting, from key assessment techniques of colour and bouquet through to tasting, mouth feel and food matching.”
 

The Mud Hut

Sourcing produce locally is central to a Rosby launch, firstly because the Norton-Knights feel it’s important to support the locals.

“In small towns the producers are usually your mate whom has more often than not, supported us in the past. Secondly, it’s good produce. The product is consistently great and the local chefs prefer to source locally as they too would know and work closely with the farmer.”

Although it is relatively recently that the paddock to plate philosophy has become a popular trend in dining, as Amber points out, for the Rosby operation it’s an ethos that has always made plain sense.

“From bud burst to bottle, Rosby wines are grown, made and distributed with personal attention trumping automation, so when you place an order with Gerry, chances are it will be him who turns up on your front step with the precious cargo later that week.”

An event like a Rosby launch has great appeal if you're interested in the journey the food in front of you takes from the farm to your belly. Dining among the vines, with a measure of wine education thrown in, gives you plenty to feel good about - and the Norton-Knights too.

“Food miles and organics have become buzz words, but that’s a good thing if it makes people think about where their food is coming from and how it’s produced.”

Visit the Rosby Wines website for more information about the wines and upcoming events.