Jones Winery & Vineyars Restaurant | A great room with plenty Covid safe tables

For a strange reason, I always thought Rutherglen was way out of the highway from Melbourne to Sydney...
And I have been quite interested to visit for a long time, having tasted some of the wines of the region over time and liked them...
So over my last trip to Melbourne in December 2020, I finally realised than Rutherglen sits only a few kilometres from the highway and decided to stop for Saturday lunch there, a comfortable three hour drive from Melbourne and only two hours from my stopover in Gundagai overnight.
I asked around which winery I should visit, as I had only time for one on this particular trip, and Jones Winery and Vineyards came on top from my trusted advisers, including from French friend and vignerons extraordinaire, Celine Rousseau, now in charge of the winemaking at Eden Road near Canberra. Celine also mentioned he restaurant was one of the best in rural Victoria. That settled the matter!
I tried to book online before going on the road, but no success... I decided to try my luck anyway...
And thanks God I did...
It was almost 1.30pm by the time I got there, and I had to use all the tricks of the trade o get a table, not because there was none, but out of concern for the kitchen that had a very busy serviced...
​But the kitchen said yes, no problem, and i was given the best seat in the house...

French butter and bread baked on the premises

Ceviche of scallops | Radish | Raspberries | Ugni Blanc

I was seated comfortably by a charming waitress who happened to look like a younger version of one of my cousines, given the menu, served bread baked in house with some French butter to keep me fed while waiting for more...
So I started to explore the menu, and then on the left hand side was a little bio of the Chef, or should I say the Cheffe as it is the pc way to call a female head of the kitchen in France these days...
And I had completely forgotten that my good friend Briony Bradford, who used to cook lunch for me at The Sneaky Possum in Chippendale a few years back, had moved here a good three years ago and was let to show her talent backed by her training in Europe with some very famous Chefs indeed, like Ross Lusted who just launched Woodcut at Crown Barangaroo and Brent Savage of Bentleys fame, just to name a few Australian legends.
I knew i was in for a treat!
Uncharacteristically, I chose the food to match the wines as I was keen to try some very unusual varietals grown on the Estate...
And the first dish was a red berries version of my famous ceviche of scallops which was elegantly presented and a perfect match to the Ugni Blanc I had spotted on the wine list...
Ugni Blanc is the main grape used in Cognac and Armagnac, and so very appropriate choice as I am opening a new “Promenade Culinaire” in around Bordeaux, with a half day spend in Armagnac.
I liked this version so much that I recreated it for Christmas Eve dinner with my children!

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Sous-Vide Steak | Coleslaw | Twice baked potatoes | Durif

​Then, I chose the steak for two reasons: one, it was cooked sous-vide and I have been exploring this for almost a year now, as I was gifted an Anova for Christmas 2019 by my children - and, yes they were prompted! - and two, I had never tried Durif, a grape I discovered a few years back, as my best friend, Jean-Pierre back in France, introduced me to a descendant of François Durif, who gave his name to this “accidental” varietal:
”In the 1860s the French botanist François Durif kept a nursery of several grape varieties at his home in the commune of Tullins where he most likely had plantings of both Peloursin and Syrah. At some point the two vines cross pollinated and Durif discovered a new grape variety growing in his nursery. It was identified and named Plant du Rif (later Durif) by ampelographer Victor Pulliat in 1868” according to Wikipedia.
​It is known in the USA as Petite Sirah.

I learned another piece of wine history too: Victoria’s vineyards in particular were destroyed by Phylloxera and a lot of Durif and Ugni Blanc were grafted on the older plants because of their high yield, bringing production back to commercially viable levels quickly.
the Jones Vineyards were planted in 1860 and are now run by the 6th generation of the Jones family who bought it in 1927. I met with Arthur Jones over lunch, the fifth generation with sister Mandy who had been helicoptered out for a significant birthday celebration!

You can see below that the steak, although medium rare, as sous-vide will not allow you to go rare, was still very juicy and so tender...
​And obviously Briony could show off her training in the jus, something that you can only learn with the best French training...
Once she knew I was there, she sent a bowl of her special potatoes, and later on escaped from the kitchen for a chat! Merci Briony you are a championne!

Sous-vide doesn’t allow rare, but still retain the tenderness and juices when finished medium rare in the pan

THE CHEFFE | Briony Bradford

​“Briony is a local Albury lass who has just returned home after 15 years experience working with some of the world’s best chefs and in some truly top-class restaurants.
Perfectly matched to our restaurant’s French country kitchen style, her penchant for French cuisine has been garnished from her time spent with mentors that include Michelin star chefs Claude Bosi at Hibiscus and Andre Garret at Galvin at Windows in London; and Paul Cooper at Bishop Sessa, Ross Lusted at The Bridge Room, Grant King at Gastro Park and Brent Savage at The Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Sydney. Briony comes to Jones after working as head chef at Chippendale’s Sneaky Possum Restaurant and Bar.
Briony’s approaches to food include ‘nose to tail’, wasting nothing and selecting only seasonal and local produce from growers and suppliers she knows personally. She describes her style as ‘traditional French technique with a modern twist’, enjoying ‘pushing the boundaries of flavours’ and ‘making everything in my dishes from scratch’. She has always dreamt of moving back to the country and is thrilled with the opportunity that Jones Winery Restaurant presents.” Extract from their website. I couldn’t say it better myself!

Jones Winery & Vineyards | UGNI BLANC

Jones Winery & Vineyards | DURIF

In conclusion, not only Jones Winery and Vineyards produce some exceptional wines - I bought Durif and Malbec for later consumption at home - but their restaurant is a must stop, “vaut le detour” as Michelin would say...
I might even propose “vaut le voyage”, it certainly was for me a welcome addition to my culinary adventures!