Riversdale Estate

- Tuesday, April 05, 2022

Riversdale Estate is a beautiful winery located in Cambridge in the Coal River Valley, approximately 19.5km east of Hobart.

Guests can choose to dine at the French Bistro or the Orangery. Both areas have plenty of window seats which give diners views of the grounds, the vineyard and the water. The Bistro also offers seating on the covered balcony and alfresco area.

Riversdale Estate is elegant and distinguished, without being too formal. The Bistro is grand with its wooden features and the Orangery is pretty and floral.

The cellar door is a lovely room to taste some Riversdale Estate wines.

Even the restrooms are beautiful!

Nibbles, drinks, coffee and cake or lunch can be enjoyed in the Bistro while high tea is served in the Orangery.

The high tea is a beautiful, traditional silver tea service. The teapots and milk jugs are placed on individual trolleys that sit next to each table.

During the high tea, fluffy, warm freshly-baked scones are also placed on the trolley with seasonal jam and Chantilly cream.

A three-tiered cake stand is brought to the table. It is adorned with delicate finger sandwiches, savoury items including warm pastries and a selection of exquisite French desserts and pastries.

A glass of Riversdale Estate sparkling wine can also be purchased with high tea.

The Bistro menu features French favourites such as duck liver parfait on toasted brioche and duck a l'Orange as well as modern Australian cuisine such as fresh local oysters, Riversdale Estate lamb and crispy skinned pork belly.

The Bistro also has more casual grazing options such as seafood, cheese and charcuterie towers and pizzas.

We enjoyed the seafood tower at the Bistro which consisted of 4 fresh oysters, 4 extra large cooked tiger prawns, flash-fried whitebait, crumbed sardines and a toasted baguette. This tower was very pleasant and great as nibbles.

Riversdale is best known for its high tea and sweets, so we indulged in a few desserts in the Bistro...and they were absolutely amazing.

First was a 3D glazed apple with crumble. The stewed apple centre of the apple was enveloped in a smooth, delicate mousse and the crumble provided a wonderful textural element.

Next was the raspberry, white chocolate and lemon panookie. The warm cookie base was perfectly gooey and topped with ice cream, raspberries, meringue, fairy floss and cream. It was so deliciously sweet without being too sweet.

The final dessert was the espresso martini panna cotta. The panna cotta was smooth and wibbly-wobbly. There was also a chocolate layer which complemented the coffee flavour.