Contentious Character’s new Urban Winery is a great place to sip and snack by the water. Photo: Sophia Brady.
What is an urban winery? This was the thought I had when heading to lunch at Contentious Character’s new location at the Kingston Foreshore.
What began as a single-vineyard wine label based in Wamboin, known for its playful names, has grown into something broader, with fruit now coming from seven Australian and two New Zealand cool-climate regions. All the wines are made by one winemaker, Jeremy Wilson, and brought together at this central location.
After a brief stint in the Dairy Road precinct, the team has taken over the former Cinnabar site next to Molto Italian and given it a fresh look.
The booths are gone, and the space has been opened up into two areas. A large, carpeted dining room offers private dining options, while the hard-floored area at the entrance is set up as a cellar door and tasting space, with wine barrels used as tables, where well-behaved pooches are welcome to join their owners.
A new chef leads the kitchen, and the menu is designed for sharing, with family-friendly options that work whether you are after a quick snack or something more substantial. There are plans to add set tastings matched to wine flights, and the warmer months will see the outdoor space used more fully, with extended trading hours.
The standout Large Plate was the Foreshore Seafood Pie. Photo: Sophia Brady.
For now, the menu runs from Nibbles and Small Plates through to Larger Plates, Something Sweet and something for Little Characters. We were also told a pet menu is on its way.
It is an urban winery after all, so we started with a glass of the 2022 Viva La Verdelho. Made with organically grown fruit from Cowra, it is very quaffable, particularly while looking out over the water. We may not have a sea or an ocean in Canberra, but there is something calming about sitting beside a body of water with a drink and something to eat.
There is a strong European influence running through the menu. From the Nibbles, we tried the Warm Green Olives. Marinated in-house, they have a sharp puckeriness that made my lunch companion pull a face. I really enjoyed them. I love tart, pickled and marinated flavours.
Another dish we noshed on was the Blue Cheese Affair. Simple in concept, crusty bread spread with blue cheese and topped with fresh pear and crispy eggplant. A very pleasing bite, with the blue cheese softened by the other elements.
The standout Large Plate was the Foreshore Seafood Pie. Not seafood from the foreshore, as one nearby diner joked, but a creamy mix of barramundi, prawns and scallops. Everything was perfectly cooked, still springy and bouncy, and the steam that rose when we cut into it was deeply satisfying. It filled me up in more ways than one. Also, who else is doing a fish pie in Canberra? We need more of them.
Fried Lasagna. It’s a thing! Photo: Sophia Brady
We also tried the Fried Lasagna. Intriguing in concept, it looked appealing when cut into and tasted like a weekday spag bol. A nice dish to share if you are after something comforting, or if you have kids with you.
There was also a cheese plate I did not make it to. The fish pie was too good to leave even a morsel behind!
So, what is an urban winery? Sitting there drinking a nice drop made by local producers, food on the table, curious residents stopping by and dogs passing along the boardwalk, with the foreshore in front of us and the hum of other diners in the background, it feels like a very pleasant place to spend some time. In fact, a great place for a glass of wine or two.
Cheers to having an urban winery in Canberra, and to the next evolution of Contentious Character.
Contentious Character Urban Winery is located at 156/45 Eastlake Parade, Kingston. They are open from 11 am to late Thursday to Sunday. Visit Contentious Character for bookings.
Original Article published by Sophia Brady on Region Canberra.
