181 High Street, Fremantle
Ph: (08) 9336 1638
www.urbanwinery.co

Wine and good times flow at Freo’s Urban Winery

H&C Urban Winery is located in the heart of Fremantle, a short walk away from Fremantle’s cappuccino strip. While South Terrace remains largely untouched, the changes that are taking place in central Fremantle are profound. New, modern construction and revamped colonial chic abounds and there is a strong sense of latent energy in the air.

As you enter the premises you notice the cavernous space split into two distinct dining areas. The plant-filled interior is industrial minimalist with exposed aged brick, splashed with Italian render features. Adjacent to the entry is a casual modern dining area complete with an impressive bar, featuring well stocked wine and spirit displays, and a selection of tap beers. A second partitioned area features an overflow dining area and the beating heart of H&C Urban Winery – an impressive Barrel Room.

With H&C Urban Winery’s first birthday fading in the rearview mirror, I thought now was a good time to check in with co-owner Phil Thompson to see whether Phil and his venture partners’ initial vision of being all things wine-centric had come to fruition. And, more importantly, had on-premises wine production begun?

Phil explained that the timing was out last year but, with a smile on his face, confirmed they had begun wine production on the premises a couple of months earlier. So, we can look forward to sampling real ‘house’ wine in every sense of the word as the new vintages are released.

In the interim, the current stable of house wines under the H&C label has been produced in collaboration with some of Western Australia’s best wine makers, notably Bruce Dukes of Domaine Naturaliste, Josephine Perry of Dormilona and Mijan Patterson and Livia Maiorana of South by South West Wines.

Similarly, they have partnered with local food producers such as Ethos Foods, La Delizia Latticini Cheeses, and Dirty Clean Food to deliver great plates of food. As we took a seat, Phil explained that he had curated a list of dishes paired with the H&C branded wine to try.

The first dish we tried was Cockles, Nduja, Potato, Old Bay and Pangrattato. The plentiful sweet Shark Bay Cockles were complemented by sweet corn kernels. This sweetness was balanced by a salty hot sauce carrying a depth of flavour from cockle liquor and coriander. The dish was topped with a generous toasted, cheesy bread stick to mop up the juices. The dish was well paired with the house 2023 H&C Pink, a Rosé made from a blend of Shiraz and Malbec. This is cracker of a wine from the Bruce Dukes range. The bright rosé colour provides a hint that this wine has spent some time in contact with the skin and, while fruit driven, has a satisfying dry crisp finish.

We next tried the Fried Chicken, Pickles, Hot Sauce and Kewpie Mayo served with Avruga Caviar. The chicken was tender and sparingly coated in a spicy batter. Slices of tangy, picked cucumber provided some relief from the spicy chicken. The in-house sriracha-style sauce added sharp heat, with the creamy mayo a good counter balance. The wine pairing for this dish was the H&C Pet Nat (short for Pétillant Naturel or naturally sparking), a playful, wild fermented sparkling style of wine made using Chenin Blanc from the Swan Valley. The wine displays passionfruit and pineapple notes with a light acid finish, perfect for cleansing the palate of the strong flavours of the chicken.

Our next dish was simply named Tomatoes, Figs, Almonds. The dish included a trio of tomatoes, fresh sweet fig, slithers of almonds, fresh basil, almond paste and a set tomato gel to add even more tomato flavour profile to the dish. This rustic Mediterranean-style dish leans into Chef Gord Kahles’ family background. Sometimes we forget how good fresh tomatoes taste, add a hint of salt to lift the flavours to the surface and, voila! A great plate of refreshing, healthy food. The dish was matched with 2024 H&C Little Hands Chardonnay, courtesy of Josephine Perry of Dormilona in Margaret River. The delicately wooded chardonnay displays a creamy pear palate and finishes with a crisp green apple finish to match the dish.

Prawn, Black Lime Butter, Curry Leaves was the next dish we tried. The butterflied Shark Bay prawns were served with confit garlic, seared limes, curry leaves and a spicy, buttery sauce to add extra kick. The wine match was the 2024 H&C White, a semillon-sauvignon blanc blend from Bruce Dukes in Margaret River. The wine features a typical nose of citrus and fresh mown lawn with a creamy kiwi fruit acid finish to balance the seafood and cleanse the buttery sauce from the palate.

This was followed by Eggplant Parmi, Tomato Sauce, Burrata. The eggplant is cured with salt to sweat out moisture and add structure prior to crumbing and frying. There is a satisfying bite to the eggplant while the tomato sauce is rich and the creamy burrata adds an opulence to this classic Italian dish. In keeping with the Italian theme, the dish was matched with the 2024 H&C Italo Sangiovese produced by South by South West Wines. The wine was fruity, light, savoury, highly approachable and a great pairing.

To round out our dining indulgence, the final dish we tasted was Beef Rump, Koji Herb Butter, Potatoes, Jus. The rump was cut into medallions showcasing a good searing of the meat with bright well-rested pink centre and was oh, so tender. We smeared the fermented koji butter over the beef to further enhance the flavour profile. The potatoes were a surprise, although looking like pub-cut chips with a crispy coating they were, in fact, potato gnocchi made to look like chips. A rich beefy jus rounded out the dish. Matched to the dish was the 2023 H&C Malbec, another Bruce Dukes cracker. The wine resonates with rich mocha notes, dark berries and big bunch of smooth tannins to accompany the rich beef flavours.

Looking for something different? Why not tap into some of the great events held on site? We spoke with Ebony Harding who laughingly refers to her role “as everything to everybody”. Ebony spoke of curated wine tastings showcasing local wine producers through to pop-up clothing markets with local designers. Whether you are a wine aficionado or not, H&C Urban Winery has something for everyone.

By Chris O’Halloran