Gerringong winery to undergo 'Hamptons-style makerover'

The family-owned Crooked River Winery in Gerringong has recently brought on a new head chef, completely overhauled the menu to be sourced within 50 kilometres and has grand plans to renovate.

Read more: South Coast country music festival to round out school holidays

Cameron Bailey has returned home to the region after working at various hatted Australian restaurants, international Michelin star rated restaurants and even worked as a private chef for Belgium's richest man.

"There's a lot of things on the horizon ... pretty much a whole [refurbishment] for the entire place, setting up another function centre that will run parallel with the restaurant," he said.

While Bailey didn't have a hand in the exterior, he said he did redesign the entire kitchen.

"It'll be a lot more live [fuel], wood-grill cooking, lots of open space," he said.

"It's quite enclosed at the moment so it will be a lot more like the Hamptons-style."

Read more: Wollongong tennis club hosts week-long UCI party

The venue has also taken a horticulturalist on board to help design their ultimate vegetable garden, while Bailey's ideal is for everything on their menu to be sourced within a 20 kilometre radius.

"It has seems on trend in last couple of years, but it's something that's always been deep seated in myself," he said.

"It's really important to know where it comes from and who's farming it or who's growing it - and that does portray into the menu and the food."

Brewing their own beer was also on the agenda, according to general manager of the venue Joseph Felice, who said they wanted to become the largest and closest commercial winery to Sydney and also the largest brewery.

"We have some grand plans to refresh our existing buildings here at CRW," Felice said.

"This will ensure that we are a destination that caters for everyone, whether you are after an al a carte experience, wine tasting, or something quick and easy from our casual menu at the cellar door."

Read more: Why Greater Union Wollongong is all fenced up and looking worse for wear

Felice also said hosting major events and festivals amongst the vines would also continue to be a focus for the business in years to come.

"This year, Crooked River Winery has hosted three massive events ... which will comprise of over 10,000 tickets that have been sold," he said. "This is a huge milestone for our business."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.