A selection of media reviews since opening in 2003...

September 2007

August 2007

June 2007

May 2007

April 2007

February 2007

December 2006

Catriona's Australia - My favourite Aussie locations '...Filled with Italian furnishings, Villa Gusto is dedicated to La Dolce Vita...'
The Age Good Food Guide 2007 ’…Dining here is like being a house guest in a noble (faux) Tuscan villa, sitting - albeit at separate tables - amid antiques, fine arts and tapestries and looking out to gardens beneath the brooding hulk of bush-clad Mount Buffalo.

Italophile Colin McLaren has created the region's first five star boutique resort…First, a dainty tasting platter with variations on a theme, maybe using house-made ricotta in a tart and a frittata. Then a pasta or a delicious risotto with diced local apple and walnut pesto...Note the focus on the region's bountiful produce in season. Your friendly host (who also smoothly serves at the table) has acquired a formidable cellar of Italian and alpine region wines, including a collection of 35 vintages of sangiovese’...

July Sydney Morning Herald & Melbourne Sun Herald
Top 10 ‘out of town place’ (in Australia)
…’ you never need leave Villa Gusto if you like the finer things in life…there are no fewer then 35 different sangiovese (wines)…suites, furnished with style and taste…’

June John Woods new 'Wine Me, Dine Me' TV Show (specialty segment)
…’the Alpine Valleys region has the best food and wine in Australia…the villa is modelled on the villas of northern Italy and the motto is la dolce vita...’

April ‘Golf magazine’ magazine
‘…Gourmet breakfasts & degustation dinners are cooked by leading chef Douglas Elder who uses fresh local produce and boasts no two menus are ever the same…Villa Gusto is one of the leading luxury retreats in the country…’

April Bob Hart ‘eat’ page in ‘Weekend’.
‘…Villa Gusto…you will know it from the whiff of truffles that hits you as you hurtle up the drive. Villa Gusto is a roaring success and, if our visit is indicative, will roar indefinitely. Chef Doug Elder’s tasting plate ticks all the boxes; seasonal, simple, fresh, local and delicious…’

April The Sunday Age ‘Luxury Essentials’ magazine
‘…spend the weekend submerged in all things Italian in this Tuscan-style villa at the foot of Mt Buffalo…dine on wonderful four course feasts from the kitchen of chef Douglas Elder…

March Fairfax ‘Explore’ magazine
‘…recognised as one of the leading luxury boutique retreats in the country. ..with all of life’s little luxuries, fountains, tasteful antiques, even its own cinema. The restaurant won a hat in the 2006 The Age Good Food Guide..’

February 'Coxy's Big Break' TV show
Yes, that loveable big man Coxy spent 3 nights at the Villa filming with his great crew. An interesting man with a huge number of stories to tell. And can he talk! Watch for the May issue of his show, the entire program, which also includes our beautiful region as well.

Channel Nine getaway Show late 2005
Catorina Rowntree and her film crew spent 3 days at the Villa filming the suites, restaurant and gardens for a pre Xmas Italian special. A great bunch of people and…Yes, she is gorgeous!!

Gourmet Traveller WINE December 2005 issue
Max Allen reviews 400 wine lists from restaurants all over Australia and highlights eight (8) restaurants with an excellent wine list. Villa Gusto was one of the eight !!!

Wine Traveller magazine November
Dining : ‘…often harder to get a table, the restaurant at Villa Gusto serves some of the most stunning food in the region with a set degustation menu of the highest calibre.’
Where to Stay: ‘…At the top end…Villa Gusto is spectacularly luxurious.’

Goodweekend Magazine October
‘…Villa Gusto is quite the celebrity…and now there’s another rap: the rustic Italianate villa is impossibly charming…

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 ‘ Dining at Villa Gusto is like spending an evening at a friends fashionably rustic country home. You’re welcomed into an intimate, Italianate setting where a maximum of 20 guests sit at antique timber tables...Chef Douglas Elder’s cooking,
a combination of Italian know-how and top class regional ingredients, shows skill and panache.

September. Channel 9 Postcards
A full segment focusing on Villa Gusto, its surrounds, the interiors and our 4 course degustation menus. ‘..It is simply superb…the views are so good you’ll be blown away..’ (Bridget McIntyre)

August. Travel Section. Weekend Age
Full page article. ‘…Villa Gusto, a striking ochre and stone luxury B&B …Italian objets d’art, tapestries, handmade tiles,17 th century-styled furniture…Chef Douglas Elder…you probably owe it to him to see what Lombardian, Piedmontese or Tuscan transformations he has wrought.

The Today Show, June 2005
Dermott Brereton now has his own travel segment each week on the Channel 9 Today show. Dermie spent a leisurely day or two at the Villa soaking up the luxury and enjoying the magnificent food. Unlike some ex footballers Dermie is an absolute professional and we all predicted he will have his own TV show soon. He's great fun...but the hair !

Fairfax group Sunday Life magazine, June 2005
'33 best getaways in Australia...Villa Gusto (No.6)...luxury oasis at the base of the ski fields, as the most authentic Italian retreat in Australia...Douglas Elder serves up local produce with Italian regional wines in a menu that changes daily.'

The Food Trail, filmed May 2005
Paul Mecurio has a new prime time television show - The Food Trail. Episode 5 was filmed at the Villa with Paul and chef Douglas gathering local alpine produce, then teaming up at the Villa kitchen to cook a feast, for real guests !!! Paul presented a chestnut & mushroom soup, and Douglas offered smoked trout tortellini with zucchini spaghetti. Lots of fun and Paul proved to be a fabulous guy with great cooking skills. Watch Channel 7 in late July - mid August.
Click here to view image.

The Age, Saturday December
'Fans of refinement can whet their appetites for all things Italian with this striking property called, appropriately enough, Villa Gusto. The result of its fine features is impressive and rich..if that's not enough the involvement of noted chef Doug Elder has resulted in the resort's reputation of becoming a destination for foodies everywhere."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Australian Restaurant Guide
"The valleys of north-eastern Victoria have strong Italian traditions. The region's newest luxury accommodation house, Villa Gusto, exploits this heritage with a focused, themed dining room, equipped with handsome timber furniture and mountain views. In the kitchen, chef Douglas Elder, a sea-changed former Melburnian (ex-O'Connells) does a stirling job presenting local, seasonal produce in an Italian manner over a four dish set menu dinner that changes daily. Local blue cheese with walnuts and prosciutto to begin; a slice of cotechino from Myrtleford with white polenta and porcini; Milawa free-range quail stuffed with marzimino grapes from the vineyard next door could be the main course, finishing with a lemon tart from the property's own fruit. Needless to say, local wines are given priority, especially those of Italian grape varietals.

The Sunday Herald-Sun, October
"Tasteful Retreats...where pampering is always on the menu...Chef Douglas Elder spoils guests with his menu of creative Italian fare"

The Sunday Age Travel, October
"Grape escape, vineyard retreats are the next big thing in wine tourism...Italophiles Colin and Maureen could not have chosen a better spot.  Villa Gusto opened last year with a stylish, multi million dollar look..."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005
'Vines and olive groves guide the way to this exquisite Tuscan-inspired villa, nestled in the cleavage of the Buckland Valley. Everything is elegantly Italianate, from the sumptuous 'Great Room' with it's objets d'art and double-sided fireplace to chef Douglas Elder's osteria-style cuisine. The set menu is great value and has a charming provincial focus: you might get 'Frank Russo's Dad's hand-picked zucchini flowers', squab from down the road in Porepunkah and a strong showing of regional wines. The only fixture on the daily changing carte is the proud announcement that ingredients are hand-selected each morning and prepared the same afternoon. A typical feast might begin with prosciutto and roasted nectarines, continue with smoked trout tortellini and quail in verjuice, before wrapping up with a delicate olive oil cake.'

Tourism Victoria
Throughout 2004 Villa Gusto has been the key Tourism Victoria promotional photograph for country Victoria in the 'blame it on the mountain air' campaign, with a one or two page spread of our dining room in magazines such as Delicious, Belle, Gourmet Traveller and all national newspapers.

Spring 2004 issue Luxury Travel Magazine
'Great Gusto...superbly furnished grande and deluxe suite live up to their claim of la dolce vita...chef Douglas Elder prepares creative Italian fare using exceptional regional produce.'

Gourmet Traveller, June
‘…being enveloped in Italian luxury, sitting in the dining room of Villa Gusto eating Milawa free range quail with a stuffing of chestnuts and marzemino grapes served on a bed of garlic spinach and Madeira sauce…geared towards the food and wine literate affluent…the food is splendid.'

The Herald Sun Travel liftout, April
'Villa Gusto epitomises modern Italian chic - food is also a highlight...enjoy chef Doug Elder's four course dinners...la dolce vita indeed!'

Vogue - Entertainment & Travel, April/May
Best Getaways in Victoria
'...suite talk...reminiscent of the villas of northern Italy...dining emphasises the region's produce...'

The Sydney Morning Herald, March, Readers Choice, Take Off page
'..a magnificent Italianate villa...the best Italian food my wife & l have tasted..'

The Leader Newspaper Group (Melbourne), February
'..the stunning Villa Gusto is a masterpiece...savour designer meals by talented chef Doug Elder..'

The Border Mail (North East Victoria), February
'..there is only one word that really sums up the experience - 'bellisomo', Italian for absolutely beautiful.'

Victoria Lifestyle magazine, December
'showcased for visitors echoing the passion they share for Italy.'

Channel Nine Today Show October
live from the Villa. Sami Lucas, '...I thought I had seen everything in travel but this place is stunning, Villa Gusto...'

Italy Downunder magazine October
'...the result is staggering, the design, materials & furnishings are as genuine as possible...'

BRW magazine October
'...Living Well, this ambitious new property pays homage to Italian architecture...'

The Age Good Weekend Guide, October
'..sink slothfully into the enveloping welcome of the big beds, double spas or couches by the fireplace...'

The Sunday Age September
'...Rated in the Top 10. Villa Gusto creates a rich Italian heritage...'

Coast & Country magazine, September
'...I can't think of a better place to sample la dolce vita in Australia...'

The Sunday Herald Sun Travel section, August 2003
'...Just Go...The ideal winter retreat.'