Discover Healesville's big winter wine night

One of the Yarra Valley’s favourite winter wine events is set to get bigger - for one night only. 

On Saturday, June 27, Healesville venues will host close to 30 wineries from across the Yarra Valley for the Fireside Wine Trail. 

The celebration is billed as chance to discover the full breadth of the region without leaving town.

Across six venues in the heart of Healesville, guests can discover sub-regions, meet the winemakers, taste and purchase wines, all while fire-themed food, live music and DJs set the mood.

Participating venues include Barrique, Healesville Hotel, Four Pillars Distillery, Payten & Jones, Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Bar and Giammarino Wines. 

Each will host a selection of Yarra Valley producers. 

Highlights include:

● Barrique showcasing Nillumbik wineries Buttermans Track, Nillumbik Estate, Kings of Kangaroo Ground, Wedgetail Estate and Imbue Distillery

● Healesville Hotel hosting St Huberts, Giant Steps, Soumah, Coldstream Hills, De Bortoli, In Dreams, Cellar Door at the Farm, and Copperhead Wines

● Four Pillars Distillery pouring e'Stellar Estate, Punt Road Wines, Sutherland Estate and Boat O'Craigo

● Payten and Jones hosting Pachamama, Alkimi Wines, Decent Wines

● Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Bar showcasing TarraWarra Estate, Tillie J Wines and Hirsch Hill Wines

● Giammarino Wines featuring Santolin Wines, Denton View Hill and Innocent Bystander’s Airstream caravan.

Each ticket includes a souvenir wine glass, unlimited tastings across all venues, and the hop-on hop-off shuttle bus connecting all Healesville stops.

General admission tickets are $38.50, with early bird deals available now via Humanitix https://events.humanitix.com/fireside-wine-trail

The Wine Trail is the headline act of a 15-day regional program across the full Fireside Festival. . Participating cellar doors and dining venues will run Fireside-themed experiences throughout the festival period.

Tickets and the full program: wineyarravalley.com.au/fireside-festival-2026

Philippines pushes for more Muslim tourism

The Philippines is launching a major push to strengthen its position as a Muslim-friendly travel destination.

Local tourism authorities are keen to welcome travellers from the Middle East and the wider Muslim world through a growing ecosystem of halal- and Muslim-friendly tourism experiences.

This followers the Asian nation's strong tourism and cultural ties with neighbouring Muslim-majority countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia under the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

Beyond tourism infrastructure, the Philippines is also investing in workforce development, destination preparedness, and cultural awareness initiatives to strengthen the delivery of halal and Muslim-friendly tourism services nationwide.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said in a media release that it continues to support this growth through the implementation of its Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Establishment (MFAE) Recognition Program across hotels and tourism establishments, while also encouraging halal certification among restaurants, accommodations, and tourism service providers throughout the country.

The DOT has officially recognized 67 Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Establishments (MFAEs) across the country.

Leading the effort is Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, the first hotel chain in the Philippines to achieve 100% MFAE recognition across all of its properties.

For more info see tourism.gov.ph

Image: Metro Manila

TV personality Preston to return to the hills

Television star and food personality Matt Preston will return to the Adelaide Hills Wine Region as official ambassador for the 2026 Winter Reds after making his debut last year.

Preston will be joined at select food events by chef, TV personality, and friend Warren Mendes for what is billed as "an unforgettable weekend of food, wine, and camaraderie".

The annual red wine festival is held in the Adelaide Hills annually in late July. It is in its 16th year and will run from Friday, July 24, to Sunday, July 26.

“Winter Reds is one of the best food and wine events in the country," Preston enthused.

"I had so much fun at Winter Reds last year -fantastic wines, brilliant people, and that unmistakable Hills charm - that I wanted to come back. I can’t wait to eat, drink, and celebrate everything that makes the Adelaide Hills region so special.”

Preston's Winter Reds weekend will kick off at Vinteloper on the Friday night. Guests will experience benchmark Adelaide Hill reds wines, food bites, and the vibe of an intimate house-gathering against the backdrop of a brisk winter night. This limited-ticket event will see guests mingle with him and Adelaide Hills producers.

On the Sunday the headline event will be an exclusive Winter Reds long lunch named Preston’s Plates at Golding Wines. Over 150 guests will enjoy the day.

Adelaide Hills Wine Region president Alex Trescowthick said Winter Reds has become a cornerstone event that continues to champion the strength and diversity of the region’s red wines which go well beyond pinot nNoir, for which it is best known.

"Winter Reds is a much-loved annual celebration of Adelaide Hills’ red wines and the vibrant community behind them," he says.

"Cool-climate pinot noir is still the hero, but there’s also shiraz, gamay, nebbiolo, and more. We invite wine lovers to experience our exceptional cool climate wines and the Hills region at its most atmospheric – when we embrace the chilly weather that signifies our cool climate with warm jackets and cosy open fires.”

Across the weekend, 34 cellar doors will deliver a mix of over 40 events.

See https://www.adelaidehillswine.com.au/events/winter-reds

Image: Matt Preston, Eat Media

A bridge to some calm in frenetic Bangkok

Bangkok is not all high rises, canals and traffic chaos. Local resident David Armstrong reveals a local secret, an oasis for walkers and cyclists. 

Bangkok has a long stretch of main road (Ploenchit and Sukhumvit roads) overloaded with high end hotels, shopping malls and luxury apartment blocks.

But running parallel, a little to the south, is the city’s Green Mile – a skybridge connecting central Bangkok’s two big parks, Lumphini Park and Benjakitti Park (with its forest park wetlands extension).

The bridge caters for cyclists, joggers and plain-old walkers.

From the Lumphini Park side, it cuts through the city, crossing a main road and an expressway.

Once it reaches Benjakitti, it divides; one arm allows cycling and the other, branded as the Skywalk, is for joggers and walkers.

The cycle path skirts a khlong (canal) on the border of the park; the Skywalk goes through the wild wetlands before reaching the more-ordered woodlands of Benjakitti Park. 

* David Armstrong is a distinguished journalist and editor, who has been in the media industry since 1969. He currently writes for the Pearls & Irritations public policy journal.

Paris express train finally on track

Paris is finally to get an express rail link between the city and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. 

The long-awaited CDG Express rail service connecting central Paris to the airport is scheduled to open on March 28, 2027, offering a 20-minute non-stop journey between Paris Gare de l’Est and Terminal 2, news hub Travel Mole reports.

To be operated by Hello Paris - a joint venture between Keolis and RATP Dev - the service aims to deliver a fast, premium alternative to existing airport transfers.

The current rail links are often slow and crowded, while taxi rides can be slowed by traffic jams. 

During a press presentation at the SNCF maintenance facility in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, Hello Paris confirmed key pricing details. 

A one-way ticket will cost €25, while a round-trip fare is set at €28. 

Holders of the Île-de-France Navigo pass will benefit from a reduced fare of €16.50 per trip. Children under 16 accompanied by an adult will travel free of charge. 

Subscription packages for airport employees are also planned, though pricing has not yet been finalised. 

Tickets will be available via vending machines, online platforms, and a dedicated mobile app.

The new transport will be extremely competitive compared to taxis. 

The typical cost for a taxi ride between central Paris and CDG is around €56–€65 on average. 

CDG Express is expected to appeal to solo travellers and business passengers prioritizing speed and reliability.

The CDG Express will indeed operate every 15 minutes from 5am-midnight. 

Each train will accommodate up to 420 passengers, with flexible carriage configurations adjusted throughout the day according to demand. 

A premium “lounge” area at the front of the train, featuring 12 seats, will offer an upgraded travel experience.

Beyond passenger convenience, CDG Express is expected to ease congestion on the heavily used regional train RER B, which has long suffered from overcrowding, delays, and aging infrastructure.

Wynnsday returns with an impressive collection

It is hard to think of a wine producer that can match Wynns Coonawarra Estate for quality and value across the board.

Winemakers Sue Hodder and Sarah Pidgeon consistently over deliver on both counts - and the new releases for Wynnsday on June 3 do not disappoint.

The new releases are composed, complete and effortlessly stylish.

Wynnsday has been - for several decades - the day Wynns Coonawarra Estate releases its new vintage luxury wines.

I remember attending one at the winery when Peter Douglas was the chief winemaker - so the late 80s or early 90s.

The 2026 Wynnsday Collection features eight wines across three vintages from a range of vineyards.

This year’s release is headlined by the return of the very elegant V&A Lane Shiraz and Cabernet Shiraz blend, along with the debut Cabernet Shiraz, to the stellar Wynns Black Label range.

Wynns senior winemaker Sue Hodder (above) says the three very different vintages in the 2026 Wynnsday Collection - 2023, 2024, and 2025 - are testament to the quality and versatility of Wynns terra rossa vineyards and their ability to produce superb medium-bodied, cool-climate wines year on year.

“From the cooler, wet 2023 vintage we welcome the O’Dea's Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, representing the next gen of Wynns Cabernet vineyards," says Hodder. who has been in charge since 1998.

"Each year our winemaking team selects a premium parcel from a single cabernet vineyard to bottle separately, and that year O’Dea's excelled. This vineyard was originally planted in 1989 and later replanted to a selection of Wynns heritage cuttings and some new and interesting clones. We have been delighted to see these younger vines flourish in wet conditions and to bring this elegant wine to Wynnsday."

The 2024 reds are outstanding.

“2024 was a classic Coonawarra vintage, from which we crafted five stellar reds," says Hodder. "We are thrilled to see our V&A Lane Shiraz and Cabernet Shiraz wines return in superb form.

"Crafted by Sarah Pidgeon, they continue to set the benchmark for fresh, spicy, and naturally moderate alcohol red wine, sitting at only 12.6% each."

It's hard to pick a favourite, but I can't think of a better $45 bottle right now than Wynns 2024 The Original Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon.

Coonawarra is synonymous with high-quality cabernets and this one hits the bullseye for composed quality. It has lovely structure, elegant tannins, balanced oak, and impressive length. It is immediately accessible and deadly drinkable.

Youthful inclusions are the 2025 Black Label Messenger Chardonnay and the Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc - both are delicious despite their relative adolescence.

The 2026 Wynnsday Collection comprises: Wynns O’Deas Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, RRP $80, Wynns MacKillop Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2025, RRP $80, Wynns V&A Lane Cabernet Shiraz 2024, RRP $60, Wynns V&A Lane Shiraz 2024, RRP $60, Wynns Black Label The Original Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, RRP $45, Wynns Black Label Old Vines Shiraz 2024, RRP $45
Wynns Black Label Cabernet Shiraz 2024, RRP $45 and Wynns Black Label Messenger Chardonnay 2025, RRP $45

All the wines are released on Wednesday. See www.wynns.com.au and fine wine retailers across Australia.