Cool event to showcase cool-climate wines

Lovers of cool-climate wines might want to put Piers & Pinots into their calendar. 

 
Twelve producers from the Mornington Peninsula will be showcased at the immersive afternoon event on May 2. 

The venue will be Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron and offers the chance to meet some of the talented winemakers behind some famous labels, offering insights into how the region’s maritime influences from Western Port, Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait define the local wines. 

There will be over 40 wines to taste, along with a charcuterie and cheese station. 

Detailed tasting notes will be provided and there will also be a live acoustic singer-songwriter performance (somewhat distracting I would have thought). 

The event will run from 2pm-5pm and tickets are $120 per person (includes GST, plus booking fee)

Participating wineries are Baillieu, Dexter, Elgee Park Wines, Foxey’s Hangout, Handpicked Wines, Kyberd Hills, Ocean Eight, Portsea Estate, Pt Leo Estate, Rahona Valley, Stonier and Yal Yal Estate.

See www.mpwine.com.au

Why tourism is booming in Spain

Spain is enjoying a tourism boom despite global uncertainty. 

Tourism officials and analysts expect an uptick in demand despite issues in the Middle East, travel industry news hub Travel Mole reports.

 
Some travellers, particularly from Europe, are reconsidering long-haul trips to the Middle East, and, by extension, to Asia. 

And as oil prices rise amid Gulf tensions, airfares - especially for long-haul routes - are expected to increase. This dynamic tends to favour short- and medium-haul destinations in Europe. 

Spain and cities like Madrid (above) and Barcelona, is set to benefit directly from this shift, particularly in key source markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. 

The country, seen as a safe, stable, and easily accessible destination, is well placed to capture redirected demand. 

Spain finished 2025 with 97 million foreign arrivals, official government data shows: up 3.5% from 2024. That made it was the second most-visited country in the world behind France.

It is targeting over 10 million visitors in 2026.

New restaurant is a tribute to a legend

 

Mietta O'Donnell was a legendary Melbourne restaurateur, who is fondly remember a quarter of a century after her death.

Mietta's was an conic restaurant much loved by the the city's movers and shakers, and O'Donnell was  also an influential figure in the arts and cultural world.

Now a new restaurant named in her honour: Miettas, has opened as a fine dining destination at The Queenscliff Hotel on the Ballarine Peninsula, where she once oversaw the property when it was Mietta's Queenscliff in the 1970s.

With a kitchen brigade led by executive chef Salvatore Giorgio, Miettas aims to establish itself as a destination restaurant, with a one-seating-per-service model "designed to create a relaxed and elevated experience". 

Giorgio, former owner and chef of Bar Taralli, has built "a strong reputation for honest, flavour-driven cooking grounded in southern Italian tradition", the local tourism authority reports. The chef has worked at kitchens including Marnong Estate, Scopri, and Bar Bambi.

The menu includes hand-crafted pasta, local seafood and premium meats with an Italian accent. 

There are two degustation menus for $115 and $135 per person, as well as vegetarian and Vegan options.

See thequeenscliffhotel.com.au