Festival to celebrate Agatha Christie milestones

Fifty years after he death, thriller writer Agatha Christie remains a towering literary figure. 

The late author will again be celebrated at the 2026 Agatha Christie Festival, which will attract fans from all over the world to her home territory in Devon, England. 

The nine-day celebration in Torquay will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and the 50th anniversary of the final Miss Marple novel Sleeping Murder. 

The festival will run from September 12-20 and will include a four-day Fringe Festival, featuring events at hidden locations linked to Christie. 

Highlights will include a journey on the Dartmouth Steam Railway, a riverboat cruise on the River Dart, and underground screenings at Kents Cavern. 

In collaboration with the British Red Cross, the festival will host "What Agatha Did in the Great War" at Torquay Town Hall, celebrating Christie's voluntary work during the war. 

“We have worked hard to create one of the biggest and most enjoyable festivals yet," says 

Matt Newbury, creative director of the festival. 

There were over 8,000 attendees from 30 countries for the 2025 event. 

See https://www.iacf-uk.org/

Books and more books: Mona to unveil new wing

Need another excuse to visit Tasmania?

Mona founder David Walsh (right) has just come up with something. It only took him 10 years to get it done.

After four years of construction and 10 years of headaches, Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) is set to open its new wing in June, Walsh reveals.

It will feature a vast library to house his collection of rare books, maps and more, along with artworks by Anselm Kiefer, Julian Charrière and others.

"I was always all-in on books and libraries," Walsh says. "My first library card was the great leveller, the thing that gave impoverished child-me a chance to seek.’

The Phrontisterion, coined by Aristophanes in his work Clouds, for ‘a thinkery’, in which he ridicules the self-certainty of the educated, will draw from Walsh’s collection of "a big bunch of books".

Mona’s librarian Mary Lijnzaad said: "If you want to know what David is really like, browse his bookshelves."

Phrontisterion is connected to Mona’s existing buildings via tunnels in the sandstone and located in the space beneath the inverted-ziggurat levels of Elektra (above), an Anselm Kiefer amphitheatre, first built at Kiefer’s studio at La Ribaute in Barjac, southern France, with sculptures and paintings by the artist installed throughout.

The new wing will accommodate Breathe, a permanent installation by Julian Charrière, whose solo exhibition Hard Core will reside at Mona from June 6, 2026 to April 5, 2027. The installation invites visitors to breathe air that has never been breathed before.

The opening of the new wing also coincides with the return of Ryoji Ikeda’s light tower, spectra, and the Mona debut of In Absence, an architectural installation created by Kokatha/nukunu artist Yhonnie Scarce and Melbourne architects Aaron Roberts and Kim Bridgland for the 2019 NGV Architecture Commission.

The 9-metre-high timber tower takes inspiration from traditional eel traps and is adorned with 1,400 hand-blown, black glass murnong, or daisy yams.

See mona.net.au

Images: Supplied by Mona

Dr Seuss lands next to the d'Arenberg Cube

The whimsical artworks of Dr Seuss are back in Australia - at the d'Arenberg winery in McLaren Vale.

Harvey Galleries is presenting The Art of Dr Seuss in association with Art Evolution and d’Arenberg, Ultimate Winery Experiences reports.

From this weekend until April 26, 2026, a selection of art works from The Art of Dr Seuss Collection will be on display at the Modern Masters Marquee, adjacent to the d'Arenberg Cube.

Admission is free and visitors can explore and buy works from Dr Seuss’s best-known children’s books, as well as The Secret Art of Dr Seuss, a collection based on decades of artwork, which Seuss created at night for his own personal pleasure.

Perhaps the wackiest elements of the collection are Dr Seuss’s three-dimensional Unorthodox Taxidermy sculptures with names such as Carbonic Walrus, Powerless Pufferfish, and Flaming Herring or Seasick Walrus.



Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American children's author, illustrator, animator, and cartoonist. He is known for his work writing and illustrating over 60 books under the pen name Dr Seuss

For more info see https://www.darenberg.com.au/dr-seuss/

Your last-minute festive gift guide for gourmets and drinkers

Got friends who love their food and drink? Here are some last-minute festive gift ideas put together by the GOTR team.

Wine lovers will enjoy experimenting with new high-tech glasses from Melbourne-based Denver & Liely that retail for $200 each.

The hand-blown crystal glasses went through eight years of R&D before being released last month and are designed to aerate the wine in a similar fashion to decanting.

The glasses are beautiful-looking and certainly help soften out the tannins in big, young reds.

Designer Denver Cramer found inspiration for the shape in commercial jet engines, with a multi-directional turbine ‘hub’, designed to rapidly aerate the wine.

The universal design suits pinot noir and chardonnay best, but also works with red blends.

Hand-blown and hand polished, the glasses are fun and impressive. See https://denverandliely.com/

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As soon as the GoTR team saw the AdHoc PEPE Chili Cutter they wanted one.

Specially designed to cut dried chilis, the stainless steel and acrylic design makes for a beautiful addition to kitchens with its eye-catching design.

AdHoc was named as best kitchen brand of the year for 2024-2025 in the PLUS X awards and this looks the goods; combining design and functionality.

German-designed AdHoc products are well thought out with their straightforward elegance. 

This costs $39.95 and is perfect for when you want to add just the right amount of chilli to your past or pizza.  See https://sheldonandhammond.com.au

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Vodka is the perfect summer tipple. It can be enjoyed with just about any mixer and loves to get up close and personal with ice cubes.

STOLI Premium Vodka is a smooth and iconic spirit that's perfect for festive cocktails. Distilled three times from top-quality grain and filtered through birch charcoal and quartz sands, it's blended with pure artesian well water for a clean, crisp taste.

Whether it's mixed into a classic martini or enjoyed over ice, STOLI is a long-time favourite and very stylish.

STOLI Premium Vodka is available via Dan Murphy’s, alongside other flavours such as Cucumber, Vanilla and Salted Karamel. $58.99.

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Travellers and beer lovers will enjoy the new edition of the coffee table book Australia’s Historic Pubs.

It tells the stories behind 52 of the most loved heritage pubs across Australia. Illustrated with lovely colour images, it reveals their varied histories and also uncovers many colourful characters through the centuries.

Readers can discover how immigrants carved out their destinies amidst the greed and ambition of the gold rushes, while convicts carved the building blocks.

From the bustling streets of Hobart to the serene banks of the Swan and Brisbane Rivers, this book takes you on a journey to visit some of the most venerable watering holes in Australia.

Australia's Historic Pubs  costs $49.99 and is available at good book shops, or through
http://woodslanepress.com.au.

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Henschke is one of Australia’s most revered family wine producers and has released a range of special gift packs.

Check out the Plumm Glassware Gift Packs: special edition offerings that contain two Henschke-branded Plumm crystal wine glasses and a bottle of wine. 

Each glass is machine blown from 100% lead-free European crystal, using the pulled stem method for increased durability. Each pack contains the two glasses and a Henschke wine of your choice. 

The glasses cost $55 a pair and the cost of your chosen wine will be added at checkout. See https://www.henschke.com.au/products/plumm-glassware-gift-pack-choose-your-own-wine.

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Angel's Envy  a super-premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon, has just landed in Australia, and at under $100, it is an ideal treat for whiskey enthusiast dads.  

Angel's Envy was founded in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2011 by industry icon and Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes Henderson.

Unlike other bourbons, Angel’s Envy undergoes an additional maturation process, with its Kentucky Straight bourbon finished in port wine barrels to adds an additional layer of complexity and flavour. 

Angel's Envy costs $99.99 and is available at independent retailers nationwide.

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Got a thirsty friend who enjoys trying different beers? The Casella family, the people behind [yellow tail] wines, also have their own brewery in the small town of Yenda In the Riverina.

Their range includes very quaffable Yenda Pale Ale ($17 for a six pack) and the light, clear Yenda Session Lager available in 330ml six-pack bottles (RRP $7.50).

Out of the same brewery is the laid-back, easy drinking Poets Lager ($16 for a six-pack). Available at Cellarbrations, Bottle-O, IGA Liquor and Porters.

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Mason Cash has been producing mixing bowls for centuries but recently released the new Home to Roost range, featuring beautifully delicate embossments and a cheery colours.

The Home to Roost range includes mixing bowls in three sizes, the batter bowl, prep bowls, storage jars and a utensil pot.

Made from earthenware, the bowls are light enough to hold in one arm while mixing, but sturdy enough when using on the countertop.

This is the Mother Hen nest bowl ($110) from https://masoncash.com.au/products/collections/home-to-roost/.

Top Image: Aleksei Popoc, Scop.io   

The one book the wine lover in your life needs

 

I have literally hundreds of wine books in my library.

Reference books, historical tomes, atlases, travel guides, biographies etc.

But there is one wine book that I refer to more than any other: the annual Halliday Wine Companion.

The 2025 edition (they work well ahead, the Halliday team) was released earlier in August, when I was overseas on holiday.

But I wasn't going to miss any news. My email inbox was full of newsletters detailing the high scores some of the lucky recipients received from the Halliday team.

Giant Steps from the Yarra Valley was named Winery of the Year and its 2023 Applejack Pinot Noir has won Best Pinot Noir at the awards. Winemaker Mel Chester describes the accolades as the “big daddy” of wine awards.

I don't refer to the scores that much. One reviewer's 97 is another's 93.

But the info on wineries around Australia is essential stuff.

If I need to check on who used to be the winemaker used to be at Winery X on the Granite Belt, then I know where to find the info.

And if I want to know what year the first vines were planted at Winery Z in the Swan Valley went in, the info will be right there.

The Halliday Wine Companion Award winners were determined collaboratively by the Halliday Tasting Team, including (now former) chief editor Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale, and Toni Paterson MW.

That's a collection of formidable palates.

The 2025 edition of the Companion includes over 5000 tasting notes and scores, and there are more than 7500 new notes available online at winecompanion.com.au.

The new Hall of Fame inductee was Sue Hodder, from Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate.

In case you've been living under a rock, the major award winners were:

Winery of the Year – Giant Steps, Yarra Valley

Winemaker of the Year – Liz Silkman, First Creek Wines and Silkman Wines, Hunter Valley

Viticulturist of the Year – Bart Molony, Vasse Felix, Margaret River

Best Value Winery – Mulline, Geelong

Best New Winery – Sami-Odi, Barossa Valley

Dark Horse Winery – ChaLou Wines, Orange

Wine of the Year – Oakridge 864 Drive Block Funder & Diamond Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, Yarra Valley

The Sami-Odi award is a little weird as that producer has been around for almost two decades. I also noticed typos, which is disappointing. Kate Hill’s Four Winds vineyard, for example, is called Four Wines. 

The Halliday Wine Companion 2025 has been completely revised and the book provides information about wineries and winemakers, including opening times, contact details and advice on family and dog-friendly vineyards.

It would make a perfect Father's Day gift.

The 2025 Halliday Wine Companion, published by Hardie Grant Books, is now available nationwide at an RRP of $45. winecompanion.com.au

James Halliday announces his retirement

James Halliday AM, Australia's most influential and longest-serving wine writer, today announced his retirement.

Just a month after giving up his weekly column in The Australian newspaper, Halliday issued a statement saying that he will be stepping back from his wine writing and tasting commitments.

"As James steps into this new chapter, he will be using this time to compile a lifetime of wine memories – a project that we look forward to sharing," Wine Companion magazine announced.

"His contribution to the Australian wine landscape is unparalleled, and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge his monumental career."

.A co-founder of Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley and founder of Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley, Halliday is recognised as having been a major figure in the Australian wine industry for over four decades.

He worked as an author, critic, wine judge and business owner - and his ratings could make or break a wine producer.

“Late last year I made the decision that I was going to seriously cut back on my work commitments,” he said in a statement.

“Having turned 85 I wanted to fully focus on what I want to do, and that is writing about 50 years of great wine dinners I’ve attended or staged.

“This work has no deadline, has no space constraints, and is something that has been simmering in my mind and heart for the past half-decade as my ‘swansong’.

“Recent health issues have made me wish even more for this to have my sole attention.

“So, while my fondness for writing is undiminished, and with my family’s support, I will be quiet on the wine media front until I can share the birth of my last child.”

Halliday wrote his last column for The Weekend Australian on April 6, handing over to Nick Ryan and founded the Halliday Wine Magazine. His annual Halliday Wine Companion is the bible of the Australian wine industry.