Craft distilling returns to historic Seppeltsfield

Craft distilling has made a comeback to Seppeltsfield Estate’s historic 1877 distillery in the Barossa, reviving the site’s original spirit-making heritage. 

Now open daily from 11am–5pm, Prohibition Liquor Co operates as a working distillery, tasting room, and cocktail bar. 

Guests can enjoy guided gin tastings, seasonal cocktails, classic G&Ts, and a relaxed food menu while soaking up the estate’s iconic palms and heritage buildings.

Set among the estate’s iconic palms and historic buildings, it is described as "the perfect place to settle in for a relaxed tasting, grazing lunch or afternoon cocktail", say the team from Unique Winery Experiences Australia.

Pizzas are served with gluten-free and Vegan options available, alongside crisps and cheese plates designed for pairing with a gin flight or cocktail. 

Bookings are recommended. Click Here. A visit can be combined with a tasting of some of Seppeltsfield's table and fortified wines next door. 

The venue is also available for corporate events, private functions and weddings. 

Make mine meaty: Australian pizza trends revealed

Australians want meat on their pizzas, a new survey has shown. 

When I have a pizza I like a thin-crust mushroom from a local café, or a fat prawn and chilli version from the pizza shop down the road. 

But I am very much off trend, International Pizza Day data from nutrition and food tracking app MyFitnessPal reveals. 

Data logged by active users in Australia over 12 months to December 1, 2025, reveals the most popular type of pizzas in Australia, in order, are: pepperoni pizza, cheese, chicken, barbecued chicken, Meatlovers, Hawaiian, bacon, supreme/deluxe, ham/cured meat, and salami/sausage. 

Not a vegetable in sight.  

Pepperoni and cheese pizzas dominate the preferences amongst Aussies, suggesting a strong lean toward classic, familiar flavours over more complex options. 

Overall, Friday is the most popular day for pizza feasting, followed by Saturday and Sunday. 

Nutritionist and MyFitnessPal ambassador, Michaela Sparrow, said: “The data shows that pizza remains a popular end of week convenience food for Aussies, with meat-based pizzas making the vast majority of the top 10 pizza favourites."

Major changes brewing at Hop Nation

Footscray beer emporium Hop Nation Taproom will unveil a new look at the end of next month.

Last drinks at the original taproom will be poured tomorrow before Hop Nation shuts up shop after eight years - although takeaways will be available - before unveiling a revamped space on Thursday, September 28.

Hop Nation partnered with the hospitality interior design veterans at Studio Y to bring its vision of a Brooklyn warehouse-meets-Melbourne brewery to life.

The previous layout of the taproom will be completely transformed, creating an expansive, open-plan brewhouse.

There will be 17 brews on tap, featuring the full Hop Nation core range, Ray Hard seltzers – including a brand-new limited-release Pink Grapefruit and Lime Seltzer - and seasonal limited-edition brews, including a Hazy Mid, Oat Cream IPA, Grapefruit West Coast IPA and Guava, Dragonfruit and Toasted Coconut Sour.

The team will also be pouring a new release Footscray Draft to celebrate the re-opening.

The new-look taproom will feature a new purpose-built kitchen, where ex-Figlia Pizzeria chef Alex Addams Williams will be heading up Good Pizza. The pizzeria will focus on long-ferment dough, in both thin, and thick, crispy pan varieties.

Alongside food and drinks, the freshly renovated taproom will be hosting events, including an AFL Grand Final party on Saturday, September 30.

There will be Happy Hours on Thursday and Friday from 3-6pm, and a nod to Oktoberfest with three European-style beers on offer – a Rattenhund Classic Pilsner and two limited releases: a Kellerbier and a Czech Pilsner.

Hop Nation was started by former winemakers Duncan Gibson and Sam Hambour in 2015. Their small-batch beers are made using natural ingredients with no fining or pasteurisation and minimal filtration.

Hop Nation will operate Thursday-Sunday 3pm-9:30pm. See hopnation.com.au

Discover dishes inspired by centuries of history

 

Take a spectacular setting on a cliff side overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and Amalfi harbour.

Add in dishes inspired by the recent discovery of a 2000-year-old fresco depicting a pizza-like dish found in Pompeii.

Throw in one of Italy's most famous pizza chefs and you have a bucket destination restaurant.

La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria by Gino Sorbillo is a signature eatery at the newly opened Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel.

The menu features eight signature pizzas that highlight the finest produce from across the Amalfi Coast region.

Hailing from Naples, chef Sorbillo comes from a long line of pizza makers.

In 1935, his grandfather Luigi opened what was to become one of Italy’s most famous pizzerias in the historic Via dei Tribunali in Naples.

Today, the chef is a global pizza ambassador, secretary of the Neapolitan Pizza Makers Association and owner of pizzerias across the globe.

The new Pompeii Pizza combines traditional Neapolitan pizza-making techniques with ingredients that relate to the ancient Roman era including a combo of leafy vegetables, anchovies, a modern take on garum, a traditional anchovy sauce, topped with walnuts, lemon zest, and olives.



The menu allows ingredients including anchovies from Cetara, mozzarella and ricotta from Agerola, Provolone del Monaco and herbs from the hotel’s on-site convent garden to shine.

For a full gourmet experience, diners can embark on “A Journey through Campania” - a tasting menu of regional stars.

Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel is set in a 13th-century Capuchin convent and La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria by Gino Sorbillo is reached via the “Monks’ Walk” - a delightful clifftop path.

Diners can enjoy an al fresco terrace with views of the sea below.

Pizzeria La Locanda della Canonica by Gino Sorbillo has a tasting menu for €80 per person.

It has been added to my "must do" list.   

For more info see www.anantara.com/en/convento-di-amalfi

Why Italians gave Domino's the boot

It was a fast food gamble that failed: spectacularly and quite predictably.

Who could possibly have predicted that pizza loving Italians would not be captivated by American-accented offerings from global chain Domino's.

Quite a few people, I suspect.

Domino’s Italian franchisee, EPizza, filed for bankruptcy last month, effectively ending the company’s bid to expand its presence in the country.

Domino's is an American multinational chain founded in 1960 with stores in over 83 countries. It once had plans to open as many as 880 stores in Italy by 2030.

But just as many Australian coffee lovers rejected Starbucks - the chain closed 75% of its stores Down Under in 2008 - Italians shunned Domino's and creations like its cheeseburger pizza.

GlobalData noted that despite a sizeable investment to localise its menu, Domino’s failed to recognise its inability to compete with smaller Mom and Pop businesses, which accounted for 72.6% of the quick-service restaurants (QSR) channel in Italy in 2021 and boast low-priced, high-quality menu items.

The data and analytics company noted that the company’s growth was slower than expected since it entered the Italian market in 2015 and peaked at over 100 branches, but by 2022 was left with only 29, partially due to the pandemic, but its long-term localisation strategy was the ultimate flaw.

Ramsey Baghdadi, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, said: “The company’s strategy lacked affordable pricing to match the local businesses, and the ability to adapt quickly to changing consumer behaviour.

"This clearly shows a flaw in its plan to localise its menu to meet demands from Italian consumers.”

According to GlobalData’s latest survey, almost half (45%) of Italian consumers prefer local cuisine.

Therefore, consumers in Italy are more likely to try menu items that have locally sourced ingredients and local flavours, instead of American-inspired creations such as the Hawaiian.

This proves further that authenticity and connoisseurship play a big part in where Italian consumers decide to eat, GlobalData says.

Affordability was also a driving factor in consumer decision making, not just product quality. GlobalData’s survey also revealed that over half (55%) of Italian consumers are extremely or somewhat concerned about their financial situation due to Covid-19.

“Fellow international businesses originating in the US such as McDonald’s took a long time to make an impression in Italy," says Baghdadi.

"Foodservice providers that specialise in regional favourites such as Starbucks coffee have yet to make a demanding presence. It is clear that this falls down to the failure to develop a value proposition that beats local independent businesses in both quality and value.”

Basically, I think Italians probably prefer to enjoy their pizza in a friendly ambience with a glass of wine. And they've made that preference known.   

A cheesy pizza complete nonsense

It's one of those rare ads that encourages you not to try a product. 

I don't think I've seen or heard so much nonsense about a food product as the hype surrounding the launch of Domino’s Cheese Toastie Crust Pizza in Australia. 

Check out the really annoying TV ad featuring an Australian version of Renee and Renato (you might well have forgotten them) warbling away insensibly about a fast food product. 

No, Domino's, I am not questioning why Australia’s greatest loves haven’t been brought together sooner.

And I seriously doubt a cheese toastie is a really an Australian "gourmet" favourite. 

I also question whether you use real Brie cheese (you do claim the foodstuff is un-brie-lievable). Far too expensive. 

In fact you admit "your favourite pizza is now finished with a generous sprinkle of Australian Cheddar Cheese right to the edge of the crust". 

Domino’s ANZ Chief Marketing Officer Adam Ballesty has said that: "Never before had everyone’s favourite childhood, indulgent snack been combined with pizza, but it’s a match made in (cheese) heaven. 

“I’m sure everyone can attest to fond memories of enjoying a cheese toastie, and in fact, it’s something many of us still love, and very much miss, to this day.

“With Domino’s Cheese Toastie Crust, we wanted to offer everyone the comfort of a cheese toastie but elevate the experience by transforming it into a pizza crust."

The awful dirge is apparently a song called Cheese Toastie Love.

It is sung by David Novak of Sydney band Polish Club and Natalie Conway. 

"A song dedicated to the joining of the world’s greatest loves; pizza and cheese toastie." 

You'd feel sorry for them if it wasn't so awful. 

But wait. It gets worse. "Domino’s is helping to share the love by giving one lucky couple the chance to win their wedding catered by Domino’s!"