An arresting wine and food experience

 

A unique destination; a new chef, top-notch wines.

Sound like your style of event?

Barossa wine producer Hentley Farm is to partner with Olivine wine bar for a one-night-only wine experience inside the former HM Prison Pentridge in Melbourne.

Limited to 45 guests, the Hentley Farm Wine Experience dinner will be hosted by Olivine’s Michelin-trained executive chef Tom Hoy across two of Pentridge’s unique spaces - the Reflection Garden (above) and The Long Hall.

For those who missed the news, Pentridge has been transformed into a world-class hospitality destination.

Hentley Farm’s Nicholas Goss, a qualified winemaker and viticulturalist, will introduce the wines, while a former Pentridge prison guard will offer insights into what life was like behind the bluestone walls.

Guests will dine in B Division’s Long Hall - the dramatic backdrop for a seated, four-course dining experience.

Thinks appetizers like goat cheese and beetroot; chicken liver parfait, apple gel and almond tuile, and dishes including octopus carpaccio with roast pepper salsa, and roast duck breast, cherry gastrique, charred radicchio and hazelnut.

“This is a rare opportunity - not only to taste the exclusive H-Block range and Hentley Farm’s most iconic and new release wines - but to also have it paired with a bespoke menu created by a Michelin-trained chef, the calibre of Tom Hoy,” said Destination Pentridge general manager Christian Price.

“We have created a carefully considered experience where wine, cuisine and storytelling are deeply connected.”

Guests can further immerse in the experience with an optional overnight stay at The Interlude - a boutique hotel with 19 heritage suites carved from former prison cells.

The Hentley Farm Wine Experience Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, July 18. Tickets are $210 per person. Bookings HERE.

Star wineries sign up for Hunter festival

Brokenwood, First Creek Wines, Hungerford Hill, Margan and Bimbadgen are among the wine producers to have signed up for the 2026 Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival.

Offering a day of local food, wines, brews, spirits and entertainment, the event is pencilled in for Saturday, July 11, at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley in Lovedale.

Festival goers will be able to taste wines from over 20 local producers also including Allandale, Petersons Family Wines, Gartelmann Wines and Gundog Estate.

Brewers and distillers including Steinbok, Pants Off, Phoenix Distillery, Wooden Axe, Kissofire Hunter Valley Liqueurs, CInCin Beverages, and Sydney Brewery.

Accompanying the drink options will be a range of dishes, including pizza, paella, curry, and artisan foods from local providers such as Goose on the Loose and Hunter Belle Dairy Co.

Masterclasses will be available as add-ons to general tickets. These will include a Dumplings and Wine Pairing hosted by Latitude 32 Wines; Beer & Cider pairing with cheese & crackers hosted by Sydney Brewery & Hunter Belle; and an interactive cocktail masterclass showcasing Pants Off Distillery’s spirits.

Live entertainment will be provided throughout the day on the festival stage.

General Admission tickets are available for $30pp ($40pp on the day) through Universe (booking fees apply). Tickets include entry into the festival, first drink up to the value of $8, memorabilia wine glass, access to 45+ wineries, distilleries and craft breweries, gourmet food vendors, live music, and other festival activities.

Families are welcome, with children accompanying adults receiving complimentary entry to the festival (ticket required when booking with an adult). A Kids Activities Pass will be available on the day for $10 per child, providing access to train rides, a jumping castle, face painting and more.

Parking is available at Rydges Resort and local transport operator Sip & Trip will be offering (paid) transfers to and from the festival with pick-up points in Newcastle and East Maitland.

 
Making the festival a potential weekend away,three of the Hunter Valley’s top chefs will partner with local wineries to present the Beyond the Pour Dinner on the Friday evening, July 10.

Matt Dillow from Gartelmann Wines’ Deck Café will join Gather executive chef Ran Kimelfeld, and Frank Fawkner of EXP (recently named Australia's Regional Restaurant of the Year) for a three-course meal celebrating the best local produce and wines.

See https://huntervalleywinefestival.com/beyondthepourdinner/

Rydges Resort Hunter Valley has accommodation packages available for the Friday and Saturday nights from $350 per night including accommodation, breakfast, entry to the Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival and a complimentary tasting glass.

See www.huntervalleywinefestival.com

The way to destroy Valentine's Day romance

 

It's Valentine's Day and you ae ready to pop the question. 

You've enjoyed a romantic three-course restaurant dinner and a couple of glasses of wine. The mood is right. 

You lock eyes with your loved one and are suddenly aware that your server is hovering. 

"Excuse me guys, but you've exceeded your two-hour time slot. You'll have to leave now."

Limited-time slots in eateries are the new normal, but to insist on them on a night when romance is in the air just doesn't seem right. 

Particularly when loving couples are already being charged inflated prices for "special menus" just because the date in February 14. 

But that doesn't worry the Hyatt Regency Sydney: which sent out a press release saying the hotel has "lot's to love this Valentine's Day".

Not only do they not know how to use an apostrophe, they apparently don't like romance much either.

Here is one of their offerings: a Valentine's Day Seafood Dinner at Sailmaker Restaurant:

"Treat your date to Sydney's most indulgent and sustainable seafood experience at Hyatt Regency Sydney's Sailmaker Restaurant, with an unforgettable evening of wining and dining.

"Enjoy a glass on [I think they mean of] premium sparkling on arrival, then tantalise your tastebuds with an elevated three-course seafood dinner featuring seasonal produce from local suppliers that is fresh, flavourful and sustainable. To finish your evening, a sweets trolley will see Valentines-inspired desserts prepared and served tableside.

"Wednesday 14 February from 6pm-9:30pm (2 hour sitting). $99 per person."

We've got your $200+. Get out. We need your table.