Facial recognition technology may remove the need for passport checks

European rail operator Eurostar is set to begin trials of a new biometric identity verification technology that promises seamless travel across national borders.

Created by identity, payments and data protection developer Entrust, the new system will allow travellers to register their face and passport ahead of travel for a touch-free journey through border checks, Travelmole reports.

No more passport scans. The way of the future?

Passengers embarking at London’s St Pancras International will use only their face to check in for their train, having registered their passport and facial image before travel. 

Using the Entrust Seamless Travel Solution, passport data will be automatically sent to UK Border Force to check.

The initiative is the first move into travel for Entrust, which said its technology meant travellers could also dispense with boarding passes and the need to show documents multiple times at different checkpoints.

It said: “The Seamless Travel Solution follows all regulations, does not retain personally identifiable information and encrypts all data in transit and at rest for maximum user security.

“Each traveller using the service can receive the option to store their digital travel credential on their personal mobile device, but this is not required.”

Gordon Wilson, Entrust’s vice-president identity verification, added: “As citizens of the world begin to travel again, now is the perfect time to bring this solution to the market.

“We are confident that the Seamless Travel Solution will help launch the world into a new era of travel, allowing travellers to feel safer and experience less hassle, while also enabling operational efficiency to both border agencies and the entire travel industry through digital transformation.”

High-speed Eurostar serves London, Paris, Brussels, Lille, the South of France and many more European destinations.

New Champagne collection offers the colours of Asia

Champagne Pommery has officially unveiled its 2021 World Collection: Céleste. 

As today is World Champagne Day, and as many wine lovers are already looking at buying Christmas presents, the new collection is worthy of attention. 

After choosing artwork that saluted Australia, South America, Japan and Africa in previous years, Pommery has chosen Asia as its next destination. 

The Celeste collection features five limited-edition bespoke gift boxes. 

The custom-created artworks draw inspiration from traditional Asian design, featuring colours embellished with ornate gold and silver foil patterns. 

The five-wine range includes the much-vaunted Pommery Grand Cru Royal 2008 vintage. 

The 2008 was a great one in Champagne and Pommery Grand Cru Royal vintage is blended from seven grands crus and has excellent ageing potential.

Maison Pommery is renowned for creating the ‘brut' style of champagne in 1874 under the reins of Madame Pommery. 

The cuvées available in the Céleste range are  the Brut Royal NV, Brut Rosé NV, Brut Apanage NV, Apanage Blanc de Blancs NV and Grand Cru Vintage.

It is a tough job but I will be tasting them over the next few weeks and updating this blog with my notes. 

The 2021 Céleste limited-edition range will be exclusively available through Qantas Wine from the end of  October, followed by all major stockists from mid-November 2021. 

A special treat for Perth wine lovers

Update: now sold out. 

Calling Perth wine lovers. 

If you are missing out on this weekend's UnWined Subiaco event there is another smaller, more personal tasting coming up in November. 

Cellar Door in the City at Roberto's on Bennett will run on November 20-21 - with the Sunday already sold out. 

Winemaker Gavin Berry from West Cape Howe (left) will be joined by Mike Kerrigan from Hay Shed Hill, Gill Graham from Mount Trio Wines and John Waldron from Risky Business for a casual event with canapes from 2-5pm. 

It will be an opportunity to taste over 50 wines from the four wineries, chat with the people that make them and also have access to one weekend only discounted prices.

Tickets are now on sale. 

See https://www.westcapehowewines.com.au/product/Saturday-ticket?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CDiC%20JULY%202021%20save%20the%20date&utm_content=CDiC%20JULY%202021%20save%20the%20date+CID_153549e096c013ca6d4bccc5fb073154&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=GET%20YOUR%20TICKETS%20HERE

Go small; go Yarra Valley

With restrictions easing in Melbourne today for those who are fully vaccinated, members of the Yarra Valley Smaller Wineries Association have brought forward their reopening dates and will be offering a range of experiences to Victorian wine-lovers - including picnics, tastings and new menus.

As the Yarra Valley is technically within Metropolitan Melbourne, the extended lockdowns have been particularly challenging for boutique wineries across the region, with many losing close to 90% of their direct cellar door sales over the past two years.

Members of the association are relieved to welcome guests back to their family-run cellar doors from today but all guests will need to provide proof of vaccination and check into each winery as per government regulations.

Some of the re-opening dates vary, so check before you travel.

Among the members are Steels Gate Wines cellar door and restaurant at Dixons Creek, which produces classic Yarra Valley varietals, as well as interesting Iberian wines including graciano and bastardo; Yering Farm Wines, a small, single estate winery, orchard and sheep farm; and Sutherland Estate, run by a former barrister and a former ballerina.

Others include Soumah of Yarra Valley (above), with outstanding wines, an authentic northern-Italian Trattoria and luxury accommodation; family-owned Warramunda Estate; boutique operation Whispering Hills, Brumfield Winery, Killara Estate with breath-taking views; Boat O’Craigo; Kellybrook Winery; Tokar Estate; Seville Estate; Seville Hill, Elmswood Estate and one of my personal favourites Mandala Wines, as well as Payne’s Rise.

For those looking for a feed as well as a wine tasting, Steels Gate Restaurant offers European, Asian and Indian fusion dishes with many of ingredients coming straight from the on-site garden; while Trattoria d’Soumah has a new menu for summer which will include antipasti boards, mains and wood-fired pizzas.

Celebrity chef has big kitchen plans

Celebrity chef Peter Kuruvita is striking out on his own again with the launch of Alba in Noosa Heads,  Queensland, in late November. 

Kuuvita established his reputation at Sydney's iconic Flying Fish from 2003 to 2011 before launching several venues in Fiji and most recently manning the pans for eight years at  Noosa Beach House at the Sofitel. 

A protegé of the late Tony Bilson, the chef of Sri Lankan heritage has a global reputation and is a well-known TV presenter. 

His new restaurant will be called Alba by Kuruvita and will encompass a café and pizzeria, cocktail bar, restaurant, providore, cooking school and event space. 

His signature dish, snapper curry, will be back on the menu. 

Situated on Alba Close and built on the site of the original Noosa White sand quarry, Alba is the Latin word for ‘white‘. 

The Alba Chefs Kitchen will be a creative space for cooking classes, private chefs‘ tables, and a complete studio kitchen.

Kuruvita's childhood experiences cooking with his grandmother in Sri Lanka inspired him to become a chef and incorporate spice and tradition into modern cuisine.

His three cookbooks, Serendip, My Feast and Lands of the Curry Leaf and five series of TV shows have further expanded his reputation. 

Alba by Kuruvita will be a relaxed all-day bar that offering that evolves into a stylish restaurant and cocktail bar as the day progresses. 

“It is really exciting to be building a new venue again from the ground up," Kuruvita said. "Working with the designers and developers - it is going to be a beautiful destination. 

"I wanted Alba to have a diverse range of offerings – there’s something for everyone! There’s a great opportunity to keep the surrounding community happy with the café, take-away wood-fired pizza and a boutique providore. 

"A stylish bar and all-day menu will draw golfers straight from the 18th hole at the bottom of the road, while the dining room will offer either intimate dinners or open up for large events."

Kuruvita is also excited by the cooking school. 

"I can’t wait to start on a cooking school and chef’s table program," he says. "We’ll even be able to hire the space out as a wired studio kitchen with camera solutions. It’s a chefs dream!”

For full details see www.albanoosa.com.au

Also new in Noosa are an Italian offering, a creperie and a revamped favourite. 

Sydney's Italian institution Lucio's is set to reopen an Aperitivo bar and river views at the Noosa Marina in late November. The restaurant will be run by Lucio Galletto's two children, Michela and Matteo, and Matteo's wife Dieuwke Albertsma, who was a chef at Lucio's for seven years. www.lucios.com.au

Flo's Creperie has recently opened in Noosa Junction with a range of savoury and sweet crapes and some vegan offerings. There is also a  cocktail menu. https://floscreperie.com/menu/

Long-time favourite Rickys Noosa, meanwhile, has recently completed an extension of its restaurant, creating more space and even more absolute Noosa River frontage. www.rickys.com.au/

For more Noosa info visit https://tourismnoosa.com/ 

A bath and a half for everyone

The quirky and eclectic village of Daylesford is known for farmgate trails, wellness warriors and holidaymakers looking to escape the big city for the perks and privacy of the countryside.

Daylesford and neighbouring Hepburn Springs are also well known for their hot springs and spas.

In the midst of the madness that was 2021, two of Australia’s most highly awarded accommodation operators embarked on a journey to build Australia’s best outdoor baths in Daylesford.

David and Mani  Penman are the operators of Clifftop at Hepburn and Samurai Villas, which featured here a few days ago. 

“We learned early on that its all about the bath," says David Penman.

"Bathing isn’t just about intimacy and comfort…there are real health benefits too. Immersive bathing increases body temperature and enhances the flow of oxygen.”

Clifftop at Hepburn offers a decadent choice of indoor and outdoor baths, from stone to blackwood, bronze, copper and stunning terrazzo marble. 

Clifftop’s new Samurai Villas boast a 2.6-tonne outdoor stone behemoth carved from a massive boulder (set in one of the state’s best Japanese gardens) and the new Precarious villa will showcase a camphor laurel wooden bath with fibre-optic lighting inlaid in resin (below) – the only bath of its type in the world.

 

And the Penmans are not resting on their laurels. There’s plans in hand for one-of-a-kind outdoor baths built on gigantic ethically-sourced logs weighting up to 20 tonnes each…and there is also talk of a treehouse with a bath!

For details and bookings see www.clifftopathepburn.com.au/