Love cider? Love pork? Here is an event for you

The countdown is on to the inaugural Victorian Cider and Pork Festival - to be held over the Australia Day Long Weekend among the vines at Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley. 

Celebrating all things pomaceous and porcine, the two-day festival will be held over the Australia Day long weekend - on Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24.

The launch follows the success of a sister festival in Western Australia's Swan Valley over the past three years.

More than 75 international and Australian ciders will be on showcase, many ice cold from the tap, with the opportunity to sample some of Melbourne’s finest pork fare from 15 different food trucks and pop-restaurants. 

Among the local cider producers in attendance will be locals St Ronan’s Cider and Napoleone Cider & Brewery, along with Willie Smiths Organic Cider from Tasmania, Batlow Cider Co, Hills Cider, Custard & Co, Daylesford Cider Co, Flying Brick, Sidekick Cider, Granite Belt Cider, Aspall Suffolk Cider, Young Henrys and many more. 

The festival will also showcase over 60 different pork dishes from Melbourne restaurants and food trucks such as Fancy Hanks, Blue Bonnet BBQ, The Rib Joint, Pulled Kitchen and White Guy Cooks Thai, plus a pig on a spit and artisan beer producers from around Australia, including Stone & Wood, Young Henrys, Colonial Brewing Co and, from just down the road, Hargreaves Hill Brewing.

Masterclasses held over both days of the festival will enable visitors to make the most of the cider tastings and learn about varying ranges of ciders from France, Australia and the UK. 

The Australasian Barbecue Alliance - promoting low and slow barbecues within Australia – will be hosting an ABA-sanctioned barbecue competition at the festival and guests will be entertained with live music on two stages and a DJ stage featuring live bands, acoustic acts, DJs, buskers and roaming entertainment. 

General admission tickets to the 2016 Cider & Pork Festival costs $40 per person including a schooner of cider or beer. VIP tickets are $175.00 per person - and include exclusive access to the Rochford Restaurant and Garden Lounge area, two free drink tokens and access to one cider masterclass. 

Bus transfers will also be available from destinations in and around the Melbourne CBD and innercity suburbs to Rochford Wines and back – with shuttle bus also available between Lilydale Station and the Rochford campus. 

For details see www.ciderandporkfestival.com.au/VIC/

Are you drinking your wines at the right temperature?

Are you drinking your wines at the optimum temperature?

That may seem like a silly question as most of us drink our whites straight from the fridge and our reds from the wine rack but the fact is most of us are drinking our whites too cold and our reds too warm.

A recent study conducted by Taylors Wines showed that 80 per cent of Australians are drinking their red wine ‘at room temperature’. And while this might seem normal, the warm Australian climate is actually having a negative impact on the flavour of our reds.

The idea of drinking red wines at room temperature comes from France, where living rooms were generally in the chilly 14˚C-16˚C range.

In Australia, temperatures in summer are considerably higher and drinking red wine at 24-25˚C or more can rob wine of its finesse and flavour. Likewise, serving a white wine too cold can mask its flavours and aromas, making its acidity more pronounced.

Research done by TayIors showed 77 per cent of Australians enjoy a cool glass of white fresh from the fridge, while 21 per cent serve it directly from the freezer.

Taylors Wines third generation managing director Mitchell Taylor says this is an issue that affects most Australian wine drinkers. “Temperature is a vital piece in making sure wine is enjoyed at its very best,” Taylor says. “While our winemakers take great care to ensure our wine is of utmost quality and value, the Australian climate is not so great for storing and drinking wine.”

Taylors believe they have found a solution to temperature troubles with their latest label innovation.

Now featured on the back of Taylors Estate and Promised Land ranges is the Optimum Drinking Temperature Sensor – a temperature sensor which uses thermo-chromatic ink technology that changes colour depending on the temperature of the wine, turning green when the white or sparkling wine is just right to pour, and turning fuchsia for the red wines.

It is believed to be the first time the technology has been used in an educational application.

Taylors' chief winemaker Adam Eggins suggests putting a red wine in the fridge 30 minutes prior to serving. This will give the wine time to chill to the optimum drinking temperature, turning the back label’s small seahorse sensor to a bold fuchsia colour.

As for whites, he suggests pulling a white wine from the fridge 30 minutes prior to opening as this will give the wine enough time to warm a little, opening the wine's aromas and flavours.  

Lanterns shine a light on Japanese artistry

One of the unexpected highlights of my Hokuriku Shinkansen trip to some of Japan's less-visited regions has been a small gallery in a tiny town. 

The Mino Washi Akari Art Gallery in Mino City, Gifu Prefecture, hosts a superb exhibition of lanterns made from local paper. 

These lanterns are used in a local festival held each autumn and represent stunning artistry.

All these images were taken with my iPhone but I hope they give you some idea of how impressive these illuminated lanterns are. 

# The writer was a guest of Tobu Top Tours on a trip to promote the new Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train route from Tokyo to Kanazawa, which opens up new areas of 

regional Japan to overseas visitors. 

www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/shinkansen/hokuriku-shinkansen/

Qantas flies twice daily to Tokyo via Sydney (Sydney-Haneda) or Brisbane (Brisbane-Narita). The Brisbane-Narita flights are operated by the refurbished A330 aircraft, with lie-flat seats in Business, brand new economy seats and new in-flight entertainment. The Sydney-Haneda flights are operated by a B747, which features the refurbished A380 interior.www.qantas.com 

A delightful rustic vineyard escape for couples

Rutherglen, the wine capital of north-east Victoria. has any number of motel and bed and breakfast options for visitors. It now also has a delightful vineyard cottage for two tucked away in a rural location just outside town. 

Moodemere Lake House, situated on Lake Moodemere Estate, offers comfort, relaxation, and tranquility. 

The broad deck and living area provide views of Lake Moodemere (think pelicans and the occasional platypus), while the bedroom faces the extensive vineyard. The setting is idyllic, bucolic....take your pick of superlatives. 

With only one house on the site, privacy is guaranteed. The double bed is extremely comfortable, the bathroom clean and modern and with all facilities - including television reception. 

A complimentary bottle of Lake Moodemere wine is included (if you are lucky you might get the outstanding 2013 Shiraz Cinsault blend), along with provisions for a cooked breakfast. A late check-out is included in the very reasonable tariffs, which start from $220 per night midweek. 

When in season, a bowl of fresh oranges from the nearby orchard is provided, and a couple of Peronis in the fridge is a thoughtful touch. 

A number of wineries are within strolling distance and golfers are spoilt for choice with three championship golf courses within a 30- minute radius.

Golfers can also test their skill with the Great Lake Moodemere Hole in One Challenge at the estate cellar door where the green floats in the lake. The cellar door serves excellent light lunches and is just a short stroll from the rental accommodation. 

Guests are offered a private wine tastings from the owners, who are part of one of the region's most famous winemaking families. 

There are over 100 species of birds, including eagles and swans on site and native wildlife such as echidnas and kangaroos are regular visitors. 

A walk around Lake Moodemere, and along the Murray River will take around two hours and is an ideal way to work off any winery excesses. The track is also suitable for mountain bikes and horses. 

Lake Moodemere Estate is a working vineyard and farm. The changing seasons offer opportunities to get involved, ranging from grape picking to watching the shearing shed in action.

All with the restaurants and other attractions of Rutherglen just five minutes away. 

For bookings phone Lake Moodemere Wines on (02) 6032 0449.

www.moodemerewines.com.au

Miles of Japanese smiles

I am this week midway through a famil trip to Japan that aims to promote the new Hokuriko Shinkansen train route to lesser-visited regions. 

There is a lot to discover - but what has impressed me most is the warmth with which the Japanese people greet visitors. 

Here are just a few of the smiles I have encountered. I hope you enjoy them. 

# The writer was a guest of Tobu Top Tours on a trip to promote the new Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train route from Tokyo to Kanazawa, which opens up regional Japan to overseas visitors. 

www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/shinkansen/hokuriku-shinkansen/

Qantas flies twice daily to Tokyo via Sydney (Sydney-Haneda) or Brisbane (Brisbane-Narita). The Brisbane-Narita flights are operated by the refurbished A330 aircraft, with lie-flat seats in Business, brand new economy seats and new in-flight entertainment. The Sydney-Haneda flights are operated by a B747, which features the refurbished A380 interior.www.qantas.com 

Crittenden Estate offers a very different wine tasting experience

Forget jostling with fellow wine lovers at a tasting bar while a lone cellar door person attempts to pour and describe wines for several groups who all arrived at the cellar door at different times, and who all want to sample something different. 

That's the old-style cellar door experience; which is on its way out as cellar door visitors seek a more fun and informative a tasting experience. 

Siblings Rollo and Zoe Crittenden, the second-generation vignerons at Crittenden Estate on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, have embarked on an exciting new era in wine tourism with the opening earlier this year of the Crittenden Wine Centre, a dedicated wine education centre where guests get a personalised tasting experience.

The Crittenden Wine Centre aims to give visitors to the Crittenden Estate family farm an insightful and fulfilling experience, encouraging them to taste and learn about the wines at their own pace in seated, relaxed environment.

Rollo Crittenden said the centre - a delightfully light and bright space - represented “a new model for wine tourism, designed to optimise the enjoyment and learning experience of an Australian winery". 

"The Crittenden Wine Centre is a place where people can come to learn as much as they desire about our wines and the local region at a pace of their choosing," he said. 

Upon arrival, visitors are welcomed and given an introduction to Crittenden Estate before being offered a place to sit and asked which varietals they are most interested in tasting. Visitors are then presented with tasting notes in either written form or via interactive presentations on electronic tablet devices, and experienced and qualified wine educators are on hand to guide them through the wines.

Crittenden Estate is well known for the diversity of wine styles it produces, which makes it an ideal venue for a tasting centre of this kind, with up to 26 wines available for sampling.

Crittenden Estate produces wines from the Mornington Peninsula’s signature varieties of pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as Italian varieties under the Pinocchio label, and Spanish varieties under the Los Hermanos label. 

Family patriarch Garry Crittenden said: "The time was right to create a tasting facility such as this on the Peninsula, as it is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading wine tourism destinations.

"We aim for visitors to leave our new home feeling relaxed, engaged, fulfilled and well-informed about our wines. It’s a more personal approach to wine tasting, and people are really enjoying it.”

And, of course, visitors can enjoy an excellent dining experience either pre- or post-tasting at the excellent Stillwater at Crittenden restaurant, or stay overnight in the recently-refurbished Lakeside Villas accommodation suites. 

Crittenden Estate was first planted in 1982 and is home to some of the oldest vines on the Mornington Peninsula. Garry Crittenden is one of the pioneers of the region’s wine industry and has been acknowledged for his work in championing Italian varietals in Australia. 

But with Rollo at the winemaking helm and Zoe leading the marketing charge, the second generation at Crittenden Estate is now making its own mark.

Crittenden Estate, 25 Harrisons Road, Dromana. (03) 5981 8322.
www.crittendenwines.com.au.