A little taste of Tasmania heads for Sydney and Melbourne

Cool-climate wines from Tasmania are all the rage right now - and some of the best boutique producers will be featured at the upcoming VIN Diemen tastings in Sydney and Melbourne. 

The event will showcase sparkling wines, riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and some surprises, along with cider and some delicious island produce. 



Tickets cost $50 including a Plumm REDa glass to take home. 

Wineries involved include Bay of Fires/House of Arras, Bream Creek, Delamere, Derwent Estate, Devil’s Corner, Domaine A, Ghost Rock, Glaetzer Dixon, Goaty Hill, Holm Oak, Jansz, Josef Chromy, Moores Hill, Nocton, Pipers Brook, Spring Vale, Tamar Ridge/Pirie Tasmania and Tolpuddle along with Pagan Cider and Bruny Island Cider.

Tasmanian produce will be available through the Seafood Restaurant @ Spring Vale Winery, which will offer a Tasmanian menu for purchase. There will also be Huon Aqua seafood and Bruny Island Cheese products to sample and purchase.

The dates and venues are: 

Melbourne: Sunday, August 21: 11am-5pm: Meat Market, North Melbourne. 

Sydney: Saturday August 27 11am–5pm at the Cell Block Theatre, National Art School, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst. 

For booking and further details visit www.vindiemen.com.au/

In Melbourne, there will also be a dinner featuring 10 wines, five winemakers and four courses at 7000 by Pure South in the upper level of the Southgate building. 

A hand-picked list of wines from Bream Creek, Josef Chromy, Spring Vale, Moores Hill and Ghost Rock Winery will be showcased, along with a special menu devised by executive chef David Hall including new-season scallops, Wagyu beef and rare-breed pork. 

The dinner will be on Saturday, August 20 and costs $125 per person. 7000 by Pure South Dining, Upper Level, Southgate Precinct, Southbank, Melbourne.

For bookings call 03 9699 4600 or email 7000@puresouth.com.au

Meet the remarkable winemaker behind Arrogant Frog

Just over a decade ago, a wine revolution occurred in Australian supermarkets. 

A Frenchman with a sense of humour started selling wines with critter labels to Dan Murphy's and BWS stores. 

Featuring a cartoon frog on the label, the wines labelled Arrogant Frog took off in a major way. They were soon followed by another label from the same producer; Vignobles Paul Mas. 

The wines hit a nerve with Australian buyers; offering French style at a bargain price point. Even today, Arrogant Frog wines retail for $9.99 and Paul Mas wines for $7.99. 

The man behind the brands, and several others that have followed, has helped transform the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France; from a reputation for cheap and nasty wines to one for great value. 

Jean-Claude Mas, a suave one-time motor racer and global entrepreneur, is the Frenchman who has cracked several wine markets other French producers deemed too hard.

Mas, a fourth-generation vintner, paved a new path for French winemakers, taking on the New World wines that were dominating overseas markets by adopting a fresh and fun approach to both brand and winemaking. 

That meant screw caps, fun labels and a sustainable approach in the vineyards, where yields were slashed and quality elevated. 

"When new world wines started to kick us out of the market I knew there needed to be a change, and we were in the right place to do it,” Mas said. 

"We never expected to make such an impact, and the first year in Australia was soft, but then the brand took off. The Australians shared our sense of humour, as did the Dutch and the Canadians - and we are now the No.1 imported brand in Italy.

"We may be big, but we behave like real vignerons and respect our fruit.

"Now we continue to evolve the brand and keep it fresh, to keep the new world wines on their toes! Wine is not a product, it is an experience - and that is our approach."

French wine is now reclaiming its place in the Australian market growing at 9.1% in sales since March 2015 while the overall wine category experienced a relatively flat 1% growth in sales over the same period. 

Today, the Arrogant Frog wine label alone sells close to 6 million bottles a year around the world. 

The Arrogant Frog labels have just been given a tweak; across all new vintage 2014 and 2015 bottles, including Arrogant Frog Lily Pad Viognier, Arrogant Frog Ribet Red Cabernet Merlot, Arrogant Frog Ribet Sauvignon Blanc, Arrogant Frog Shiraz and Arrogant Frog Syrah Rose now rolling out now nationally. Here's the new look: 

IGNI puts Geelong on the serious fine dining map

Award-winning Chef Aaron Turner, who soared to fame with his innovative cuisine at Loam in Drysdale, is back from a stint in the United States, and returned from holiday, and cooking up a storm at his hip new IGNI eatery in central Geelong. 

IGNI, which sees Turner again working with former Loam collaborators Drew Hamilton and Joanna Smith, opened in February and there is no menu.

Guests chat with the wait staff and are then recommended a five- or eight-course degustation featuring dishes chosen by the kitchen.

IGNI's focus is on the open kitchen's charcoal grill and five courses cost $100 (or $160 with matching wines) and eight courses $160 or ($245 with wine). 

Guests are presented with a menu describing what they have eaten at the end of the evening (which depend on seasonal availability and the chef's whim) - and there is a fascinating wine list from which to choose.

All-in-all an energising and enjoyable experience that is highly recommended (other that one meat dish that was both fatty and gristly). It pays to book well in advance.

Dinners Thursday to Saturday with lunches on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.  

IGNI is at 2 Ryan Place, Geelong. (03) 5222 2266. www.restaurantigni.com.  

The guru has spoken. Australia's wine bible released

It is the book you find in just about every winery in Australia; and in the homes of the vast majority of wine lovers. 

James Halliday is the guru of the Australian wine industry. Love him or find his omnipresence annoying, he is the man the wine business cannot ignore. 

The launch of the new Halliday Wine Companion annual is eagerly awaited by producers anxious to see if their rating has gone up or down, and by aficionados eager to pick up a bargain if Halliday has praised a small or lesser-known label. 

The 2017 edition hits the bookshops on August 4 with notes on the best of over 9,000 wines tasted by Halliday and his able cohorts Campbell Mattinson and Tyson Stelzer. 

The new release contains more than 1300 winery profiles (including 68 newcomers), full tasting notes for almost 4,000 wines, a best-of-the-best listing of wines by variety, a list of the best five-star wineries in each region, vintage charts and a regional index. 

All of the top seven sparkling wines are from Tasmania, six from House of Arras, and there are the usual sprinklings of 98s and 99s. To discover them all you'll need to buy the book. 

The six major awards are: 

Wine of the year: Best's 2014 Thomson Family Great Western Shiraz 
Winery of the year: Mount Pleasant, Hunter Valley  
Winemaker of the year: Sarah Crowe, Yarra Yering, Yarra Valley
Best-value winery of the year: Larry Cherubino Wines, Western Australia
Best new winery: Bondar Wines, McLaren Vale
Dark horse winery: Arlewood Estate, Margaret River

Halliday Wine Companion is published by Hardie Grant and retails for $39.99       

Cider Bar fulfills a doctor's passion

Wherever you go in the world you'll find wine bars, cocktail bars and bars devoted to artisan beers. Less common are bars with a cider focus like The Cidery Bar and Kitchen in Sydney.

The Cidery is one of the latest projects of plastic surgeon turned hotelier Jerry Schwartz, who loves the idea of matching a range of ciders with different foods.

The Cidery, a comfortable, laid back venue, is located at Schwartz's Rydges World Square Hotel and is a real family affair as it highlights his brother-in- law Richard Feyn’s Sydney 
Cider range, which is produced in-house at the hotel.

The new bar, which does also serve beer, wines and cocktails, is focused on matching cider with food. In summer, it has an outdoor deck perfect for people watching. 

“I have been married for five years and my wife’s brother has been trying to let loose on the Australian market with his cider,” Schwartz said.

“You don’t need as much space to make cider as you do to make beer so the area underneath World Square seemed perfect for launching this idea.

“The response so far has been fantastic."

Cider maker Richard Feyn

Feyn likes to see Sydney Cider served in a wine glass. "We think of it as apple champagne," he says. "More and more people are enjoying cider, just as they are enjoying craft beers." 

Rydges World Square food and beverage manager Evan James says the chance to sample several different cider brands with foods had proved extremely popular with both hotel guests and workers from nearby offices.

Among the dishes matching well with ciders are pork and slaw sliders (delicious!) with the sweeter Sydney Cider Agave and Ginger), and a cheese board with lavosh and muscatelle grapes. A shredded duck salad has proved another winner, as has slow-cooked ribs cooked in Sydney Cider. 

There are daily specials, a chilled vibe and tours of the basement cider operation on Wednesday afternoons.

The cider list (there is something you don't see often) also features name like Napoleone and Co from the Yarra Valley, Batlow Cider, Apple Jacks, Pippin Dry from New Zealand and The Hills Cider from the Adelaide Hills, along with more commercial names like Rekorderlig.

The Sydney Brewery, owned by Schwartz and with beers that are brewed in the Hunter Valley but filtered and bottled in Sydney, contribute names like Pyrmont Rye IPA, Surry Hills Pils, Paddo Ale and Glamarama Summer Ale to the artisan beer list.

Schwartz, who has a large portfolio of hotels, says he enjoys juggling several projects at the same time. 

“It is not a challenge for me; in fact, it is great fun to have so many different things happening at once,” he said.

“Having my own venues has also really helped launch this cider in Sydney. A lot of wannabes try to establish their own breweries and 'it might be nice' stuff but they just can’t find anywhere to distribute it.”

Wasting no time between ventures, Schwartz says his next project will be the launch of a premium whiskey, The Spirit of Sydney.

The Cidery, Rydges World Square Hotel, 389 Pitt St, Sydney. (02) 8268 1888. http://theciderybar.sydney/
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One of the biggest days on the wine calendar: Wynnsday

The Wynns winemaking team

It is one of the most eagerly awaited dates on the Australian wine calendar. For a few decades now Wynnsday - the launch of the new premium wines from Wynns Coonawarra Estate - has been held on the first Wednesday of August. 

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the six wines from the 2013 and 14 vintages - and what a collection it is.

Winemakers Sue Hodder and Sarah Pidgeon, aided and abetted by viticulturist Allen Jenkins, have put together perhaps the most consistently excellent Wynnsday collections I can remember - and I go back to the first Wynnsdays in Coonawarra in the 1980s, when jovial Peter Douglas was the chief winemaker. 

Chief winemaker Sue Hodder

The fruit across both vintages is uniformly of top quality, the use of oak astutely judged. 

The 2016 collection aims to showcase Wynns’ house-style and includes the Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (RRP $44.99), V&A Lane Shiraz 2014 ($59.99), V&A Lane Cabernet Shiraz 2014 ($59.99), Harold Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($79.99), Michael Shiraz 2013 ($149.99) and John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($149.99).

There are usually one or two clear standouts each Wynnsday. This year all six are excellent, reflecting the work that has been put in both in the vineyards and the winery. These are, effectively, boutique wines from mega international company Treasury Wine Estates.

“In 2013 we chose several of our older, and beloved, classic terra rossa soil vineyards for our John Riddoch, Michael and single vineyard wines," says chief winemaker Hodder. "It is pleasing to acknowledge these special parcels from a great year. Good ripening conditions after a wet winter resulted in wines with fine but abundant tannins.

“In contrast, the very wet winter and slightly above-average summer temperatures of 2014 combined with very low yields. The 2014 Black Label Shiraz and Cabernet and also the two V&A Lane Wines are, by comparison, more linear and medium bodied.

”I think the work that has been done in the vineyard is reflected in the wines. There is balance and when the textures are right, flavours follow."

Originally, Wynnsday marked the day that trade would visit the winery to taste and order their wines for that year. The event was always held on a Wednesday and still today the winery chooses this day to release the collection.

Next year will mark the 60th vintage for Wynns’ much-celebrated Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon. To celebrate, Wynnsday in 2017 will feature a tasting of all 60 vintages to show the changes in style to the wine over the years. My hand is certainly up for an invitation.

In the meantime, here is a brief rundown of the new releases given Hodder describes 2013 as "a really excellent vintage, as good as 2010 for balance and finesse". 

The two top wines now have recommended retail prices of almost $150, but Hodder says: "We are confident they are still good value given the wine quality".   

Black Label 2014  Cabernet Sauvignon: Initially lean, leafy and elegant in a Bordeaux style, but it opens in the glass gaining richness and intensity. Very poised. Good buying. 

V & A Lane 2014 Shiraz: Rounded, silky and very precise with hints of spice and brioche alongside bright berry fruit. 

V & A Lane 2014 Cabernet Shiraz: A classic blend with delightful balance. Silky and smooth and quite rich despite low alcohol levels. 

Harold 2013 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: A gentle wine with beautiful balance, with briary fruit combined with excellent structure. Long and lingering.

Michael 2013 Shiraz: Very textural and wine that needs time to mature. Layered and considered and it opens in the glass but definitely one for the cellar. 

John Riddoch 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon: One of the finest John Riddochs I have had the pleasure of tasting. Supple, stylish and downright fabulous. A vinous supermodel.