Meet the stunning new colour-coded Riedel wine glasses

Riedel is one of the finest stemware producers in the world. 

Established in Bohemia in 1756 and now based in Kufstein, Austria, family-owned Riedel is best known for its massive range of glassware designed to enhance the enjoyment of different styles of wines. 

New in the range for 2017 is the colour-coded Fatto a Mano (handmade) range; varietal specific, thin blown, unadorned, and standing tall on slender stems.

This range, however, has been assembled in a completely different way to any previous Riedel series. Fatto a Mano combines the most modern glassmaking technology – its machine-made bowl – with the sophistication of handmade glass – its elegant colour-coded stem and base. 

Family patriarch Georg Riedel said: “Our technicians convinced me that their automatically blown bowls are as high in quality as the finest mouth-blown glasses, when taking into consideration the even distribution of glass, thickness and lightness of weight."

The team began working on how to merge these two techniques and the result is a unique creation with hand-crafted stems and bases fused to machine-produced bowls.

The series includes six grape-varietal-specific shapes: Cabernet, Old World Pinot Noir, New
World Shiraz, Oaked Chardonnay, Riesling, and Champagne. Each glass sits at 250mm tall. 

The glasses stand apart thanks to their multi-coloured stems, which were inspired by ancient Venetian glassmaking traditions. The glasses are available in white, black, yellow, red, green or blue stems.
 
Each glass is packaged individually for $129.95, or can be purchased in a box of six, including all six colours, for $599.95. Fatto a Mano will be available to purchase from riedelglass.com.au and all good homewares retailers from later this month. 

Riesling lovers set for a week of wine excellence

Riesling lovers will be descending on Melbourne and Sydney in February, 2018, for the second Riesling Downunder festival. 

Established in 2001 as the biennial 'Frankland Estate International Riesling Tasting' – Riesling Downunder maintains an international focus and celebratory spirit.  

The event is the most comprehensive international Riesling experience staged in the Southern Hemisphere - consisting of tasting events and master classes for wine drinkers, industry and trade.

Riesling Downunder 2018, co-hosted by Frankland Estate, Jim Barry Wines and Pikes, brings together a group of passionate drinkers and winemakers who are committed to this noble grape and will run from February 2-7. 

Riesling Downunder will feature the largest and most diverse collection of rieslings to be seen in Australia under one roof," said Hunter Smith of Frankland Estate. "They will include some of the world’s most highly acclaimed rieslings. 

Key events will include a pop-up riesling bar on the banks of the Yarra River from Feb 2-6 along with more intimate tastings from over 70 producers. 

Sydney Town Hall will host a major tasting, under the rather silly name of Riesling Riot, on Feb 7. 

For details see: www.rieslingdownunder.com.au.  

From aquavit to tequila: A fun guide to creating the best cocktails

With mixed drinks enjoying a global surge in popularity, the timing is perfect for the release of the new guide Around The World in 80 Cocktails.

Australian mixologist and author Chad Parkhill has taken a light-hearted approach to this history of cocktails, from the early 19th century through to present day, taking in English, US and global influences. 

Cocktail barmen around the world now craft drinks made with ingredients as diverse as Mexican tequila and mezcal, Norwegian aquavit, Peruvian or Chilean pisco, Japanese sake and Brazilian cachaça. 

This is a guide to the classics - and to some more obscure drinks, enabling readers to drink their way around the world without having to leave their home bar.

The story of each cocktail comes with an easy-to-follow recipe from the surprising military history behind the Venetian Spritz; how the G&T moved from India to England (and why some of the best in the world are now made in Spain). 

Also, learn how France’s Burgundy region turned tragedy into triumph with the Kir.

The book is illustrated by vintage-styled artworks by Alice Oehr and also includes tips on bartending techniques and equipment, as well as advice on creating a well-stocked home bar. 

Around the World in 80 Cocktails is published by Hardie Grant Books in August, retails for $29.99 and is an appealing ode to the joys of travel, history, and drinking. 

Be the first kid on your block to have a copy:
http://bit.ly/80Cocktails

Three days of fun and cider at the Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival

What started off as a light-hearted idea four years ago has morphed into one of the biggest festivals in Tasmania. 

An action-packed weekend is planned for the three-day Huon Valley Mid-Winter Festival at Willie Smith's Cider from Friday to Sunday. 

The largest wassail in the Southern Hemisphere and the inaugural First Nations storytelling event are just two key elements expected to attract over 15,000 people to the festival. 

The wassail, to be held on Saturday night, is a tradition from the West Country in England and is said to wake up the dormant apple trees and ward-off evil spirits to encourage a bumper harvest.

"We have less than 30 weekend passes left for sale and we’re expecting over 15,000 people will enjoy our unique three-day festival.” festival director Sam Reid said.

"Our event is quirky and colourful and we are so thrilled that people are embracing what we put together to come out in the cold and dark and help make this event such a success when just a few years ago there was nothing like this available.

"I’m stoked to see the weekend passes selling so well and it tells me that people really appreciate the quality and diversity of programming we have over the three days."

Reid said it was estimated the influx of tourists and visitors to the event would inject around $1 million into the local economy.

"To ensure on-going success, each year we have invested more into improving the event in terms of entertainment, logistics and facilities such as staging and audio to give everyone the best opportunity to hear and see the awesome array of performers we have brought together."

Festival highlights include:  

Friday, July 14: Welcome and Burning Mid-Winter Man ceremony, with stilt-walking storytellers, a fire-dancing troupe and the inaugural Tasmanian Aboriginal storytelling and First Nations artists featuring singer-songwriter Frank Yamma, along with Melbourne-based Celt folk-punk band The Ramshackle Army.

Saturday, July 15: The largest Wassail procession in the Southern Hemisphere led by the Jolley Hatters Morris dancers, a huge bonfire, a share of $1800 in prize money on offer for the best-dressed pagan and the second annual Storytellers Cup with $400 in prize money on offer.

Sunday. July 16: Family fun with children’s storytelling, kids art and craft activities, costume prizes and more live, local music.

There will be a range of local ciders, foods, wines and beers on sale on all three days, including Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans' Fat Pig Farm food truck, Home Hill Wines, Lady Hester Donuts, Mountain Pepper Pizza, the Cake Combi, Coal River Farm and Tasmanian Quartermasters.  

For details see: www.huonvalleymidwinterfest.com.au. 

Cowboy hats, country music and sweet, sweet wines

Take one patriotic American country music star, cowboy hat and all.

Add his love and dedication to "the Military, Veterans and our Flag!"

Throw in his live pledge of allegiance on Facebook every day. 

Add songs that have featured US Army General Tommy Franks and topics like love, war and shotguns as well as the hit "Billy's Got His Beer Googles On".

The obvious next step for Neal McCoy was to pop the cork on a new line of varietal wines.

Not just any wines, either. These are wines bottled in that hotbed of vinous excellence, Texarkana, Texas.

McCoy says the wines, with labels decked with the US flag and his own face "reflect the passion and loyalty that has fueled [his] life".

The McCoy vision, his press release says, was to source some of the finest tasting wines, representing the best of the vineyards from the finest regions around the nation.

“I am privileged the Neal McCoy /Nealbilly Wine brand is being launched for a new and old generation of wine drinkers," McCoy says in his press release. "Our wines today have just as much passion behind them as some of the finest wineries in Europe, while speaking to a new economy.

"Our Patriotic Set is a sweet series, and we also have additional varietals of four red and four white available.

"Neal McCoy wines are food-friendly and offer incomparable quality and value. Y’all check us out...."

So if you are looking for a trio of "Red Moscato, Moscato and the White Muscadine" for $US55, you know just where to go. https://nealmccoywines.com/ 

Do let me know how they taste, y'all.  

Up-to-date information a key to enjoyable travel

How many times have you looked in a guide book for up-to-date information only to find out later that a recommended restaurant serving that guinea pig you've always want to try has long since closed, or that highly-rated folk dancing theatre is now a porno cinema?

In a rapidly changing world, it pays to be on the ball with info: a little research might prevent you from booking into a previously perfectly adequate hotel that now offers views of a massive, and noisy, new freeway construction site. 

Or worse, that the No.12 bus now only runs twice a day and you are destined to spend several hours waiting for the next one. 

Search engines, websites and apps can all play a major part in ensuring a stress-free trip. 

A major holiday destination, Thailand, recently upgraded its Amazing Thailand and Tourism Thailand mobile apps to ensure accurate and timely travel information is at the fingertips of local and international tourists. 

In response to the way modern travellers seek services online, in particular on their mobile devices, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has developed mobile apps which give travellers instant facts and data on general tourist information or more niche services. 

The English-language Amazing Thailand mobile app is aimed at helping international tourists find data on attractions, tours, dining and accommodation. The Tourism Thailand mobile app, meanwhile, offers a similar range of services to local travellers with Thai language listings about events and attractions.

Both the Amazing Thailand and Tourism Thailand mobile apps are boast new features including maps, GPS and 360 VR images of destinations to enable users to easily find attractions and gain preliminary impressions of places of interest. Information can also be shared via e-mail and other social media platforms and email.

In addition, the Amazing Thailand mobile app also allows users to 'speak Thai' via an English-to-Thai translation dictionary, which can be voice-operated enabling tourists to find words they need to communicate with Thai people, shop owners or food sellers.

How very convenient should you urgently need a post office, or, even more urgently, be looking for the public toilets in some remote village in Nakhon Ratchasima. 

For more information, see http://mobile.tourismthailand.org/