Where in the world would you find the thirstiest wine lovers?

Where would you expect to find the world's thirstiest wine lovers?

When it comes to global wine consumption, you’d expect France, Italy, or Spain to come out on top as the world’s biggest quaffers of alcoholic grape juice.

But it turns out the heaviest drinkers can be found on a tiny, remote island just off the coast of Australia. The people of Norfolk Island love a glass of wine or two, new data released by expat website Movehub reveals.

Norfolk Island is an Australian isle more than 1400km from the mainland and just 8km long. The locals spend more on wine per capita than anywhere else in the world, with the 1,500-strong population spending nearly $850 per year on vino. 

The findings came from Movehub’s annual Wine Consumption Study, which looked at the spending habits of people all over the world in both on and off-trade.

Each islander spends on average over £486 each year on wine, the equivalent of almost 78 bottles, or a magnum per week - also a global high.

Switzerland, where locals spent £462 per capita, was second, ahead of Bermuda, Sint Marteen and the Cayman Islands.

Norfolk Island was first settled by Polynesians, but was eventually settled by British migrants as part of its settlement of Australia from 1788.

Norfolk Island has just one winery; Two Chimneys, which was established by Rod and Noelene McAlpine in 2006. 

You'll find the full study results here: www.movehub.com/blog/wine-consumption-spend-worldwide

Four fascinating day trip destinations from London

Travelling by train is one of the most scenic and relaxing ways to discover the real Britain. A fast, frequent rail network means you can escape London and be as far away as Scotland in as little as four hours.

Here are four quick and easy journeys that can easily be done in one day:

Bath



This delightful city in south-west England was settled by the Romans because of the hot thermal waters, and the Roman Baths are still a centrepiece of the city.

The Victorians came here to take the healing waters and to shop: as a result, Bath today is a mix of ancient culture and upmarket boutiques, historic Georgian architecture and classic cafes.

Check out the city's famous Georgian terraced houses, the restored Roman facilities and bring your togs for a dip in the mineral-rich waters of Thermae Bath Spa. Around 1½ hours from Paddington Station.

Norwich



This lovely city in East Anglia is one of Britain's best-kept secrets.

A cathedral city on the River Wensum, it is well worth a journey off the beaten track and is largely undisturbed with old buildings and quaint shopping arcades, as well an excellent outdoor market.

The city boasts a very impressive Norman cathedral, a well-preserved castle keep and many old lanes along which you can wander and find wonderful bookshops and quirky little places selling antiques and trinkets.

Less than two hours from Liverpool Street station.

Brighton



Brighton, on the South Coast, is one of Britain’s buzziest beach towns, even if the beaches themselves are disappointing.

Check out the Indian-styled Royal Pavilion, enjoy the views from the top of the futuristic BA i36, the world’s tallest moving observation tower or go shopping in the town's famous lanes.

Browse the bookshops and antique stores in the North Laine district. The city is surrounded by magnificent countryside. Brighton is just an hour from London by train.

Trains run regularly from Victoria, London Bridge and St Pancras International and take around an hour.

Warwick



The home county of William Shakespeare, Warwickshire is full of historic sites, castles and the beautiful green rolling fields of the English countryside.

In the town of Warwick itself, you can explore some inspiring historic sites ranging from the medieval Collegiate Church of St Mary to the magnificent Warwick Castle.

Or take a trip down the River Avon in an electric motor boat, canoe, kayak or pedalo.

It takes around 1/12 hours by rail from Marylebone Station to Warwick.

McLaren Vale's new wine wonderland throws down the gauntlet to MONA

It's been McLaren Vale's most talked-about project for a couple of years - and now d'Arenberg's Cube is finally open in time for the holiday season. 

The ambitious project, part-restaurant, past-tasting room, part-museum, is envisioned as bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the wine region 40km south of the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

d'Arenberg owner Chester Osborn says the opening is "the realisation of a 14-year dream" and the five-storey $15 million glass-encased steel and concrete structure - inspired by Rubik’s Cube – has a unique architectural twist. 

The two top floors are askew, rotated on their axis, just as if you’d twisted your Rubik’s Cube – which both architects and builders agree have made it the most difficult project on which they’ve ever worked.

As visitors approach the entrance there’s a haunting background sound, created by a local DJ but the instrument making it is a weather station. As the weather changes each of eight parameters (temperature, humidity and so on) talk to a unique musical playback system along a range of keys, tones and volume.

But it’s inside the Cube where Chester’s imagination has run riot, stretching the limits of technology and challenging visitors from the moment they enter through mirrored stainless steel doors that fold back, origami-style.

Guests are confronted by an upended black and white bull cradling a polygraph (lie detector) control panel, the first exhibit in what Chester describes as an Alternate Realities Museum in which everything has more than one meaning, and everything is wine focused.

“I never wanted it to be compared to MONA (Hobart’s famous Museum of Old and New Art),” Chester says. “This is, after all, a cellar door – but it’s also an art gallery. Like MONA there’s a bit of sex and death in here, but it’s really all about wine and alternate realities. Everything has a double or triple meaning.”

The bull and the lie detector, for example. Many winemakers talk about organics and biodynamics without any real commitment … to which Chester’s art installation screams “BS”.

Chester backs his less than subtle art choice with 200ha of certified biodynamic vineyards, making d’Arenberg the largest biodynamic winemaker in Australia.

Next, two peep shows – one housed in a rusty old oven, the other in an ancient refrigerator – show six hours of six people (including Chester) partying while drinking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. 

There’s also the Sensory Room, for example, with 44 wine flagons mounted on bicycle handlebars, each connected to a bike horn with rubber puffer. Beep the horn and inhale – what a hoot.

“We’re trying to get the senses really alive and excited by now,” Chester explains.

Given that d’Arenberg produces 72 different wines under 60 labels there are plenty of aromas to choose from.

Just around the corner is the 360 Experience with a circular video depicting various artists’ impressions of each group of d’Arenberg wines, or what Chester describes as “an interdimensional voyage through the alternate realities inspired by the visual art of our labels.”

There's history here, too, with the company founded by Chester's great- grandfather Joseph Osborn founded 105 years ago. 

There’s a lift to the upper floors but mirrored stairwell features caricatures of d’Arenberg’s range of wines by Australian cartoonists. 

The second floor is a multi-function space for tastings and blending classes, while the third floor houses the d’Arenberg Cube restaurant.

South African husband and wife team Brendan Wessels and Lindsay Dürr are in charge here, with menu options including a “long” degustation lunch, the Sisypheanic Euphoria (allow up to three hours) and an “extra long” lunch, the Pickwickian Brobdingnagian (allow at least four hours). 

The top floor is an all-glass tasting room – four glass bars made up of 115 televisions featuring opaque projections of a naked female underwater swimmer, floor to ceiling windows on all sides – even a glass ceiling, with 16 two-tonne glass panels topped with 16 massive umbrellas that automatically retract and fold in a gale.

The d’Arenberg Cube opened to the public on December 14 (although the winery put some noses out of joint by trying to embargo the news until two days later). Not even Chester, much as he'd like to, can control the news. The new facility is open daily 10am-5pm.

Tasmania gets a new boutique cellar door

The Huon Valley, Australia's southernmost wine region, got a boost this week with the opening of a new boutique cellar door.

Kate Hill Wines, based in a lovely converted country cottage and surrounded by newly-planted vines, was officially opened in Huonville in front of a crowd that included family friend Andrew Wilkie MP.

The tasting room will be open from Friday to Monday and offer samplings of wines that range from Kate's 2011 vintage sparkling to her Huon Valley pinot noir.

The facility is just across the valley from Tasmania's most successful pinot noir producer; former Jimmy Watson Trophy winner Home Hill.

Kate Hill and her husband Charles moved to Tasmania in 2006 after she spent several years making wine across several Australian regions for Orlando, as well as working in France, California and Chile. 

Kate Hill has her own winery in a converted timber shed just down the road in Huonville and will continue to source fruit from growers until her own vines reach maturity. 

With a young family, they are making a leap of faith in selling directly to the public. "We've really moved out of our comfort zone, but these are exciting times," she said.

"We are excited to be offering another experience for locals and visitors to the Huon Valley and hope we can contribute to the community." 

Kate Hill Wines, 21 Dowlings Road, Huonville, Tasmania. Friday to Monday, 11am-4pm. www.katehillwines.com.au. 


     

A dozen wines for the 12 days of Christmas

I am fortunate enough to taste thousands of wines over the course of a year. 

Some I am able to review in newspapers or magazines, others on my various blogs, or perhaps just recommend on social media. 

There are always some terrific wines that slip through the cracks, however; perhaps after I've reviewed too many wines made from one grape variety or too many from the same producer. 

Here are a dozen wines for summer enjoyment, something for every budget, almost all of which can stand being chilled as the mercury rockets over the holidays. 

I hope you are able to track down and enjoy at least one or two of them.

ANGOVE LONG ROW Chardonnay Pinot Noir Sparkling Wine $10. 
A cracking choice when cheap and cheerful fizz is required; crisp, clean and refreshing. Enjoy well chilled with Christmas and New Year toasts.

BERTON VINEYARDS METAL RANGE 2017 The Vermentino $12.
If you are looking for an affordable thirst-quencher with plenty of fresh lemon and pear flavours then you've come to the right place. A perfect party wine. 

RUTHERGLEN ESTATES NV Classic Muscat. $22.
Looking for something to pair with the Christmas cake or pudding? This classic style of rich and luscious fortified from north-east Victoria will do nicely. 

ALTERNATUS 2017 Fiano. $23.
Looking for a chilled glass or two to pair with freshly shucked oysters? This wine made from a fast-emerging Italian grape steps up with its lively fresh palate. 

RUN FREE 2017 Riesling $25. 
A crisp and delicious dry young riesling from the Singlefile winery in the Great Southern of Western Australia.The citrus notes here are a perfect match for seafood.

REDMAN 2015 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. $30.
The wines from the Redman family in Coonawarra are on a brisk upward trajectory. This is a regional classic, floral and dark with Christmas cake flavours and lots of length.

LONGVIEW 2017 Fresco Nebbiolo. $36.
Made in a "Vino Novello" style by the talented team at Longview in the Adelaide Hills, this is excellent in its youth and with its cherry and spice notes would be great with turkey. 

TERRE A TERRE 2015 Cabernet Franc $40.
Look for lighter-style cabernet franc to become all the rage in 2018. This is a very good example, full of vibrant fruit and well-integrated French oak. 

TAPANAPPA 2016 Piccadilly Chardonnay. $40. 
From the Croser family vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, this is an exceptionally good-value chardonnay.Classy with structure, stone-fruit flavours and brisk acid. 

MARCHAND & BURCH 2016 Mount Barrow Pinot Noir $60. 
A collaboration between the Burch family of Howard Park fame and Burgundian producer Pascal Marchand; this is a bright, savoury and silky pinot. 

CHAMPAGNE JEEPER Brut Grand Assemblage. $95.
From one of the smaller, private Champagne Houses, this is a standout blend of largely chardonnay with smaller amounts of pinot noir and pinot meunier. Fine and long. 

HENSCHKE 2014 Mount Edelstone $225.
The perfect choice if you want to push the boat out with the Christmas turkey; a beautifully balanced single-vineyard shiraz from the cool Eden Valley. All class.      

Leading female winemaker ousted in Coonawarra

At a time when gender politics are under the microscope like never before, it would take a brave wine company to replace one of Australia's leading female winemakers with a young male just a week before Christmas. 

Particularly if that winery owner is a Chinese company that has only recently taken control of a long-established family winery for which said winemaker has worked for 12 years. 

Sandrine Gimon, the French-born senior winemaker at Rymill Estate (below), has been told that her services are no longer required. The news apparently came as a surprise and she was offered a redundancy with short notice. 

Other staff, including an assistant winemaker and a vineyard manager, have also departed recently, although apparently for completely unrelated reasons.

"Redundancy" in Gimon's case is an interesting term as you generally need a winemaker to produce wine. 

Gimon travelled extensively between 2000 and 2004 including in Romania, the Swan Valley, Languedoc Roussillon and Pomerol. She joined Rymill Coonawarra in July 2005 and was appointed senior winemaker in November 2008.

She is married with two young children and lives locally. She was a recent Len Evans scholar.

I contacted Rymill's long-standing Sydney-based PR Alex Burgener to ask about Gimon's retrenchment and was told: "It is true that Rymill Coonawarra has undergone some restructuring and Shannon Sutherland has just been appointed the new role of general manager (not starting until mid-January 2018).

"With this in mind, Sandrine was offered and accepted a redundancy package."

Sutherland started at neighbouring Jack Estate for the 2012 vintage and has worked vintages in Great Western, Marlborough, Hastings River, Napa Valley, Okanagan Valley, Beajoulais and Geelong. 

Andrew Cheesman from Rymill got back to me at 9pm on Tuesday, pointing out that an independent consultant had advised that the Rymill business needed to go in a new direction and the decision had little to do with the owners.

"We needed someone with business skills and other strengths to take control of the business," Cheesman said. "We have given Sandrine what we consider to be a very fair financial deal and we love her and respect her dearly. 

"We believe the way we acted has been sensitive and appropriate."

Gimon said she was "saddened and surprised" but recognised Rymill's prerogative to make changes. 

She will join the Coldstream Hills lab for the 2018 vintage in the Yarra Valley before seeking a full-time job in Victoria, her husband's home state. 
  
Some advice to any winery planning to remove a long-standing and successful female employee (I was told not to use the "sacked" word) with a younger male. Put out a press release stating your reasons. 

And preferably don't make a decision a few days out from Christmas, without an announcement, in the hope it might get overlooked. 

# Chinese businessman Gang Ye purchased Rymill from the Rymill family 13 months ago - his first wine investment. The Rymills no longer have any equity in the business.