"Best in the world". Why you can't believe a word you read

Today I received a press release with the headline: "Aged Barossa fortified wine named best in world".

Now I get a lot of press releases that stretch the truth, but this one wasn't even close to being correct.

It turned out that a Barossa Tawny from 1847 Wines/Chateau Yaldara won a double gold medal and the fortified wine of the year award at the China Wine and Spirits Awards.

That doesn't make it the best in the world. China is a country where many people mix their red wine with Coke to make it sweeter.

It means this wine, which incidentally is owned by a Chinese company, was named the best fortified at one of hundreds of wine shows held around the world each year. At that one show. In China.

Owned by Chinese-born Sydney businessman Arthur Wang, the Barossa winery expanded from a boutique cellar in Rowland Flat in 2014 when the company bought the nearby Chateau Yaldara winery, estate, vineyards and brand.

1847 Wines/Chateau Yaldara sales and marketing manager Barry Wyld said the the award-winning 40-year-old Tawny sells for $600 (RMB¥3000) a bottle, with the the vast majority sold in China.

“You can have all the raw ingredients sitting there but its how it’s blended together that’s the skill,” Wyld said.

“It’s blended more to the Chinese tastes – China is a massive market for cognac so the sorts of taste cues you get from expensive cognac are the sort of things they’re looking for in their fortifieds.”

So the headline should have read: "Fortified wine made to appeal to Chinese tastes wins award at Chinese show."

Far less sexy, but far more accurate. But look out for that "best in the world" story in your daily paper. A lot of media won't even bother to check.

In fact, it has already appeared in the flag-waving Barossa Herald: 

www.barossaherald.com.au/story/5619748/barossa-aged-wine-named-best-in-the-world/ 

# Follow-up. The team from 1847 pointed out the "best in the world" claim was not made by them but by an over-enthused South Australian Government publicity agency.   

Farewell Brown Brothers, Hello Brown Family Wine Group

Farewell, then, to Brown Brothers as a trading name. As of the weekend Brown Brothers is no more and the overall business is known as Brown Family Wine Group.

 
"The importance of creating an environment where each of our five incredible brands can equally thrive has never been more appropriate,” says executive director Ross Brown of the new name for the 130-year-old family business. 

The family has evolved from a single brand to a family of brands that now includes Brown Brothers, Devil’s Corner, Tamar Ridge, Pirie and Innocent Bystander. 

The family says that the time is right to support each individual brand under a company umbrella that clearly links to family heritage and philosophy. 

“In choosing the name it was imperative that family was at the heart of it so that people could see we remain a fiercely independent family wine company that is positioning itself for generations to come,” Ross Brown says. 

Many of the Brown Family members are involved in the business with Eliza Brown a board director, Cynthia Brown; a board director, Katherine Brown a winemaker and Caroline Brown public relations and corporate communications manager. 

While the trading name will change, the Brown Brothers wine label remains intact. 

Dean Carroll, Brown Family Wine Group CEO said: “It’s such an exciting time within the company and this change signifies our deep respect for what the family and company have achieved to date. It also sets the direction for our aspirations for a sustainable future as a family wine company that authentically builds brands and leads categories.” 

Special deals on new Australian outback resort

The Australian outback is not really my thing. Too hot by far - and no vineyards either. 

But there are many travellers for whom the outback is heaven and it is for them that I report a new resort has just opened in Broken Hill. 

Out of the Ordinary Outback has just opened its new $5 million Broken Hill Outback Resort, which it says will help meet growing overseas demand for holidays in the bush. 

Adjacent to a historic but abandoned desert pub that has been brought back to life, the new resort has cabin, caravan and camping accommodation. 

The bar and bistro in the refurbished hotel, along with 40 camping and caravan sites, opened on August 31 while The Coach House fine dining restaurant will open in a few weeks along with an additional 40 camping and caravaning sites.

Stage three in November will see the unveiling of 24 king spa cabins, each featuring an open-air deck spa and king-sized bed. 

Stage four with a swimming pool, playground and bush trails through the surrounding dunes - is scheduled for development in 2019.

Surrounded by the rugged Barrier Ranges, 13km east of Broken Hill, the Broken Hill Outback Resort is designed to help visitors experience the essence of the Australian outback in comfort.

The resort surrounds the historic Mt Gipps Hotel, which was built in 1890 and was popular with miners, soldiers, artists and travellers before closing in 1987. 

Out of the Ordinary Outback bought the hotel in 2015 and has completely restored and renovated the neglected heritage building. 

The ambitious project has been a labour of love for Out of the Ordinary Outback owner and passionate outback lover, Scott Smith. 

“I fell in love with this old desert pub when I first saw it,” Smith said. “I had a vision to bring her back to life as the centrepiece of a vibrant but relaxed outback resort and, while it’s certainly been a challenging journey, I am delighted the vision is now turning into reality, with visitors now able to enjoy the ambience of the outback and the charms of the historic hotel just 10 minutes from Broken Hill.”

To mark the opening of the Broken Hill Outback Resort, campers and caravaners using the powered or unpowered sites and new state-of-the-art camp kitchen, can book for three nights and get a fourth night free.  Powered sites are $40 a night.

Bookings are now also open for the resort’s spa cabins, which will cost $150 a night for one person and $170 for two people.

Until the end of November, resort guests can also save $50 each on Tri State Safari’s one-day tour of Mutawintji National Park, which offers ancient Aboriginal rock engravings, traditional Dreamtime stories told by indigenous custodians and the chance to spot native wildlife in its natural habitat. 

For more information visit www.brokenhilloutbackresort.com.au or call 1300 688 225. 

Escape to Orange for a different wine experience

Orange is one of the funkiest country towns in Australia with a vibrant wine and food culture. 

The Orange Wine Festival runs from  October 12-21, including two weekends, with a wide range of gourmet events. 

Now in its 13^th-year, the much-anticipated 10-day festival showcases the best new-release, cool-climate wines and spring produce from Orange and its surrounding villages, across more than 90 different events, making it the ideal time to visit the region.

Tickets to signature Orange Wine Festival events are now on sale, with program highlights including:

The Vino Express: Enjoy a three-day Sydney-to-Orange return journey packed with culinary experiences, showcasing the best wines, produce and dining on offer in Central Western New South Wales. Available across two weekends October 12-14 and October 19-21, The Vino Express package includes train tickets, accommodation, events and dining, from $897 per person.

Orange Wine Show Tasting and Masterclass: Sample and judge local wines from the Orange Wine Show. Choose from more than 200 all in the one room, matched with local produce, on October 12, for $60 per person. Enhance your tasting experience and wine knowledge by including a masterclass hosted by Rikard Wines winemaker Will Rikard-Bell, for $75 per person.

Orange Wine Festival Night Market: Spend the twilight spring hours perusing more than 50 food and wine stalls dotted around leafy Robertson Park, on October 19. Meet local winemakers and chefs, dine at communal tables and enjoy live music under the stars, with a gold coin donation for entry.

Wine in the Vines: Journey through the vines from winery to winery on this one-off tour led by local vignerons on October 20 . Go behind the scenes of cellar doors and enjoy a roving lunch with matching wines, transfers and a bottle of local wine to take away, for $149 per person.

For more information and tickets to Orange Wine Festival visit www.orangewinefestival.com.au.

# Orange is a 3.5-hour drive or one-hour flight from Sydney over the Blue Mountains. At an elevation of 600 to 1000 metres, it is the highest wine-growing region in Australia, fast becoming known as one of the country’s premier cool-climate wine regions. 

Meet Bar Two: a Tasmanian wine bar with a mission

Launceston, Tasmania’s second city and the gateway to the Tamar Valley, has a new wine bar. 

Tucked away off Brisbane Street is Bar Two: which offers a range of Tasmanian wines, gins and produce. The name means Tasmanian Wines Only. 

Bar Two is owned by Nathan Cairns, whose family run the Tasmanian Organic Wine company in the Liffey Valley. Cairns had long dreamed of a “little hole in the wall bar”.

 “I thought it was just a good time to open a little hole in the wall, friendly, fun, neighbourhood kind of bar that just happens to have a good selection of Tassie wine,” he said when I popped by recently. 

“I come from a bar background and I’ve always wanted to do a bar. Wine should just be about fun, good food, family and friends just hanging and drinking without feeling intimidated or being bored.”

Cairns said he spent a “long, long” time visiting small vineyards across the state to stock the bar. “Every wine has a story,” he said. 

Think local wines like Wellington and Wolfe, Sharmans, Freycinet  and Chartley Estate, local cheeses, bar snacks and cool jazz. 

Bar Two is on the ground floor of 47A Brisbane Street, Launceston, directly under Cinco Passiones, a bar which offers single malt Tasmanian whiskeys and handmade cocktails. 

Discover the myriad tastes of Macao: for free

Sydney and Melbourne residents will get the chance to enjoy the flavoursome tastes of Macao during the month of September. 

Macanese food is the world's first fusion cuisine, drawing on the flavours of Asia, Portugal and Africa, and 2018 is the Macao Year of Gastronomy.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has created a colourful food truck offering a pop-up taste of Macao that will be parked at a number of major locations in Sydney and Melburne dishing out free samples of African chicken, pork chop buns and ever-popular Macanese egg tarts in Sydney.

In Melbourne, diners will be treated to African chicken and pork chop buns and traditional serradura pudding.

For three hours each day from September 3 to September 8, the truck will be parked at key Sydney CBD locations as Circular Quay, Martin Place and Central Station as well as in suburban Parramatta and Chatswood.

The truck will then venture south to Melbourne to cater for hungry guests in Carlton, at Federation Square, St Kilda and South Bank (September 14-18).

A former Portuguese enclave of 650,000 residents, Macao was recently designated by UNESCO as a
Creative City for Gastronomy and is celebrating everything food throughout 2018.

SYDNEY LOCATIONS (noon-3pm)

Monday, Sept 3 – Circular Quay East 

Tuesday, Sept 4 – Martin Place 

Wednesday, Sept 5 – Henry Deane Plaza, Central Station

Thursday, Sept 6 – Centenary Square, Parramatta

Friday, Sept 7 – Spring St, Chatswood

Saturday, Sept 8 – Spring St, Chatswood

MELBOURNE LOCATIONS (noon-3pm)

Friday, Sept 14 – Carlton

Saturday, Sept 15 – Federation Square (noon-5pm)

Sunday, Sept 16 – Federation Square

Monday, Sept 17 – St Kilda

Tuesday, Sept 18 – South Bank Spillway 

For details on Macao and its food:  www.visitmacao.com.au