Push your wine boundaries in Tasmania this weekend

Are you a lover of cool-climate wines that push the boundaries? Are you in Tasmania this weekend? 

If so, the news is good all round with Sailor Seeks Horse Wines holding their latest Vino Amigos tasting series - this one called Wild Amigos. 

Joining the Sailor Seeks Horse team of Paul (above) and Gilli Lipscombe at their winery/tasting room at Port Cygnet Cannery on Sunday from noon-4pm will be two other cutting-edge boutique producers from Tasmania: Luke Andre from Sonnen and Rory Duggan from R. D’Meure. 

Chris Allen from Wildflower will have his beers on offer at the Cannery Bar, alternative country singer Lou Bradley will be performing and there will be the usual Sunday Session happenings at the Cannery with house-made pizzas and other gourmet treats. 

Entry and tastings are free and wines by the glass and bottle will be available for sale. See you there.  

Discover one of the tiniest distilleries in Australia

The Tasmanian cultural hub of Cygnet is known for its gourmet adventures, boutique wine producers and many artisan cafés and galleries. 

It is now also home to what is believed to be the smallest boutique distillery on the island state - and possibly in Australia.

Cygnet is 40 minutes south of Hobart in the Huon Valley and is where Harry (above) and Brooke Moses were co-founders of Pagan Cider. 

In early 2020 they turned their attention to distilling and plan to eventually produce a range of gins, vodkas, brandies and whiskies in their home distillery in Cradoc, just out of town. 

They are off to a most impressive start after kicking off the business in February last year. 

"We felt it was logical that our next step should be to start Port Cygnet Distillery and pursue a long-standing interest and passion for distilling," Harry Moses said.

"I am proud to have one of Australia's smallest distilleries, using a 30-litre copper pot still, and making just 50 bottles per batch. The distillery is now our family business.

"My gins are intentionally heavy with botanicals, and consequently are rich, smooth, and elegant."

The distillery is zero waste excluding packaging (although ceramic bottles made by local potter Ian Clare will be re-released soon). 

Cooling water is recycled, spent botanicals are composted, cleaning products are all organic, compostable, and used for garden bed preparation and plant watering. 

The current range includes Foundation Gin, Kaffir Lime Gin and Raspberry vodka. At our Christmas party, I created a Cygnet Stinger cocktail from the Foundation Gin, Hartzview Apple Liqueur and bitters. It proved a hit all round. 

The entire range is artisan-produced and beautifully presented - and a cherry vodka is on the way. 

"My grandfather on my Mum’s side created the Cherry Ripe recipe when working for a Melbourne confectionary company,: Harry Moses says. "He then started his own company but obviously didn’t have the rights to that product.

"For some reason cherries keep popping up in the family." 

For details see www.cygnetdistillery.com.au/ 

Airlines under pressure from new Covid outbreaks

Airlines around the globe are continuing to feel the effects of the ongoing Covid-19 virus with Thai regional carrier Bangkok Airways the latest to cut flights.

A new wave of Covid-19 infections and lockdowns across Thailand has forced Bangkok Airways to cut back on services and close its airport lounges, all of which are shut until the end of January, along with service kiosks.

Bangkok Airways has also suspended routes linking the Thai capital with Sukhothai and Trat with immediate effect until the end of the month, Travel Mole reports.

It is also pushing back the launch of new routes.

Bangkok to Hat Yai will now be introduced on April 1, while the new Bangkok to Khon Kaen and Mae Sot routes will begin on May 1 and June 1 respectively, the airline announced.

The launch of all three routes was already pushed back from November and December 2020.

In addition, the airline says it is reducing frequencies on several established routes until the end of February.

These include Bangkok services to Koh Samui, Lampang and Chiang Mai.

Covid cases have surged in Thailand since late December and the Asian nation has now recorded nearly 10,000 cases in total.

Authorities say many cases have been linked in recent days to cockfighting and illegal gambling houses, with officials urging the public to stay away from them.

Bangkok Airways has been flying for over 50 years to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, India, Laos, Malysia, Singapore, Maldives, Myanmar and Vietnam.

In Europe, Ryanair has said it may cut all flights from the UK and Ireland from the end of January as it blasted governments in both countries for their "draconian" approach to Covid.

Another budget carrier, EasyJet,  has confirmed it is axing flights from the end of this week, after which it will operate only a small handful of key domestic and international routes.

British Airways, meanwhile, has cancelled its holiday bookings over the next few weeks after initially continuing to sell package deals despite the national lockdown.

 

Turning wine into gin proves a success

What do when your wine grapes are smoke tainted?

RedHeads winemaker Alex Trescowthick found himself with smoke-affected tempranillo, grenache and graciano fruit from the bushfire-hit Adelaide Hills that had been destined for the Vin’Atus label in 2020.

The small-batch winery in the Barossa Valley instead decided to use the fruit to craft its own gin.

“Throwing the wine away was the last thing we wanted to do,” Trescowthick said.

“The wine wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t quite fit for our Vin’Atus label as we could detect some level of smoke taint. So we thought, why not try distilling it?

"It wasn't going to make the cut for the Vin'Atus label, where it was destined, but it could make a good gin... so off to the local distiller it went.

“The gin has a smooth and rounded mouthfeel with botanicals at the forefront followed by a woody presence."

RedHeads Gin is available through the Studio Bar located at 258 Angaston Road, Angaston, or through the winery website at www.redheadswine.com It retails for $70.

Summer's here and the time is right for going painting in the street

Malaysia has a long history of street art culture.

Just about any street may feature a burst of colour - or an artwork with a message.

Tourism Malaysia just released some lovely images of murals in Klang Valley and the northern region of Malaysia, so I hope you enjoy them as an appetiser for when we can all visit again. 

   

Tasmanian wine pioneer dies

The Tasmanian wine industry is mourning the death of influential winemaker Peter Althaus. 

Swiss-born Althaus, a former IBM executive, died at the age of 79, just two years after selling Domaine A/Stoney Vineyard to Moorilla owner David Walsh. 

He ran Stoney Vineyard/Domaine A for 30 years, establishing a stellar reputation for Bordeaux-style reds. 

Along with his wife, Ruth, Althaus saw potential in Tasmania as an ideal location and latitude to produce cool-climate wines and played a key role in Tasmania's emergence as a serious player in the wine industry. 

They purchased Stoney Vineyard, the oldest winery in the Coal River Valley, in 1989 from George and Priscilla Park, who planted the original single-acre 16 years earlier. 

Releasing their first wine in 1990, the Althauses continued to produce wines at the site until 2018 when they sold the winery to David Walsh and handed the reigns to Moorilla’s winemaker, Conor van der Reest.

"Domaine A is a remarkable brand we are proud and grateful to remain custodians of," the Domaine A team said. "We will continue to honour his winemaking legacy in each bottle we produce."

Althaus's death followed a New Year's Eve fall in his native Switzerland.