Sweet as: calling all sweet-toothed folk

Australia's first two Mövenpick brand hotels - the recently-opened Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer and Tasmania’s Mövenpick Hotel Hobart - are embracing their decadent Swiss heritage to bring guests an array of sweet ways to indulge over Easter. 

The culinary team at Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer are partnering with the ice cream chefs at Melbourne’s Kenny Lover (bizarre name that) to give their Mövenpick Ice Cream Parfait an Easter twist. 

The creation features Kenny Lover’s custom blend hot cross bun ice cream topped with an array of Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits and more. 

The dessert will be available throughout the month of April during the hotel’s Chocolate Hour from 3.30-4.30pm daily for $20 (it serves two people). No pre-bookings are required and both hotel guests and walk-ins can indulge. 

At Mövenpick Hotel Hobart, 'Chocology' packages (above) will be served in Tesoro Restaurant' from 2.30-4.30pm daily.

The sweet twist here is that guests and visitors can indulge in choc chip hot cross buns and Easter-themed cakes and tarlets made in-house daily by the hotel’s pastry chef. 

Those looking for something extra can add bottomless sparkling wine pours for an extra charge. Children are also welcome to join in the fun with a 'Little Sweet Treats' package for children 12 years and under. 

Mövenpick Hotel Hobart’s packages are available from April 1-30 with bookings required at least 24 hours in advance. 'Chocology' is $39 per person including the chef's daily selection of six house-made treats, one ice cream affogato and a glass of sparkling wine. 'Chocology+Fizz' is $64 per person. 

‘Savour the Moment’ Easter packages are available at both hotels including parking, breakfast, free daily Chocolate Hour plus the Easter Chocology tasting experience in Hobart and Easter Ice Cream Parfait in Melbourne. 

Rates at Mövenpick Hotel Melbourne on Spencer start from $329 per night and rates at Mövenpick Hotel Hobart start from $289 per night. To book, visit all.com 

Brewing up a storm on the Fremantle waterfront

After being isolated from the rest of the world, Western Australia has welcomed its first international and interstate arrivals. 

The border opening allows for safe travel into the state from interstate and overseas, with vaccination and testing requirements on arrival, pending the latest health advice.

Visitors can now check out the new Gage Road Brewing facility in hip and happening Fremantle, the port city just south of Perth. 

The new venue opened last month in the historic A Shed building at Fremantle's Victoria Quay. 

Built in 1926, the 100-metre-long dockside cargo shed at the entrance to the harbour has been transformed into a brewery, restaurant, bar and family-friendly venue – with much of the shed's heritage still retained throughout. 

Located right on the Walyalup Waterfront, the venue also includes a 100-metre strip of alfresco seating overlooking the ocean between Fremantle and Rottnest Island, from which Gage Roads took its name, plus a children's play area. 

Guests can sample the full range of Gage Roads beers on tap, poured direct from 16 different tanks, along with a rotating list of brewery-only exclusive brews. 

Executive chef Danny Sanchez is serving up small bites and share plates inspired by the sea featuring local produce, as well as woodfired pizzas. 

The brewery is part of Fremantle's Victoria Quay revitalisation project - which looks to develop the port precinct into a major tourism and recreation space.

On the right track: rail companies help Ukraine refugees

 

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Railway companies across Europe are coming to the aid of Ukraine citizens fleeing Russian brutality. following the invasion.  

Many European Union countries have introduced fast-track visa processes to allow quick entry for refugees and now rail companies have joined Wizz Air in helping move people.

Eurostar, the cross-Channel train operator, is offering free travel to Ukrainians entering the UK from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. 

The firm said that all those with a valid UK visa should speak to a member of Eurostar staff at Paris Nord, Brussels-Midi, Lille Europe or Amsterdam Central stations to receive their free ticket.

Rail companies in Poland, Germany, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Denmark and France have also launched similar schemes for those fleeing the conflict. 

This follows Wizz Air offering 100,000 free seats on flights across continental Europe departing from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia or Romania in March.

The UK Government, many of whose members are fast friend with Russian oligarchs, has not followed the EU’s lead in waiving limits to visa-free access. 

This is largely due to the intransigence of stone-hearted Home Secretary Priti Patel, surely the most inappropriately named politician on the planet. 

It has, instead, announced temporary concessions that allow elderly parents, grandparents, adult children and siblings of UK-based Ukrainian nationals to enter the country. 

Eurostar said: “To help Ukrainian nationals travelling to the UK, we can offer a free Eurostar ticket from any Eurostar station to London St. Pancras International.”

“It is important to arrive with the necessary visa documents, as these will be checked by the UK Border Force during the check-in process. 

"The UK government is regularly reviewing the criteria for Ukrainian refugees to enter the UK, so we would strongly recommend contacting the British Embassy or checking the UK government website for the latest information.” 

Major wine collection goes to auction

A wine collection amassed by Australian businessman Basil Sellers over 40 years goes under the hammer later this month. 

The wines cellared in Sellers' extraordinary home at St Jean Cap Ferrat in the south of France range from great Champagnes and first-growth Bordeauxs to labels including Penfolds and Henschke. 

This single-owner sale reflects the 40-year wine odyssey of Indian-born, Adelaide-raised Sellers. 

The businessman and philanthropist - who helps fund the Len Evans Tutorial - ranges from the Reynella Vintage Reserve 1963, to the wines of the Hunter Valley he encountered when he moved to Sydney; and finally to Europe where he was introduced to the great wines of France. 

Sellers built a remarkable collection at his Villa Cuccia Noya (above) and the wines will go under the hammer on March 24 at Bonhams in Paris. 

Treasures include examples from Sellers' his favourite châteaux and domaines such as Château Latour 1961 and several rare vintages of Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Cheval Blanc. 

Louis Roederer Cristal, Dom Perignon and great Barolos also feature alongside Grange and Hill of Grace. 

Sellers is a remarkable success story. He never went to university after leaving school at 16 but built a global reputation for his business acumen. 

For details of how to bid, see www.bonhams.com/live_auctions/27747/

Malaysia Airlines resumes flights to Australia

Malaysia Airlines has begun to reinstate its flights from Kuala Lumpur to Australia.

It said in a statement this week that with the full reopening of Australia’s borders for eligible tourists from March 3, the airline will be reinstating connectivity to Perth with twice weekly flights and five times weekly flights to Sydney.

Starting in April, frequency to Perth will be increased to five times weekly and seven times weekly to Sydney, it added.

Malaysia Airlines paused flights to Australia in 2020 amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The airline is the flag carrier of Malaysia and a member of the Oneworld alliance. 

The company headquarters are located at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and is owned by the Malaysian government's sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional. 

Malaysia Airlines traces its history ack to Malayan Airways Limited, which was founded in Singapore in the 1930s and flew its first commercial flight in 1947.

It was then renamed as Malaysian Airways after the formation of the Malaysia in 1963 and was also formerly known as MAS (Malaysia Airline System).

Milestone for an iconic Australian wine

A trend-setting Australian wine, De Bortoli's iconic Noble One, is celebrating 40 years of continued success. 

Since its first release in 1982, Noble One has been awarded over 182 trophies and 505 gold medals globally. 

It is one of the most awarded wines in history.

Darren de Bortoli created Noble One at the family winery at Bilbul, in the Riverina region of New South Wales in 1982. 

Today the "sticky" remains the benchmark of Australian botrytis dessert winemaking.

"It feels like only yesterday that Dad and I were asking the local growers to allow their grapes to go rotten." Darren recalls. 

"They thought we were both mad, yet here we are celebrating 40 years of Noble One and what a journey it has been. 

"One of my favourite memories from the early days of Noble One was being awarded the trophy for best sweet wine in the world at the International Wine and Spirit Awards in 1984 by Madame Odette Pol Roger. 

"At the time it was like a dream." 

 
One fascinating fact about Noble One is that there is no sugar added into the wine, the sweetness is all natural and comes solely from the semillon grapes. 

This makes it an ideal wine for pairing with blue cheese and pates, with the salty/savoury characters of the dishes balanced out the natural sweetness of the wine. 

See www.debortoli.com.au/