A sweet deal for lovers of sticky wines

Calling lovers of serious sweet wines. 

De Bortoli Wines are celebrating the 40th year of  Australian wine icon Noble One Botrytis Semillon with an exclusive Limited Edition release. 

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition comes with a vintage wine from each of the last four decades, showcasing the potential longevity of Noble One.

Only 40 Limited Editions were curated and autographed by Darren de Bortoli, who first pioneered the production of Noble One in 1982.

De Bortoli believed that conditions in the Riverina region were ideal for sweet white wine, and crafted Australia's benchmark "sticky".

The long warm days interspersed with showers of rain and heavy morning dews during autumn, are ideal conditions for botrytis cinerea mould (known as Noble Rot) that produces intensely flavoured sweet wines. 

Noble One has been awarded over 182 trophies and 505 gold medals, with every vintage winning multiple awards.

The Noble One 40th Anniversary Limited Edition includes the 1984, 1993, 2004 and 2018 vintages, 

The collections are available exclusively available at the De Bortoli online shop for $2000 per Limited Edition.

Visit www.debortoli.com.au/nobleone40thanniversary

Wine range doing its bit for homeless dogs

Calling all dog lovers who enjoy an affordable red wine.

Sit Stay Society Wines has just launched its new range - the Big Dogs - with.50c from every bottle purchased going to animal welfare organisation PetRescue.

The range includes: Sigurd’s Shiraz 2021 (Langhorne Creek), Teddy’s Tempranillo 2021 (Adelaide Hills) and Chester’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Langhorne Creek). 

The elegant and very varietal cabernet is the star of the show - and excellent midweek drinking. The bigger shiraz will also have fans for its bucaneering style. 

Following the initial launch of Sit Stay Society's half bottle wine range in 2020, the new 750ml formats are designed for those with a more compelling thirst.

Sit Stay Society donates from every bottle purchased to PetRescue. To date, Sit Stay Society has raised more than $200,000 for PetRescue.

PetRescue’s data over the last two years highlights that dogs of bigger breeds take 58% longer than small dogs to find a new home once they arrive in shelters or foster care.

The new range emphasises the importance of supporting organisations like PetRescue to educate and engage pet seekers about the joys of bringing a big dog home as a family pet.

“PetRescue has grown to be an immensely helpful tool for connecting shelters and rescue organisations with people looking to adopt a pet," says Vickie Davy, PetRescue founder and director.

"The support of Sit Stay Society Wines ensures we can continue to invest in technology that gets pets into homes faster.

“Big dogs currently spend longer in shelters than smaller dogs, which is a difficult environment for a pet to be in. We are excited to extend our partnership with Sit Stay Society Wines and to encourage people to consider adopting big dogs!”

The Sit Stay Society Big Dog range will be available in store and online at Dan Murphy’s (RRP $15.99). See www.sitstaysocietywines.com.au.

Air emergency ends with passengers stranded in the dark

Imagine being on a flight that skids off the runway when trying to land in heavy rain.

Scary enough.

Then imagine being kept on board the plane for an hour after the captain shuts down the engines, which in turn switches off the air conditioning and lights in the cabin.

Imagine being kept on board the dark plane for an hour, with some passengers complaining of difficulty breathing, because the "international" airport is only able to provide two vans to take passengers to the terminal.

That is what we'd call a cock-up.

All this happened on Sunday night at Mae Fah Luang International Airport in Chiang Rai, the ThaiInquirer website reported.

The airline involved was budget carrier Nok Air and there were a reported 164 passengers and six crew on board.

Passenger Warangkhana Wongchai posted on Facebook that passengers were told by cabin crew that protocols meant passengers are not allowed to stand on the runway - and as it was raining passengers were required to remain on board until airport vans arrived.

"The passenger evacuation plan is very bad; very slow," she said.

So passengers waited over an hour on board before being evacuated on emergency slides!

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has said it will investigate.

Nok Air said in a statement on Monday that the passengers were kept on the plane because they were unable to connect the stairs to the exits of the plane and, in the end, they opted to use the emergency slides instead.

The Phuket News reported the plane involved was a Boeing 737-800 which had flown from Bangkok's Don Meaung Airport.

No one was injured in the incident but Chiang Rai Airport remains closed until Wednesday. The plane's landing gear was reportedly damaged.  

Photo: Warangkhana Wongchai/Facebook

Mitchelton links with indigenous artist

Victorian winery Mitchelton has collaborated with celebrated indigenous artist Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi for its new releases.

Mitchelton is home to an indigenous art gallery and winemaker Victor Nash will launch a new range with the artist at the winery's Nagambie estate on August 19.

Three of the artist's original works are featured across the Gabriella Possum Heathcote Shiraz 2020; Gabriella Possum Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2020; and Gabriella Possum Nagambie Rosè 2021, the Gabriella Possum 2020 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir and the Gabriella Possum 2021 Ancestral Method 2021 Riesling. 

The collections sell for $234 for a six-pack. 

The wines were all made with fruit sourced from Mitchelton's vineyards in Nagambie, Yarra Valley and Heathcote.

The Mitchelton Gallery of Aboriginal Art was established by Adam Knight and Gerry Ryan OAM, who share a passion for Indigenous Australian art.

The gallery was created to provide an inspiring new space for locals and visitors to experience the artworks of Australia’s First People. Works on display are representative of over 15 different art centres and communities throughout Australia. 

For details visit mitchelton.com.au.

Air Asia X returns to Australia

I have always been a fan of low-coast carrier AirAsia X, despite a recent frustrating experience with its online booking portal.

The service delivers what you pay for; and the food is tasty.  

The medium- to long-haul affiliate airline of AirAsia will be back flying to Australia from November after a prolonged hiatus - and tickets are now on sale.

There will be flights from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne (Tullamarine), Sydney and Perth in Australia, as well as to Auckland in New Zealand from November 1.

AirAsia X has plans for 13 routes to be operating this year, including New Delhi, Seoul, Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka and Honolulu, as well as London, Dubai and Istanbul.

AAX will recommence with three weekly flights to each Australian destination and will gradually increase the frequency to daily flights by the first quarter of 2023 to meet strong pent-up demand, the airline said in a press release.

Fares are now on sale from Perth to Kuala Lumpur from $209 and from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur from $359.

AAX CEO Benyamin Ismail said: “We are thrilled to recommence our services to Australia and New Zealand as a core part of our expansion strategy with our famous great value fares for medium to long-haul travel.

"We are also pleased to announce our return to Melbourne Airport [rather than Avalon] which offers more flexibility and connectivity for our guests travelling to and from the state of Victoria.

“In 2019, we flew over a million guests to both countries, which shows that Australia and New Zealand are important markets for us and we connected the same number of Australians and New Zealanders to Malaysia and across Asean."

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said: “AirAsia X flew out of Melbourne Airport for a decade, and we know our customers will be thrilled to have them back here. With a significant network beyond Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia X provides a one-stop service into much of India and South-East Asia, which is particularly valuable for international students or Victorians looking to visit friends and family overseas."

AirAsia X offers three seating classes - Economy, Quiet Zone and Premium Flatbed.

Not the usual suspects: Six Penfolds Collection wines that deliver value

The new Penfolds Grange release - to which I gave 99 points - is priced at $1000 a bottle, which makes it very much a treat for collectors and the wealthy. 

Fortunately for regular wine lovers there are several wines in the new Penfolds Collection - released on Thursday - that ordinary mortals can afford. 

I tasted the range with chief winemaker Peter Gago and fellow Australian wine writers in Melbourne a few weeks back, so here are some of my best buys, and a couple worth splashing out on: 

Penfolds 2020 Bin 28 Shiraz: A multi-region, multi-vineyard offering utilising fruit from McLaren Vale, Barossa, Padthaway and the Clare that highlights the strength of the Penfolds blending team. Warm and welcoming; like catching up with an old friend. Dark and spicy - a classic winter warmer. $50.

Penfolds 2021 Bin 23 Pinot Noir: This has, for me, traditionally been one of the weakest links in the Penfolds' range but this 100% Tasmanian wine gets it it absolutely spot on. Classic cool-climate aromas and flavours deliver a very vaarietal wine that combines vibrancy and elegance. $50.

Penfolds 2020 RWT Bin 798: Serious complexity, intensity and flavour here. This is dark and very alive with some soft swagger and style to add to its serious structural elements. A day at the races. Top hat and tail please! $200 - and worth a splurge. 

Penfolds 2019 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: A delightfully varietal young red sourced from prime Coonawarra vineyards, this has immediate upfront appeal with summer pudding flavours to the fore. A brilliant, focused wine that will certainly cellar well and is worth a wager. $300.

Penfolds 2019 St Henri Shiraz: Darn close to perfect and for my money the best-value wine in the range. As usual, very much in the groove for those looking for a youthful but serious red wine choice. Glorious forward fruit flavours with oak playing a minor support role. Charming and approachable. $135. 

Penfolds 2020 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz: Classic Barossa that shines in its youth. Warm and inviting and very plush on the palate. Plummy and spicy with Asian nuances. Complexity and minerality add to an attractive package. Pair with Chinese roast duck. $100.