Are sommeliers on the nose with wine drinkers?

A good sommelier is a gift from the heavens.

A warm welcome, an insider wine tip. Good somms can turn a good evening into a great night.

But it seems that the current generation of somms are not resonating with restaurants guests as their predecessors did.

Earlier this week, I posted a tongue-in-cheek piece about whether AI bots could replace flesh-and-blood wine operatives.

To my surprise, my social media feeds got a lot of anti-somm feedback. Particularly in Australia.

"How how will it [AI] maintain the wankerisms and condescending manner?" asked one wine industry insider.

From a very well travelled international journalist: "I suppose as long as the AI version doesn't look down at you and shake his or her head disdainfully, I'm OK with it!"

And more, this time from another wine industry pro.

"...try and sell you some jarringly dry, over-phenolic, cloudy, fruitless muck just because they're obsessed with natural wines and like to pretend several thousand years of winemaking evolution hasn't happened."

Ouch.

I, too, have been the victim of somms trying to convince me to drink "orange" wines despite my stated aversion to them.

Some for some looking in the mirror, maybe, for some somms. 

You are there to help the customer find a drink he or she will enjoy, not to act as an Alice Feiring-style evangelist for undrinkable drinks.

Image: Maksim Chernyshev, Scop.io.

How Sydneysiders can head south for some seafood fun

Fancy a weekend trip from Sydney?

Seafood lovers, in particular, might be tempted by the EAT Festival, which returns to the Sapphire Coast on March 7-10.

EAT Festival is a celebration of the Sapphire Coast’s local produce, producers and chefs, and offers the chance for visitors to enjoy local flavours, chefs’ creations and dining experiences, with the region’s pristine surrounds a bonus.

The event is held over four days with a series of paddock-to-plate and tide-to-table (that's clever) experiences that celebrate the food, the heritage and the wildness of the Sapphire Coast.

For more information on what will be happening see www.eatfestival.com.au

Eat Festival started in 2013 and has attracted growers, brewers, farmers and chefs.



Gourmet events will be held at various locations from Cobargo in the north to Eden in the south.

The main event, Eat Merimbula, runs from 10am-2pm on the Sunday. 

This year, old favourites will rub shoulders with new creatives. 

The Longstocking Brewery from Pambula will be pumping out brews and the famous Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters tent will serve up its shuckings. 

This is a non-ticketed event - just rock up with an appetite.

Images: David Rodgers Photography

Hiking in the shadows of active volcanoes

New Zealand is one of the world's best destinations for lovers of walking.

Great Walks of New Zealand has just announced two new self-guided hiking trips exploring the dramatic Tongariro National Park.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing Self-Guided Hike and the Tongariro Northern Circuit Self-Guided Hike traverse the heart of Tongariro National Park, a UNESCO dual World Heritage area celebrated for its spiritual significance, cultural heritage and volcanoes.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing Self-Guided Hike is a three-day experience structured around a 19km day trek that is widely regarded as New Zealand’s best - and among the top 10 single-day treks in the world.Hikers are surrounded by three active volcanic mountains: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu.

Despite their active status, these volcanoes have proven safe and popular during the summer months, with the last eruptions occurring in 1996 and 1975.

For those seeking a more testing expedition, the Tongariro Northern Circuit Self-Guided Hike is a five-day trip encompassing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, along with two additional trekking days.

“We are thrilled to introduce these two self-guided hikes to our portfolio, showcasing the incredible natural wonder that is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing," says Natalie Tambolash, general manager of Great Walks of New Zealand.

"Both trips offer a challenging yet rewarding adventure through a unique and unpredictable alpine environment. From crystal blue waters to ancient volcanoes, these journeys promise adventure, diversity and once-in-a-lifetime scenery.

"Whether they are a first-time visitor to the Tongariro region or a seasoned regular, these journeys offer visitors the chance to experience the true natural and rugged beauty that defines New Zealand.”

Both hiking options are offered as daily departures until April 30.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing Self-Guided Hike is priced from $450 NZD per person and the Tongariro Northern Circuit Self-Guided Hike from $890 NZD per person.

All About Great Walks of New Zealand.

Are you ready to replace your sommelier with an AI operative?

Goodbye sommeliers? Hello to an AI alternative?

Meet VinoVoss AI Virtual Wine Sommelier - an AI-driven online search tool that is billed as "making it easier and quicker than ever before for all wine enthusiasts, from novices to connoisseurs, to find the PERFECT bottle wine for any taste or occasion".

Stop shouting.

Apparently you can ask this piece of devilment questions like “what is an inexpensive cabernet that goes with pork and that sommeliers like?” or “what is a fruity white wine from Napa suited for a romantic dinner?”

Some of the sommeliers I've encountered would probably try to divert both hapless drinkers to something that is "natural", cloudy and smelly. But there are also many fine somms out there who aim to guide you. 

I tried www.VinoVoss.com and... it is clearly designed for US consumers.

I asked it to choose a young chardonnay from Australia for under $50 and it came up with all the usual choices that you'd find on a US bottle shop shelf. So [yellowtall], Lindemans, Koonunga Hill, Lindemans, Robert Oatley.

Nothing wrong there, but nothing revolutionary either. And it would not be much help in a restaurant situation. 

It's another search engine to sell wine despite the claim that "BetterAI, a data technology company elevating the world of wine through the power of artificial intelligence (AI), has launched the world’s most comprehensive and intuitive wine search engine and recommendation system".

The system has numerous capabilities, including allowing users to search for wines by grape variety, region or price; get personalized wines based on taste preferences; compare wines to find a perfect match for a meal; track their own wine collection and create a wish list; search for organic wines and more.

But some refinement is clearly needed. 

I asked for a white wine made from an alternative grape variety that would pair well with roast pork. One of the top results: Louis Latour Montagny 1er Cru La Grande Roche. 

Unfortunate. The last time I checked, chardonnay was not an alternative variety.  

But when I asked it for the best high-end shiraz from Australia it did a lot better with recommendations including Torbreck, Penfolds, Henschke, Chris Ringland Jim Barry The Armagh and Yalumba's The Caley, which is actually a blend, but still a very fine wine.

It promised me 1998 Penfolds Grange for US $425 ($651) - a very good price for a vintage Penfolds says "may rank amongst the very finest released".

But there are only three bottles available when you click through - and you have no idea of the provenance or how it has been stored. 

I think I'll stick with Five Ways Cellars in Sydney, or Randall's in Melbourne, for now.

Tourists warned of the dangers of an island "paradise"

Think the Bahamas and you think idyllic beaches and a laidback island lifestyle.

What you probably don’t expect are murders and gang violence.

But the US State Department recently updated its advisory for American travellers in the Bahamas. 

They are warned to ‘exercise increased caution’ due to rising levels of violent crime, Travel Mole reports.

Perpetrators and victims are mostly locals but State Department officials say ‘burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas."

It urges tourists to take extra care ‘when staying at short-term vacation rentals where private security companies do not have a presence.’

“Gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate,” the advisory said.

High crime areas including Nassau and across New Providence, and Grand Bahama.

The US Embassy in Nassau noted a spate of murders so far this year, which are mostly down to gang violence.

But it said: "The US Embassy is not aware of any US citizens who have been affected."

The tropical island destination saw more than eight million visitors last year

Prime Minister Philip Davis told local news outlet The Tribune that he doesn’t expect the travel warning will impact tourism. 

I think Mr Davis is kidding himself.

Image: Brett Tiagwad, Scop.io

Spirited argument: global giant tries to trademark a date

I'm thinking of trademarking the year 2025 and then charging all the wine companies around the world who want to use it on their labels.

Palpably absurd, of course, but not as absurd as massive Cognac conglomerate Rémy Martin insisting it has the sole rights to the date 1738.

Leading liquor industry website https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/ is in conflict with Victor George Spirits in Florida over the use of the date 1738 on its bourbon bottles.

Fort Mosé 1738 Bourbon is named after the first free black town in the United States, declared so by the town’s governor in 1738.

Rémy Martin, however, has a 1738 Accord Royal Cognac that has the same year on its labels “commemorate the reward of excellence bestowed on Rémy Martin by King Louis XV in 1738”.

There is now a trademark dispute with Remy aiming to prevent VGS from using the year on its bourbon.

Victor Harvey (above), founder and CEO of black-owned and operated VGS, told the Miami New Times that he first received notice of the objection from Remy Martin in November last year.

“This originally came as an utter surprise,” Harvey said. “I’m not an attorney, but I’ve never known you could trademark an entire year as part of a trademark.

“We 100% chose the year 1738 because of its significance to black people in America. It was the first year in this country where black people could live free in some regard. That’s our sole reason for using it.”

When VGS first launched its bourbon it agreed to donate US$1 from every bottle sale to the Fort Mosé Historical Society to help with educational programmes and events in order to raise awareness of the historic town in what is now Florida.

Wikipedia says: "Fort Mosé was established as a free black settlement, the first to be legally sanctioned in what would become the territory of the United States".