Back to where it all began for new Elderton winemaker

Brock Harrison, who has spent over 13 years working for Pernod Ricard, is the new winemaker at Elderton Wines in the Barossa Valley, where he began his wine career.

Harrison led a small team of winemakers overseeing all stages of production across the sparkling and chardonnay portfolios for Pernod Richard and also managed the premium red fermentation area at Rowland Flat, crafting small parcels for Jacob's Creek and St Hugo.

He also has a long history with the Ashmead family, who own and operate Elderton. He will work alongside Julie Ashmead.

Harrison first worked as a weekend cellar door casual for Elderton back in 2003, a job that helped him pay his way through his winemaking degree.

A local Barossa boy, he worked with the cellar door crew for two years and then did his first vintage at Elderton in 2005.

"The team at Elderton are very excited to have Brock aboard and know that he will work in harmony with Julie Ashmead to create the next generation of stunning wines," said co-owner Allister Ashmead.

Are you ready to sleep underwater?

Australia's first underwater accommodation, Reefsuites, will open this summer. 

With floor-to-ceiling views of the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef, Reefsuites is the brainchild of the team at Cruise Whitsunday's Heart Pontoon in the Whitsundays.

Guests will arrive via a scenic cruise through the Whitsundays Islands to the outer reef where they will be able to choose from two private, underwater rooms available (king double or twin single options). 

All meals and beverages, including breakfast, morning and afternoon teas and dinner will be included with a dining experience under the stars. 

Activities at the reef including a private guided snorkelling tour and semi-submarine tour will be included in the tariff of $749 per person. 

For more information visit https://cruisewhitsundays.com/

Can hotels be trusted with your confidential data?

When you check in to a hotel, you think nothing of letting the reception desk have your name, address, credit card details and mobile phone number; often more.

But can hotels be trusted to retain your data safely? In the case of Choice Hotels, apparently not.

As many as 700,000 guests of Choice Hotels may have had their personal data compromised, Travel Mole reported.

The data breach was entirely preventable as the information was hosted on an unsecured database.

Internet security researchers revealed the breach - and the site was also hacked.

The hotel group said it has now stopped using the vendor which hosted the data.

"The records did not contain payment, password or reservation information - we will be notifying affected guests to advise them of what occurred," Choice Hotels said in a statement.

"We have discussed this matter with the vendor and will not be working with them in the future. We are evaluating other vendor relationships and working to put additional controls in place to prevent any future occurrences."

Data potentially compromised included guest names, email addresses, and phone numbers. 

Which is downright irresponsible of US-based Choice Hotels; which franchises 7,005 properties in 41 countries and territories worldwide including Clarion Hotels, Quality Inn and Rodeway Inn. 

Star chef opens his own cooking school

The Gold Coast in Queensland is set to get a world-class cooking school with Willow Vale Cooking School opening its doors this month. 

Set on eight acres in the Gold Coast Hinterland, in a beautiful 130-year-old heritage Queenslander surrounded by luscious green hills, the school is owned and run by Bruno and Catherine Loubet, who returned to Australia from the UK at the end of 2017 to pursue their dream of launching a bespoke cooking school.

A veteran in the restaurant industry, Loubet spent more than 40 years heading up kitchens in London, France and Australia working with world-renowned chefs, along the way gaining Michelin stars and publishing three cookbooks. 

Loubet has worked with Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire and with Raymond Blanc at the two Michelin-starred Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. 

The Bordeaux native earned a Michelin star as head chef at the Four Seasons, Inn on the Park, before opening Bistrot Bruno, L'Odeon, and Bistrot Bruno Loubet at The Zetter Hotel.

The Willow Vale Cooking School workshops are planned around the garden calendar and tailored to seasonal vegetables. Bruno will cook in front of guests while offering tips and tricks of the trade.

For the full calendar, please see www.willowvalecookingschool.com

Discover Phuket's surprising new tourist attraction

Phuket is Thailand's top resort island, a place for enjoying sandy beaches, poolside cocktails and maybe some diving.

There are temples, some outstanding restaurants, a seriously Big Buddha, crazy nightlife on Bangla Road, Patong, and myriad luxury resorts.





Now Phuket has a new tourism drawcard: the Chalong Bay Rum Distillery.

The brainchild of a French couple Marine Lucchini and Thibault Spithakis and their Thai partners, the distillery produces hand-crafted white rums from local sugar cane, using sustainable production and traditional distilling methods.




Visitors can choose between very interesting guided tours of the distillery, organised tastings, cocktail workshops or lunch and dinner at the on-site restaurant, which is open daily.

Thailand grows over 200 different varieties of sugar cane, but the distillery uses only indigenous single variety best-in-crop sugar cane, grown without chemicals or fertilisers, in partnership with local farmers who still harvest their crop by hand.

These traditional methods of growing and harvesting sugarcane produce 100% natural first press cane juice that’s ready to be distilled.

The point of difference here is that the rums are distilled using local flavours, including kaffir lime, lemongrass, Thai sweet basil, lime and cinnamon.

Also on sale are various syrups ideal for crafting your own cocktails.

For details visit www.chalongbayrum.com or call +66 93 575 1119.




I'd recommend combining your visit with a stop-off at the nearby Sri Bhurapha Orchid, the first-ever cashew nut factory in Phuket and which also sells dried fruits and other regional gourmet specialities.

Watching the workers is fascinating and there are free tastings to tempt you to over-spend.

# The writer was assisted by AirAsia and Burasari Resort.

Hong Kong tourism industry in crisis

Hong Kong tour companies and hotels are reporting a big downturn in business from mainland China, and other countries, as the ongoing civil unrest plunges the tourism industry into crises.

A tourist gives her luggage to security guards as she tries to enter the departures gate during another demonstration by protesters at Hong Kong's International Airport on Aug. 13, 2019. (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

TV images of clashes between pro-democracy protesters and armed police have been beamed into homes around the world over the past few weeks.

The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions reports an average 74% drop in mainland China tour group business, Travel Mole reports.

As many as 42% saw a drop of more than 90%, according to a survey of nearly 1,000 tour guides.

About 100 said they conducted no tours at all throughout June and July.

Overall, there was a 31% drop in tourist arrivals in early August, said Hong Kong's commerce secretary Edward Yau Tang-wah, as well as significant declines in hotel occupancy.

The protests, now in their 10th week, have become progressively more tense with hotel chains seeing both their share prices and occupancy rates fall by double digits.

Hong Kong lawmaker Yiu Si-wing says major chains are advertising rates at 40-50% less than normal.

"The recent travel advisories and warnings issued by several countries have caused some cancellations from our overseas leisure, group and corporate guests," said a Shangri-La Group spokesman.

"We have also seen a decline in the number of local patrons coming to our restaurants and outlets."

The good news for holidaymakers willing to take a risk is those plunging hotel room rates.