Back on the move: Vietnam welcomes flights - with immediate effect

Vietnam is opening its doors to international tourists from today. 

The south-east Asian nation is lifting all restrictions on international passenger flights, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. 

Vietnam imposed tight border controls at the start of the pandemic to keep out Covid-19 but its tourism sector was badly impacted. 

"The frequency of flights will be restored to pre-pandemic levels," said Dinh Viet Son, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.

Vietnam began gradually loosening restrictions earlier this year with flights allowed from 15 markets and it also reduced quarantine requirements.

Vietnam recently announced plans to fully reopen all its borders.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said it would happen "ideally at the end of March and no later than the end of April".

"With higher rates of vaccination along with other measures, we will be able to reopen the country safely, for the sake of economic recovery and development," he said last month.

Vietnam already allows limited quarantine-free travel to some tourism destinations including Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang.

Image: Can Ranh Bay: Winsor Dobbin  

The Australian wine classic that remains a bargain

Australian wine lovers have become accustomed to paying serious prices for cellar-worthy icon red wine releases.

Star new-release wines from labels including Penfolds, Henschke and Torbreck can set you back $800 a bottle and are full-throttle towards the $1000 mark.

And prices for top Bordeaux, Burgundies and Barolos are often beyond the wallets of mere mortals.

That's what makes the Cullen Diana Madeline from Margaret River in Western Australia quite remarkable.

This organic and biodynamic icon from a winery that last year celebrated its 50th anniversary is one of Australia's most loved red wines but still sells for only $150.

For many that still makes it a "special occasion" wine but for aficionados, and those with a bit of credit on their cards, it is a super buy.

The Diana Madeline was released last weekend to mark what would have been Cullen co-founder Diana Madeline Cullen's 99th birthday on February 11.

I love the combination of bright dark fruit, savoury notes and ferrous hints in a wine that will cellar well but also offers immediate enjoyment. An impressive 97.5/1000 for me.

The 2020 vintage was a hot, dry one in Margaret River. producing low yields and wines that were generally aromatic, balanced and pretty. The Diana Madeline is elegant and beguiling.

The blend is largely cabernet sauvignon with smidgens of merlot, cabernet franc and malbec, which gives a Bordeaux-like refinement with mulberry, cranberry and salted caramel notes on the palate.

It is a vivid wine with an eminently sensible 13% alcohol level. The 50% new French oak is already well integrated and plays second fiddle to the quality dark and fragrant fruit. 

Closed tanks, open fermenters, barrels and amphora were all used in the fermentation process, and the period of skin contact time lasted from  10 to 99 days depending on the batch of wine. There were zero additions of yeast, acid, or malolactic acid - adding to the purity. 

Vanya Cullen says this can be drunk now, or cellared for up 50 years.

See www.cullenwines.com.au/

        

Finger-licking drawcard for Melbourne gourmet festival

I personally find Nigella Lawson's faux-erotic finger licking and pseudo-sexy sideways glances tiresome in the extreme. 

There is no doubt, however, that the English cook remains a global drawcard and she was today unveiled as headline attraction for this year's 30th anniversary edition of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, to run from March 25-April 9.

Organisers announced a two-week program for gourmets involving eating and drinking all over Melbourne. 

There will be a line-up of chefs travelling to Melbourne from New York and London, Hong Kong and Singapore, and festival-goers can attend a Sunday lunch with the self-styled "domestic goddess" on March 27. 

The festival will kick-off with the return of the World’s Longest Lunch, led by Attica’s Ben Shewry (below) in Treasury Gardens. 

Many events will be hosted at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s 2022 home : Queen Victoria Market.

Star names include Isaac McHale from The Clove Club in London, Sichuan food expert Fuchsia Dunlop, Skye Gyngell, Jowett Yu and Lennox Hastie. 

“We are thrilled to be back in 2022 and to welcome UK superstar Nigella Lawson to Melbourne as part of the Festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations," says Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food+Drink Victoria, the not-for-profit parent company behind MFWF. 

"I’m super proud of this program which highlights the extraordinary food and drink experiences that make Melbourne so special."

The festival also brings together some of the most exciting food talent from around Australia and overseas to collaborate with Melbourne restaurants for the signature chef series. 

Stars include  Arabella Douglas and Christine Manfield at Rockpool Bar & Grill and Jowett Yu at Nomad. 

Tickets for Sunday Lunch with Nigella, hosted by Matt Preston, will set you back $285 a head. 

Tickets for all events go on sale at 10am on Thursday. See mfwf.com.au

A most unwelcome guest on an Air Asia flight

An AirAsia domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sabah, earlier this week was diverted after a snake was seen in one of its overhead compartments.

AirAsia said that as soon as the flight’s captain was aware of the incident, he made the decision to divert the aircraft to Kuching, Sarawak, Channel News Asia reported.

This was done as a precautionary measure to fumigate the aircraft, said the airline.

Video clips of the shadow of a snake inside one of the plane’s overhead compartments had been circulating on social media.

“This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time,” said AirAsia’s chief safety officer Capt Liong Tien Ling in an emailed statement to CNA.

“The Captain took the appropriate action,” said Liong, adding that the safety and wellbeing of their guests and crew was always their top priority.

“At no time was the safety of guests or crew at any risk,” he said.

It was unclear how the snake got inside the aircraft and there was no information if it belonged to any passengers.

Come down under and visit us; Australia's appeal

Tourism Australia has launched a new international campaign to entice back overseas tourists ahead of border openings later this month.

A new TV ad aimed at North America, the UK and Europe, marks Australia's first major international tourism campaign in two years and is highlights the slogan "Don't go small. Go Australia".

Phillipa Harrison, managing director of Tourism Australia, said the Covid-19 epidemic had impacted on tourism.

"People have been living smaller lives during the pandemic," she said.

The ad showcases a range of iconic Aussie travel destinations including the Northern Territory, Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef.

"It's about showcasing the incredible diversity and the incredible experiences that are here in Australian," Harrison said, jokingly adding the "hardest part" of her job was deciding on which destinations to include.

The Australian Government has announced borders will finally be opening up to the world this month, with fully-vaccinated international arrivals allowed to enter Australia from February 21.

Meet the sommelier who is seriously dynamite

Music lovers might do a double-take when they take a look at the sommelier serving them at top London restaurant Clove Club. 

Dominic Smith is not only the wine guru at the Michelin-starred eatery, he also has a second career as Dynamite MC, a well-known rapper and MC. 

Dynamite MC, now 46, has been a fixture on the drum and bass scene for two decades, touring the globe. 

More recently his focus has been on educating people about wine. His diverse twin interests have won him attention ranging from the Financial Times to gossip site Popbitch. 

  

He told the FT: "My real epiphany was with a bottle of 2011 Crocus Malbec de Cahors I ordered to celebrate winning MC of the Year at the Drum&BassArena Awards in 2015. 

"I tasted it and it just hit me: wow, this is incredible, melting, velvet. I Googled it to find out more, and I saw a link to the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and I thought, why not go educate myself?”

He quickly competed his WSET levels 1, 2 and 3 and was offered a job by Clove Club co-founder Daniel Willis. 

The experience was “completely eye-opening. I’d eaten in fine-dining restaurants all over the world on tour, but there’s a huge difference between being a guest and working in a restaurant, being part of this beautiful ballet that’s going on all the time unnoticed that is practised and rehearsed," he told the FT.

"The preparation and detail that go into making a restaurant function so seamlessly is incredible. I had to earn my stripes."

Smith’s big loves are Champagne and pinot noir but he still performs as a musician on a regular basis. 

Impressive.