Change of direction at historic Hunter estate

Mount Pleasant is one of the great names of the Hunter Valley; a historic estate under new ownership.

Chief winemaker Adrian Sparks (above) this week unveiled a new direction for Mount Pleasant - with a definite focus on quality. 

"Our strategy focuses on scaling back our offering and looking to the past for inspiration for the future," Sparks said in a letter to wine club members. 

"The last few years have seen some challenges, to say the least," he added. "But we have worked through where we see the future for Mount Pleasant and have built a solid strategy for moving forward.

"For a number of years Mount Pleasant pursued the model of being everything to everyone, trying to survive in a flooded market, and moving away from its core values. 

"We are blessed with some of the greatest vineyards and stories in Australia, and these are fundamentally who we are today.

"We have spent countless hours tending to vines that were planted because of the early 2000s wine export boom and were not part of our heritage. 

"These young vine blocks were worked too hard and had very little money spent on them. We have therefore decided to remove these vines, grown for quantity rather than quality, and vines that are now suffering.

"Our focus into the future will be one of celebrating our history and our nucleus. By making wines that reflect what Mount Pleasant is, and more importantly what has made Mount Pleasant great. Old Vine Shiraz, Lovedale Semillon, and reigniting the wonderful art of blending multiple varieties - all which make good wines, but combined will make great wines.

"We are excited to announce the release of the first of these blends; our Light Dry White and Light Dry Red, made in very small quantities in 2023 as we begin to understand the intricate art of blending these for the first time. 

"These are wines based on style, wines that evoke a sense of joy when drinking and a desire to learn more about the Hunter Valley and Mount Pleasant, something which [legendary winemaker] Maurice O’Shea excelled at.

"We will continue to redefine Mount Pleasant by focusing on the detail of grape growing and winemaking. 

"With reduced land under vine, this will allow us to take the time to home in on the one percent adjustments that are required to make wonderful wines. Wines that show the hallmarks of Mount Pleasant, which is balanced, beautiful drinking wines in their youth, and timeless expressions of site as they age."

New treat for Hobart gourmets

 

The team from one of Hobart's best restaurants has unveiled plans for a more casual offshoot.

Fico, run by Federica Andrisani and Oskar Rossi, will open Pitzi Hobart at 4 Victoria Street in the city, in early January.

The new venture - in the space formerly occupied by Jackman and McRoss - will serve pasta dishes, focaccia, snacks and aperitivi from 4pm until late Friday-Monday. 

Lunch service will follow.

"Bookings won’t be essential as we will be keeping tables available for walk-ins, plus we have our great little terrazzo at the front which gets all afternoon sun and will be a perfect little spot for a spritz or glass of rosato," the Fico team said on social media.

Pitzi is an endearing term for someone close to you, roughly translated as "little one".

It sounds just what Hobart needs - particularly the Monday evening opening.

Stay tuned.

Upgrade your wardrobe and help a furry friend

There are few creatures more quintessentially Australian than hairy-nosed wombats.

And there are few more idiosyncratic wine brands than Little Giant - with their distinctive short, stubby bottles.

The wombat is the emblem on every bottle of Little Giant and has become an unofficial marsupial mascot of the brand.

There is also a Little Giant range of beers that adopt a similar, albeit smaller, format of the unique bottle and label.

The people behind Little Giant - at Fourth Wave Wines - are a platinum sponsor of wildlife organisation WIRES and provide ongoing support for the preservation of the cute little critter.

Buy merchandise from Little Giant and they will donate more money direct to WIRES: $5 from vests, $5 from hoodies and $3 from WomButts (underpants).

For over 35 years, WIRES has rescued and cared for sick, injured and orphaned native animals.

“We are proud to give back to the environment and contribute to important work towards protecting Australia's unique wildlife," says Little Giant's Ross Marshall.

"A portion of the proceeds from each purchase of our Little Giant merchandise will directly support WIRES' wildlife conservation efforts.”

Visit https://www.littlegiantaustralia.com.au/shop

Not your average bourbon whiskey

 

Master’s Keep Voyage is not your average Wild Turkey release.

Wild Turkey Bourbon this week announced the newest release in the annual limited-edition series of highly sought-after whiskies.

Available in Australia from November 1, the Master’s Keep Voyage was crafted by Master Distiller Eddie Russell in partnership with Dr. Joy Spence, the renowned Master Blender of Appleton Estate rum, combining over 80 combined years of experience in crafting exceptional spirits.

The 106-proof expression of 10-year-old bourbon was finished with a secondary maturation period in Jamaican rum casks, marking the first rum cask finish in Wild Turkey’s history.

This one-off Kentucky Straight bourbon whiskey draws inspiration from the Caribbean island of Jamaica .

“Every year, we look forward to the release of Master’s Keep as an opportunity to rethink what our bourbon can be," says Wild Turkey distiller Russell. “Creating Master’s Keep Voyage in collaboration with Joy was a real privilege and I think our shared passion for telling a story through our spirits comes through in this one-of-a-kind whiskey.”

Master’s Keep Voyage is the latest expression in the award-winning Master’s Keep series. First launched in 2015, the annual release came from Russell’s desire to push the boundaries of traditional bourbon-making by experimenting with aging techniques and finishes.

Spence hand selected some of the finest casks from the iconic Jamaican rum house – casks which previously held 14-year-old pot still rum and would best complement Wild Turkey’s extra-aged bourbons.

The casks were then brought to the Wild Turkey Distilling Co. in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they were filled with Russell’s batch of 10-year-old bourbon.

“With Voyage, we had a very specific taste profile in mind,” said Spence. “We really wanted to explore how the classic notes of rum and bourbon can work in harmony and create a really rich tasting experience for whiskey and rum fans alike.”

Master’s Keep Voyage will be available from November 1 at Dan Murphy’s, First Choice, Liquorland & selected independent retailers for RRP $350.

A sparkling way to celebrate Global Champagne Day

There will be dozens of events, tastings and dinners to celebrate Global Champagne Day on October 27 but one in Sydney's Queen Victoria Building looks a good deal.

Reign at the QVB has announced a special event to celebrate Global Champagne Day: 'A Date with Champagne'.

The event, priced at $60 per person, will include tastings of up to five Champagnes from renowned houses including Perrier Jouet, Bollinger, Taittinger, Louis Roederer and Gosset, as well as some grower Champagnes that are new to Australia.

Tickets also include prawn toast and chicken liver parfait with crumpets.

Reign Champagne Parlour bills itself as "Sydney’s best destination for Champagne lovers" with over 150 on offer.

‘A Date With Champagne’ will run from 5-8pm.

“Although we celebrate Champagne every day at Reign, Global Champagne Day gives us an opportunity to kick things up a notch," says sommelier Louella Mathews.

"When curating the beverage menu at Reign, I wanted to showcase a wine list that reflects Champagne in a modern-day setting as an easy and accessible luxury for everyone.”

Further details at https://reignatqvb.com.au/whats-on/international-champagne-day/

Are you happy to be checked into your hotel by a robot?

Would you rather be checked in or out of your hotel by a robot, or a human being?

As one of those who refuses to use self-checkout facilities at the supermarket, I know which camp I am in.

But one hotel group is banking on your preference being a robot.

Dorsett , which has hotels on the Gold Coast and in Melbourne, says its technology roll-out is "designed to deliver a more personalised guest experience" and ensure smooth operations behind the scenes.

Just how a robot delivers a more personalised guest experience is one of life's little mysteries.

The Hong Kong-based Dorsett group says its digital solutions are "designed to cater to the tech-savvy Dorsett Hotel customer".

Look out. Here comes some PR bulldust: "As a Hong Kong hospitality brand, Dorsett is tech-forward, innovating for the greater good of the customer experience. Tech solutions free up staff to provide a more hands-on experience right throughout the hotel."

Dorsett Melbourne and Gold Coast both have robots that have been nicknamed Tim and Tam by the Gold Coast team and Dorothy and Dexter by the team in Melbourne.

The ugly-looking short-arse critters have been programmed to greet guests, conduct the check-in/out process and provide guests with their keys. The robots will also provide information on local attractions and events.

The press release says the new Dorsett Melbourne and Gold Coast robots will not replace human staff but rather reduce waiting times by around 60% while offering "job enhancement and upskilling to our staff. The technology also controls hotel staff workflow during peak arrival times, improving customer service."

Narelle Welsh, director of sales and marketing at Dorsett Melbourne, is firmly onside with the hype.

“By using technology to free up our time at the front desk, the team are able to provide better service to our guests," she says. "We now have the time to be more attentive to the guest experience and the hotel runs more smoothly as a result.”

I can't wait to hear from guests whether this is, in fact, the case. I'd be much more impressed if the robots were trained to take your suitcases to your room, shine your shoes or deliver a morning paper to your door.

Other technology-based features of the hotels include in-room dining through QR code ordering (what about older guests who might not understand QR technology?), and paperless Do Not Disturb signs that are colour-coded with a miniature keypad in each room.

All televisions throughout the hotels have Chromecast for easy streaming from a phone to the TV - and that's certainly a good thing.

See www.dorsett.com.