Perth hills winery, Millbrook, takes viognier pretty seriously, which is evident in the wines from the past couple of vintages. But the winery also extends its commitment to the variety with an annual tasting.
Each year, the Jarrahdale winery hosts a tasting of a dozen of the world’s best examples of viognier from Australian and international producers. The tastings also include examples where viogner has been blended with shiraz.
It is an event of extreme interest as the variety has so much to offer when treated with care and respect. Usually powerful and moderately high in alcohol, it usually exhibits a silky texture with brooding fruit of peach, apricot and spice.
This year’s tasting will be on Saturday September 2 and will be accompanied with a lunch at the winery.
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Going to New Zealand but don’t want to drink sauvignon blanc again? That’s OK, because now it is quite easy to find Western Australian wine, Xabregas, in some of NZ’s best restaurants.
In the space of three months the Mt Barker producer has captured the attention of at least 11 of the best restaurants in the shaky isles, including Wellington’s The Logan Brown, and now has its wine being poured to happy punters.
Even the Arbitrageur Wine Room, home of ‘NZ’s Best Winelist’ category in 2004 and 2005, has joined the chorus and is pouring the wine, made by local wine boffin Dr Di Miller.
No more ‘cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush’ then.
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When the USS Kitty Hawk recently docked in Fremantle, the behemoth of a boat hosted a VIP cocktail party for more than 1,000 guests from Perth’s business and hospitality sectors.
It was a chance to network and exchange ideas on the highest levels. And the opportunity wasn’t lost on the kitchen staff either.
As part of the Royal Australian Navy’s chefs exchange program, chefs from the Parmelia Hilton Perth were invited to assist with the preparation and serving of food for event.
Hilton executive chef Michael Schmidt and four fellow staff members were invited on board and shown the ropes of what it takes to feed a crew of 5,000.
In turn, chefs from the Kitty Hawk spent some time in the somewhat smaller kitchens of the Hilton back on dry land. All parties said the experience fostered new relations, facilitated the sharing of ideas and exposed a completely different facet of the same industry.
No word yet on whether the Hilton crew had to swab the decks.
