Good Food & Wine Show, Sydney 2016 - Part 1

The Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney is my annual pilgrimage. It’s the one major event of the year that I look forward to and enjoy every single minute and this year I backed it up with a two day visit!

Arriving early on Friday the lines are already long but we are in the doors before we know it and purchasing our tasting glass and lanyard.　 As an FYI this year, if you were a Dan Murphy’s member you could ‘jump’ the line and enter in a separate line quicker and also receive a free wine glass (which I did on the Saturday). Thanks Dan Murphy’s.

Ready.....set....go..

Where to begin?　 Wine of course!

First stop is Bunnamagoo Wines.

 

 

Our second stop of the day was a absolute delight. Sampling the awesome Hartshorn sheep whey vodka and vanilla liqueur. 　How?　 By developing a technique to use the by-product (from making cheese from sheep milk (whey) from the family business at Grand Ewe cheese and distilling this to create a clean, crisp vodka is, in my opinion, brilliant.　

The bottles are gorgeous too being lovingly hand painted!　 The vanilla liquor is like vanilla icecream in a bottle!!!

So much to try and see.

We make our way through Barossa wines before landing at Bruny Island Cheese Co.　 I am a fan of the stinky cheeses and newly paired beers. Here we have The Saint and the Otto.  The Saint is [   and the Otto is a fresh cheese wrapped in prosciutto.

The Saint (left) and Otto (right) - Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Bruny Island Beer Co is brewing some awesome Farm Ale and dark beers too, which pair really well with stinky cheeses.
 

 

I’m excited about beer and cheese together (and there is more on that during Saturdays visit later).
I’m sensing more beer this year.　 Although I am not a big beer drinker (occasionally drinking beer when it’s hot), today I sampled some beers that may just change my mind a little.　

Over at the Australian Brewery I was surprised by a nice Pilsner (which is my Partner and Dad’s beer of choice) and their Ice Ice Baby (pilsner on ice on tap).

We may have spent quite some time over at Tamburlaine chatting with Mark Davidson.  This is one of my favourite wineries and love their GSM and their stickies and Muscat!

Tasmanian artisan brewery Moo Brew have a range of brews to suit your palette.  I really am liking the darker ales today!

 

Want something wintery and warming? Maxwell’s Liqueur Mead is heavenly and a bottle is  purchased!

Doc Adams is next.　 A friend has raved about their wine (specifically the 2013 GSM) and I have been wanting to try it before I purchased a case.　 Sadly, they are not sampling it at the show.　 I made some enquiries about purchasing a bottle before committing…and I left my details.　

 

A drool worthy moment with Miguel as he cooks a huge pan of paella.　 Cannot help myself and purchase a paella pan and a take home paella kit!  Pity he didn't come with the purchase! 

 

We stop by Sud Polaire for some gin….  I am not a gin person (it makes me cry) so I don't enjoy it as much as other spirits and I find tonic to be to bitter and grrrr....

 

So I  am surprised by this tonic!  I like it.

 

Whiskey and Porteen over at Melbourne Martini is sipped (and bring the Boy back the next day).

 

Cheers from us girls as we sip our way around the festival.

James Squire is offering a selection of their beers and we can not help ourselves, we have to sample all of them.　 I am a big fan of the Summer Swindler.　 The Jack of Spades Porter is palatable too!

The Wog with the Grog have a selection of European grappas and citrus based liqueurs.

I think it is clear what the Biltong Man makes and the mango and chilli one is a winner!

Over at Mr Black I fall in love with their cold drip coffee liqueur.　 I don’t think I have ever tasted something so delicious made from/with coffee.

Oregano bakery offering up some awesome scrolls.

 

Always stop by Stone's.　 I noticed the Gold is no longer available but there are a few other options.　 The reserve is quite nice.

Okay so there was some food involved (at some point!). hahaha

Jack Dillion’s was there again this year and offering some tasty BBQ sauces along with their lovely smoked garlic.　

The lovely people at Brixton gave me a bottle of their Jerk sauce and their BBQ rum sauce is awesome!!! (purchased a bottled the next day).　 Looking forward to making some jerk chicken with this.

 

 

The Smelly Cheese Club offer a range of just that (stinky) cheese from all around the world!　  So as per normal I purchase their selection. (in fact we had the le Delice de Cremiers on the weekend and loved this soft cheese)

 

We discovered Nick’s Jerky at the Deni Ute Muster last year and are fans of the dried stuff.

 

The aptly name Sticky Balsamic　 stall is a must.　 A lovely range of balsamic vinegars including a gorgeous pear balsamic.　 Miss B purchased the box set!!!!

 

Murray River Pork are taste testing their pork products and I arrive just in time for a slab of pork belly with crunchy crackling.　 Yum!

 

Tamar valley truffles is always a nice stop…one day I will purchase you lovelies!

 

There is lots of cider tasting this year too.  Elk cider is a traditional Swedish cider and they make a  nice apple cider!  I find pear to sweet.

 

Over at Cheese Ally, there is a lot to explore and enjoyed meeting Mrs Cheese from Hunter Belle Cheese.  Say Fromage!!!!  the cheese range is good too and purchase a few of the range including caramelised onion and hyme and cranberry and pistachio.  Their beer cheese is divine!

Our first day was awesome at the show and there were plenty of products purchased (lucky I took my Nanna trolley).

The Mill @ Echuca

Last week found me driving around the State of Victoria for two friends weddings.  That's right two weddings in the space of 5 days.

One of the weddings was on the Murray River in the twin towns of Echuca Moama on the NSW/Victoria border.  The historic town of Echuca is situated on the Murray River and the Campaspe River and the Old Port of Echuca takes you back to the early days. 

There are quite a few good dining options in Echuca and I found myself at The Mill for Happy Hour between 4-6pm on a Wednesday night.  This bar is in the old flour mill.  High ceilings, rustic old brick warehouse meets industrial concrete.

 

As I am dining solo I was lucky enough to have the Chef prepare me the Chefs Share plates for one (usually for two people).  Grabbed myself a lovely glass of white to enjoy while I waited. 

 

Sitting near a window and enjoying the warmth of the later afternoon sun streaming through and looking at these gorgeous prints of Audrey Hepburn.

 

The Mill is a very laid back, casual comfy cool place to hangout!

The feasting begins!

The first dish to arrive is a small plate of creamy hommus topped with a crunchy dukkah. The pita bread wedges are light and fluffy with crispy edges.

Next up was a wedge of Greek Kefalograviera cheese topped with barberries, pine nuts and mint. This was salty and squeaky and delicious.

The third dish was a lovely piece of delicate poached salmon shakshuka. Glazed in a mild Middle Eastern style tomato sauce and a dollop of smoked vanilla labne.  This dish was delicious.  the smoked vanilla in the labne was gorgeous!

Next up was a crispy Vietnamese springroll filled with a very tasty chicken and prawn filling with a Vietnamese dressing.  Sadly I forgot to take a photo of this!  I really enjoy a good springroll and these were up there!

By the next plate, and another glass of wine down, I am struggling but solider through. The next dish a Thai BBQ satay skewer. The chicken is charred but tender and the peanut sauce hugs it like some love. It’s delicious.

I end the meal with a lovely little 3 grain salad, topped with yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. I only take taste a couple of tablespoons. Although lovely I am at my limit.

 

If you are ever in the area, I can highly recommend a visit to The Mill. The Chef has designed a versatile and unique menu in this town and it packs global flavours.

Of course, Happy Hour is one of the best deals around!

 

 The Mill
2-8 Nish St
Echuca
www.themillechuca.com

Sydney Cellar Door 2016 - a weekend of wine tastings

2016's Sydney Cellar Door in Hyde Park South on the weekend of 26-28 February was lots of fun!  After last year, I arranged to visit on the Friday night again as it is always a great night out after work.

Collecting our stemless plastic festival glass and drink tokens (get there right on 5pm for a short wait in the line up otherwise the line is horrendous later on!) we started in Mudgee and worked our way through NSW.

 

A sheet of 8 tokens will set you back $20. One token gives you a 30ml sample of wine from your winery choice.

 

 

Regions represented this year are Mudgee, Orange, Hunter Valley, Bathurst, Canberra, Gundagai, Hilltops, New England and Northern Slopes Riverina and Southern Highlands. I didn’t realise that NSW had such an wide range of wine regions but I am very interested in learning more (and enjoying) the cool climate wines from NSW.

 

Of course I’m straight over to visit Ross Hill Wines from Orange for their delectable Shiraz. This has to be my favourite shiraz, each year slightly different but always robust and spicy. It never disappoints!

 

 

 

Over the course of the evening we managed to sample quite a few wines. Unfortunately due to a miscommunication with event staff and the wineries service was cut at 8.30pm (which nobody was aware of) and many of us were left with an abundance of leftover tokens. We were lucky to be in a position to return on Saturday, but I know many who weren’t. This slight overview was quickly rectified by Saturday morning and everyone was made aware of the laws and the times.  Cheers!
 

 

Saturday was hot, sunny and perfect for an afternoon of more wine. First up though, when there is wine there has to be good food and Porteno was calling my name. We hadn't eaten dinner last night (another reason perhaps why we enjoyed so many samples!).

 

Check out the slabs of pork belly on the BBQ.

 

 

 

 

The BBQ pork belly sandwich with jalapeno aioli and leeks certainly hit the spot!

 

The boy enjoyed his Ribs & Burgers ‘Butchers Cheese Burger’.

 

 

 

 

I was enjoying a variety of wines over the weekend.  Whites, reds and even a glorious Rose from Heifer Station Vineyard in Orange.

 

 

 

There is lots of produce tasting to.  Everything from vinegars and oils, jams, chutneys, sauces  and cheeses from around the regions.  Baxter & Bird bird had a great eggplant chutney.

 

 

 

A food highlight for me was Oysters Unplugged.  Sourced from Ralston Bros. Oysters on the Clyde River, the oysters are meaty, briny and succulent. 

 

 

 

So with a glass of bubbles in hand I indulged in two of these Jumbo and they were huge as big as your palm.

 

 

 

 Gotta have cheese with wine right?

 

 

A new feature this year is Castello’s cheese bar. Bring your wine along and they will match a cheese to your wine (or in our case whatever you wanted to try). We tasted test their Creamy White, Creamy Blue and their two new cheeses in the range, the White with Truffle and the Mellow Black. After tasting, choose your favourite and they cut you a decent wedge with some lavosh on a plate you can pull up a hale bale or stool under an umbrella and enjoy a mini cheese platter.

 

 

 

Along with sipping and samples there are plenty of competitions to enter and lists to join. Hungerford

Hill always have a great competition.

 

Once again, this was a lovely weekend to enjoy NSW Wineries.  A great way to sample the varieties without the travel! Saying that, my travel list has just gotten longer now that I want to do so wine travel...along with the food travel!!!