Earlier in the week you may have caught my tasting note for the McW Reserve 660 Cabernet Sauvignon which Mr Spittoon and I both really enjoyed. This 2017 Syrah from Canberra is the partner wine in the range, also retailing for $25.
Before I get stuck in, I just want to say a big thank you to Dialogue PR for sending over these samples – they have been perfect for the chilly weather we have had in Victoria! Continue reading
There’s no denying that there’s been a surge in popularity for wines which are kinder to the environment, our bodies and lifestyles. Which is why I have some very exciting news for you today wine lovers.
I was recently introduced to Australia’s very first ‘mindful’ wine service – Vineful – and I think it’s going to be a hit! Continue reading
I have a long-standing connection to Western Australia’s Great Southern region.
As a kid, my family would pack up the car at least twice a year and drive the 4-5 hours to my Aunty and Uncles farm just East of Albany, where we would spend at least a week at a time catching Koonac’s from one of the many dams, fishing and sight-seeing.
Fast forward 15 years or so and the team at CMS Events gave me an amazing reason to reacquaint myself with this wonderful part of the world. To be honest, I don’t know why I don’t visit the region as often as I use to, but I am going to make it a goal for 2019 to make sure I visit far more regularly. Continue reading
Don’t you hate how it’s all of a sudden Global Cab Sauv or Chardonnay day and you are not prepared? I don’t know about you, but when it comes to this sort of thing I hate not being ready for it. Therefore, I have put together a list of important wine days to mark your calendars or you can print out my Wine Days infographic below.
I have mentioned the source (below infographic), just in case you come back and point the finger at me saying I made it up (it’s only Global Wine Day I can be thanked for).
There are not many wine appreciation days which are actually “official”. The majority of them have been started by die-hard fans or wine companies who’ve used social media to help spread the word.
I’ll add to this post as we go through the year in case any other ‘very important’ days pop up/are created. And hey, if they are celebrating a ‘national day’ in Europe or America, I don’t see why we can’t also celebrate in Australia and New Zealand too! Any excuse right?
Continue reading
It’s great to see Naomi has been heading out to the Swan Valley a lot recently. Since moving over to the east coast, I am living vicariously through her. Recently she headed along to Pinelli Estate Restaurant for what looks to be an amazing night of great wine and food!
Last month my partner Bryce and I headed out to Pinelli Estate Winery Restaurant for their regular Wine and Food Matched Degustation.
Bryce is a fan of degustations, and I couldn’t recall ever attending one, so when we saw that Pinelli was hosting one we thought we would make a booking and make a night of it. Their degustations are held once a month on a Friday, starting at 6pm.
Although we didn’t attend for a special occasion, I would highly recommend if you’re looking to celebrate an anniversary, birthday or any type of special occasion, then a degustation at Pinelli is a must!
Our dinner was such fantastic value at $95 per head. This covered five courses, matched with five glasses of Pinelli Estate Wine, plus on arrival, we were greeted with the choice of a glass of Pinelli Estate Eve Sparkling Brut or Sparkling Juliet.
Guests were asked to arrive for 6pm, however, I knew that I would be running a little late since I don’t finish work until 5:30pm in the Perth CBD, so I emailed ahead to let the restaurant know I wouldn’t arrive until about 6:15pm. They were extremely accommodating and confirmed that the first course wouldn’t come out until closer to 6:30pm, which was perfect timing. We arrived with just enough time to enjoy the beautiful Swan Valley sunset while sipping on a glass of bubbles.
The Travelling Corkscrew recently reacquainted herself with a bottle of the Pinelli Estate Eve Sparkling Brut and the Sparkling Juliet which can be found within the “Wine Reviews” section of the blog.
Our menu for the degustation included Pinelli Estate Wines wines matched to each course.
Before each course, owner, Daniel Pinelli, took us through each of the wines, while head chef Caleb Azuka would take us through each of the food courses.
Our first course for the night was Insalata, which is an Italian style of salad.
Our Italian style salad consisted of heirloom tomatoes, black olives, thyme and tarter with the chef’s special broth. We were sure that the broth consisted of raspberries. I would never think to include berries with this type of salad, but it worked perfectly.
Our meal was matched with a glass of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.
The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Reserve was released on the night, so it was great to be one of the first to try the new vintage.
Our second course for the night was a Risotto con Grano Padano, a 24 month aged Padano Riserva wheel, imported from Emilia Romagna, Italy, especially for the degustation.
We were treated to the chef adding some extra flame in front of all the guests. We watched the gooey goodness of each spoonful being placed into the bowls before served to the group.
The Risotto was matched with a glass of Vermentino 2018 Reserve, which was an elegant match. Bryce and I were talking about the wine so much that we bought a case at the end of the night.
Our third course for the night was a Pesce Spada, which translates to Swordfish. This was such a delicate and flavoursome meal consisting of white wine and Puttanesca sauce drizzled over the Swordfish.
Our meal was matched with a glass of Verdelho 2018 Reserve.
By the time we got to our fourth meal of the night, I was wondering how I was going to be able to fit it all in as I knew we still had dessert coming.
The Anatra D’Arancia, or Orange Duck, was absolutely divine, but I knew I was getting to my limit, so I kindly shared half of my duck with Bryce. Thankfully he was there, as I didn’t want to send back a dish that still had food on it when it tasted so bloody delicious!
The meal was Duck flavoured with Cognac d’orange, kale Toscana, berries and oyster mushrooms.
The side salad was the perfect pairing with the duck.
Our fourth course was matched with a glass of the Grenache 2017 Reserve.
Our fifth and final course for the night was this smashable Crema Bruciata, a creamy custard tart with crumbs and flowers.
Our dessert was matched beautifully with a glass of the Liqueur Verdelho. We loved this tipple that we bought one to savour at home.
The wine and food servings were so generous, I felt like I was bursting at the seams by the time we left. At $95 per head, we enjoyed 5 dishes and 6 glasses of wine.
Pinelli Estate Winery Restaurant will be organising their next degustation to occur at New Years. We will keep you updated once the dates are released, plus they’re looking to continue the degustations into 2019 (dates to be confirmed).
Address: 114 Benara Rd, Caversham
Opening Hours: Lunch from Thursday to Sunday 11.30 am to 2.30pm; Dinner from Thursday to Saturday 5.30 pm to late
Phone: (08) 9377 7733
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Buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici.
Good food, good wine, good friends