Sunset Wine 2018 – My Favourite Year!

Yesterday I headed along to Sunset Wine at Brighton Reserve in Scarborough. And I had an absolute ball!

I have always said out of UnWined, City Wine and Sunset Wine, that the Scarborough beach based wine festival is my least favourite. I am not entirely sure why, perhaps it’s because it’s a bit of a hike for me to get there. Something silly like that.

179 photos later, many glasses of wine, a few cocktails and some loaded fries – it’s safe to say, I had a bloody great day!

The good news is, that if you’re reading this today (Sunday 18th of February 2018) then you can head along today. Simply hit up the Wine & Food WA website for info. If you’ve missed out on 2018, then follow Wine & Food WA on social media for upcoming festival announcements.

Here are some of my highlights from the festival this year:

Harmans Estate – Wine & Pisco

If you haven’t yet come across Harmans Estate, then check out these guys stat. They were literally the first stand when you walked in the gates at Sunset Wine 2018. You’ll find the bubbly Bec and co on the stand who’ll take you through the wine range (the bubbles is always a favourite of mine and this year I really enjoyed the Verdelho!) and then you can try the Pisco (find out more about what exactly Pisco is here). Sunset Wine is the debut of their Negroni Pisco and it’s delish!

As per the typical Casey MO, I started my day out with Harmans and ended it with a number of Harmans cocktails (the Pisco Sour is always a favourite, however the Ginger Slushie was going down a treat with our gang of wine-lovers too).

Redgate Wines

Another Margaret River label and another very tasty spot. If you like chardonnay, you have to try their Reserve Chardy – it’s a stunner! It’s not every day you can try $60 chardonnay at a wine festival! Between the Chardonnay, bubbles and Chenin Blanc – I was in my element.

Flying Fish Cove

I feel a bit of a pattern going on here. Guess which wine I couldn’t get enough from at Flying Fish Cove? Yep the Reserve Chardonnay. It’s a beaut!

Happs

It’s always great to bump into Happs and try the latest from the range. The lovely Lara and Sue were on the stand to take us through the range. After having a wee taste we ended up heading back to Happs to buy a bottle of their PF Pink Rose to go with our dinner. This rose is preservative free (learn more about preservative free wines here) and the blend of varieties is top secret, however I hear there’s a splash of verdelho in the mix 😉 It’s light, dry and elegant. Not to mention, incredibly easy to drink! You can read more about Happs PF Pink for $22 a bottle here.

Xanadu

Again, I seem to be following patterns. It was the Xanadu Exmoor 2017 Rose that caught my attention here. I loved the watermelon-y notes in the wine!

Umamu

It’s always great bumping into Umamu, these guys produce some top notch wines. It was the 2005 Sparkling Chardonnay that had me swooning. It’s definitely an oldie that is probably peaking, but my oh my, if you like your bubbles with a bit of age, it’s a winner!

Summer Sparkling Bar

If you love bubbles, then a stop at the Summer Sparkling Bar is a must. At $8 a glass, you can’t go wrong. It was the Brave New Wine Pinot Noir Pet Nat that had me bubbling with joy. Mr. Spittoon couldn’t get enough of the Castelli Checkmate, which is an old favourite of ours.

The Food

We enjoyed an insanely delicious burger from Smokies Barbecue and some loaded fries, this was followed by some noodles, gyoza and yakitori from Gyzo Joint. All the food options looked so good that it took us about half an hour to decide where to buy food from!

Yes we were the people that were nearly the first in the gates and nearly the last to leave! We had a jam packed afternoon and we still didn’t get around all the stands!

The positioning of the festival was definitely spot on this year. You could taste wine at the stands and see the ocean or head up to the Sunset Verandah to soak in the views. I also loved the Instagram photo booth and extra large beach chair. So much fun!!

Cheers to another great event CMS Events! Many thanks for inviting Mr. Spittoon and myself along 🙂